Story by Chad Dekort and Kristina Ellis
It is spring at last – a time for fresh starts. This is also the perfect time to refresh your resume and pursue new career possibilities. You’ve found a great job posting with Alberta Health Services (AHS) and want to get your application in! What’s next? We’ve compiled some helpful information to make this a smoother process for you
Use the job description as a guide to what your resume should reflect
The job description is your guide to the qualifications and experience the hiring manager is looking for. Try your best to speak to the qualifications listed on the job description and capture the desired experience on your resume.
If you are able to quantify your experience on your resume, even better. It is one thing to state you did something, but if you add numbers and a better description to show the scope of your work, it comes across as more impressive. For instance, “cared for patients” vs. “cared for eight patients, each with different medical requirements, on a daily basis.”
Incorporate keywords where you can
Some organizations use the keyword search technique in their recruitment which are sets of pre-determined skill-related words used to scan resumes. At AHS, we read every resume, so although it is important to capture the keywords reflected on the job description in your resume, we do not rely solely on that when reviewing applications.
Spell it out
If you use acronyms on your resume, be sure to spell them out completely, for example; Bachelor of Science in Nursing, (BScN) or Basic Life Support – Health Care Provider (BLS-HCP).
Ensure your contact information is up-to-date
Although this point may seem like common sense, it can be something simple that’s overlooked. For instance, if you’ve recently moved to Alberta and just got a new phone number, you may forget to update this on your resume. If you double-check your contact information, you know for sure that hiring managers can contact you.
When you click to apply on a role on our AHS Careers website, we will ask that you create a profile if you have not yet done so. You will only need to do this once, as you are able to consistently update that profile as your career progresses.
Create your profile
First, click on the ‘Go to My profile’ link. This will open a new window, where you will need to accept our privacy agreement. Please proceed as a ‘New User’, you will then be asked to provide your email address and a secure password.
Please note: If you are an internal candidate, your profile is automatically generated. Utilize the ‘Job Opportunities’ link on e-People to access the Job Board.
Enable pop-ups
Next, click on the ‘Apply’ link. If you are not currently signed in, this will open a pop-up window, where you will be asked to provide your email, first name, and last name, before you can proceed to the application.
It's time to apply for your new career with AHS! After you jumped through a few hoops answering our basic questionnaire, you will then be asked to upload your resume. You will be able to upload your information directly from your LinkedIn profile, from a resume file, or fill out the online submission manually. If you choose to upload from LinkedIn, or as a resume file, please verify all the information is correctly extracted from your resume.
If you choose to fill in your information manually, you can speed up the process by copy and pasting information from your resume into the applicable text box. However, when you copy and paste your resume, it can appear as a block of text. Take a few extra minutes to re-format your resume as this will make it much easier for the hiring manager to review your qualifications.
Now that you’ve applied, you can manage your application and check on your application status using the ‘My Submissions’ link, located just under ‘Go to My profile’.
This reference guide provides step by step instructions on finding the AHS Job Board, creating a general profile, searching, and applying for jobs.
Good luck and if you have any questions along the way, feel free to contact us, we'll be happy to help.
