New grad nurse resume and cover letter tips
What to put on a new grad RN resume and in what order, how to write a short cover letter for each hospital, and how to get ready for the interview that follows.
Your resume
- One page. Your name, license status or expected NCLEX date, and certifications such as BLS at the top.
- Clinical rotations with the unit type, the facility and the hours, capstone or preceptorship first.
- Healthcare work such as CNA, patient care tech, EMT or scribe, then leadership and volunteer work.
- Skip a long objective. A one-line summary of the unit you want is enough.
Your cover letter
Three short paragraphs: why this hospital, why this unit, and one clinical moment that shows how you work. Write a new one for each program; recruiters notice a letter that could be sent anywhere.
References
Two or three: a clinical instructor, a preceptor from your capstone, and a manager from any healthcare job you held. Ask each one before you list them, and send them the job description so they know what to speak to.
Then the interview
Your resume gets you the interview; the stories on it get you the offer. Pick the six to eight clinical moments you would tell a panel and make sure each one shows somewhere on the page. Our list of 33 new grad interview questions covers what each one listens for. Vibe Nursing builds practice sets from your own resume and gives feedback on your spoken answers.
Questions
How long should a new grad nurse resume be?
One page is enough for almost every new grad.
Should I write a different cover letter for each hospital?
Yes. Keep the same structure, but change the reasons for this hospital and this unit. A letter that could go to any hospital reads that way.