Written by Ron Amodio, Regional Director.
Contact him at 1.800.974.4828 x104, or ron@carenational.com.
Have you crafted the strongest possible resume? We work with professional Medical Management nurses (that is Case Management, Utilization Management, and Quality Management) on a daily basis and often candidates underestimate the critical importance of a well-constructed resume. In 2010 we published a paper entitled “How Your Resume Can Drive Success” that addresses the key components for drafting a powerful resume. In this document, we aim to shed some light on tips to improve your resume, secure an interview, and land your next great job. Below we expand on the next item addressed, “Use Power Words and Power Statements.” Download the full white paper to read more about these 7 key steps to resume success.
The dictionary definition of POWERFUL is ‘having great power or strength.’ It is a useful adjective and if I took a random poll, I think most people would associate the word with either great success, or someone that has a large physical stature.
So when you are drafting your resume, it’s a good idea to include powerful words and phrases. These terms and statements have a greater impact on the reader as opposed to more generic expressions. To be clear, this is not to say you should find a list of “power words” and pepper your resume at random with words like dynamic and innovative and glorious, etc. You should use the words and phrases that add details to your accomplishments and highlight your understanding of the specific jargon of your field of work. In the healthcare industry, particularly in Medical Management, using appropriately powerful keywords and specific terms can help you stand head and shoulders above your competition.
I tell my nurse candidates to avoid just thinking of your everyday functions when crafting your resume but think of accurate and compelling adjectives and achievements that give a hiring manager a clear depiction of your skills and experience. Instead of using non-descriptive phrases like “I have experience working with different health plans and government agencies,” try to identify who or what those health plans and government agencies are, by name if possible or at least by type. As an example, “Served as liaison with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid on behalf of a Managed Care Organization.”
Recently I assisted an RN update her resume for a HEDIS Program Manager position with a rapidly growing health plan that was already preparing for the 2015 HEDIS season. She had worked several H.E.D.I.S. (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) projects in the past, as both a chart abstractor and later by performing over-reading of those abstractions, but for this Program Manager position we wanted to highlight her past leadership experience as well. Her most recent position was as a Supervisor of Quality Management, but the write-up for that on her resume was a very vanilla “Supervised daily activities of Performance Improvement team.” So as we discussed that role over the phone, she described in detail all her various duties and accomplishments while in that position. I told her to write those details down, and together we crafted this update to that section of her resume:
“Lead a Quality Improvement team of 5 nurses and 7 administrative personnel in developing, initiating, and refining a new process of chart review that enhanced coding accuracy by 65% in the first 6 months. Recommended and implemented a company-wide initiative of random chart auditing by all department supervisors that reduced over-payments by $1.36 million dollars in 3 years.”
Take a look at your current resume. Have you carefully used powerful statements and keywords to make your resume more specific and attractive to hiring managers? Remember purpose of the resume is to secure an interview, and ultimately get the job, so use the right words and phrases the next time you are updating your resume. Or call me and we can work through it together and make sure you craft a powerful resume that will get you on track for a powerful career.
As always, you can contact one of our representatives at 800-974-4828 to assist you in re-tooling your resume for that next great opportunity in Healthcare Services. CareNational provides superior career consulting support, and there is never a fee charged to candidates for any of our services.
For other great tips, visit a recent brief blog of ours for 5 Tips to improve your Medical Management Resume, or download the full whitepaper below.
Written by Ron Amodio, Division Director. For more great tips on hiring strategies and to discuss our current opportunities, reach out to one of CareNational’s best Account Managers! Call him at 1.800.974.4828 x104, or email him at ron@carenational.com