Don’t hide your strengths
Experts say if you’ve got it, flaunt it
Health care professionals are notoriously reluctant to blow their own horns, but if you want to seize one of the many new opportunities opening up for experienced case managers, you must learn to sell yourself, experts say.
"The CCM certification is an attractive commodity to have. The BSN is an attractive degree. As a recruiter, I tell case managers any certifications, degrees, and licenses they have, including their RN, should go right at the top of their resume right after their name," says Rick J. Conrad, CSAM, certified senior account manager and recruiter for Management Recruiters of West Moreland County in Murraysville, PA. "The health care industry is sensitive to credentials. This is one of the most credential-oriented fields I know. In other industries that require degrees, it’s common practice to put those credentials and degrees right after your name, but nurses in particular are reluctant to do that."
"If you have the necessary experiences and credentials, you are golden. The demand for highly skilled case managers is very high right now," agrees Jill O. Mooney, MBA, executive recruiter for STATSearch in Bedford, NH. (For more information on the current job market for case managers, see our annual salary survey, inserted in this issue.)
"Employers want to know that you have a health care management background. They’ll hire an RN if she can demonstrate that she has either a certification in health care management, case management, or quality management or has taken some courses in health care management," says Beverly Parker, account executive with Management Recruiters International in Red Bank, NJ. "Highlight any education or experiences that are relevant to the position you’re applying for," she adds.
It also pays to take full credit for all the responsibilities involved with your past positions, notes Kris Fox, RN, CRRN, CCM, telephonic case management supervisor with Concentria Managed Care, in Tampa, FL. "You may have had a position which included many case management duties without being formally identified as case management. Don’t be reluctant to add that information to a resume or job application," she advises. "I’ve worked with nurses for the past 20 years, and I know they are the last group to step up and toot their own horns. You have to learn to take credit for a job well done. Don’t downplay the responsibilities involved with your past positions when you go to apply for case management jobs."
"I don’t believe that someone has to have their CCM to be a good case manager, but I do require some indication that they understand and have experience with the process of case management," Fox adds.
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