How to Showcase Your Competitive Advantage on a Resume

According to the New York Times, there were over a million healthcare jobs lost during the pandemic. That might seem like a paradox, considering so many people needed medical help due to COVID-19. But, this time around, the healthcare industry wasn’t immune to the economic recession the country was going through, so jobs had to be cut. Other healthcare professionals left for their own mental health reasons, while others chose to stay home with their families.

Now that the economy is starting to build back up, the industry is hiring again. And, it may be more competitive than ever. So, what can you do to stand out and make sure your resume gets noticed?

Make sure you’re video-savvy.

Telemedicine saw a huge boom in popularity throughout the pandemic and shows no signs of slowing down. Hospitals, clinics, and even small practices are all starting to realize how important and impactful it can be, and will undoubtedly look to hire people who know how to utilize it. Remote work has also become exceedingly popular and prominent, requiring basic video skills.

So, how can you get versed in video and gain a competitive advantage on your resume?

Take Advantage of Remote Learning

According to a 2020 report by the Institute of Medicine, it’s recommended that at least 80% of nurses hold a bachelor’s degree. Whether you’re currently in a healthcare position and want to move up, or you’re trying to break into the field for the first time, it’s not uncommon for those in the industry to go back to school.

Doing so can help you in more ways than one.

Not only can you take advantage of the curriculum you need, but because so many schools are offering remote or hybrid classes, you can learn more about video conferencing and digital learning as you go. It’s a type of “hands-on” learning that will prepare you to get involved with video when you land a job. You might have to have a video conference with other classmates or a professor, and it’s important to learn how to do that so you can carry the skills with you into a career.

You can even start taking advantage of the edtech trend video learning, which can help you to know how to record videos in advance, edit, and publish them. If you do get a job in the medical field, that can come in handy to educate and inform patients.

Sharpen Your Telemedicine Skills

Just how popular has telehealth become? One study found that 46% of patients use telemedicine for some of their visits, compared to just 11% in 2019. Whether you’re a nurse, doctor, specialist, or anyone who interacts with patients, one of the best things you can do is to sharpen your telemedicine skills.

Once you do, you can list them on your resume to get more attention.

With that in mind, it’s important to know some of the best practices for honing those skills. Some of them include:

Understanding how to operate a video program

Feeling comfortable interacting via video

Dressing professionally

Creating a comfortable conversation (using “web-side” manner)

Patients are choosing telemedicine for a variety of reasons. It’s convenient, it’s accessible, and it makes it easier for patients and physicians to connect more regularly without having to set up in-person appointments. Overall, many people see it as an improvement to the patient experience. The more you feel comfortable with telemedicine, the more likely it is a practice will take notice and give you greater consideration.

Look for Remote Positions

Working in the healthcare industry requires you to be a lifelong learner. Granted, there are many things you need to know like the back of your hand before you get started. But, there are some things that you’ll get stronger at as you go.

So, even if you don’t have a lot of existing video experience, you can gain it by looking for remote positions.

Some people are surprised to find there are so many remote options in healthcare. Whether you want to work in an administrative role, “behind the scenes”, or even as a nurse, there are remote opportunities that will allow for flexibility and can help you become stronger in your video skills. Some of the most common remote jobs for nurses include:

Clinical appeals nurse

Health informatics

Nurse auditor

Nursing instructor

Any of these positions can help you learn more about video conferencing and connecting with others via the screen. When you do that, you can easily add that experience and the skills learned to a resume for a different position.

Technology and digital trends are everywhere. The healthcare system isn’t immune to them. In fact, it’s adopting many of them to improve patient care and prevent burnout for workers. If you’re ready for a post-pandemic career and you’re looking for a job in the healthcare industry, make sure you’re learning as much as possible about video and how it will keep impacting health and wellness for the foreseeable future.