Susan Parker, M.Ed., RHIA Seagate Consultants seagatejobs@bellsouth.net

Marketing Yourself On Paper, Resume Tips
Susan Parker, M.Ed., RHIA
Seagate Consultants

• New graduates and experienced professionals will not look the same.
• New graduate resumes will be at the close of this article.  Not left out, just figured it wouldn’t hurt for you to read all of this too!

• A resume is a marketing tool, YOU are the product.  Use it wisely
• Only relevant experience counts.  If you don’t have any relevant experience, start with education.
• Don’t list every job you ever held.  Go with what’s significant to this position.  Certainly red flags fly at gaps in employment, address those honestly.  But you don’t have to list the year you were a holiday gift wrapper in college.

• Bullets for quick reading.  Resumes should tell a story, quickly.  Consider your reader to have acute adult attention deficit.  Most duties are self explanatory if the job title is standard.  If you were a coder, identify inpatient or outpatient.  If you were a supervisor, note of what area and number of employees, but not daily tasks.
• Be number specific when you can.  If you have quantifiable experience, list it.  Example -Increased weekly billing from $500,000 to $1,000,000.  You can still use the bullet format, highlighting experience that showcases your specific accomplishments.
• Toot your own horn.  This is a multi-skilled field.  Do not focus on only one area of your training.  Market your training while strategically indicating how the background increases your ability to meet their long term needs.
• Make it POP.
  • Well placed verbs can make all the difference.  Use words with power behind them:  Achieved, produced, implemented, improved, etc.
  • If you have more than 2 pages, put your name and credential at the top of every page.
  • Don’t crowd it.  Leave plenty of white space, easy to read.
  • Use good quality crisp, white paper.  Resumes are frequently scanned into the system, white is simply easier to read.

• No exceptions, you will be caught.  Integrity is irreplaceable.
• Do not inflate job titles or salaries
• Do not enhance duties
• Do not invent degrees

• Market your strength, list education first
• List only college education, regardless of your prestigious high school, drop it.
• Most Merit-based Scholarships, list for up to one year out of college.
• Most school leadership positions, list for up to one year out of college.

• EMPLOYMENT:
  

• One or two word description
• Three to five bullets

• 3-4 bullets

A Word About Career Counseling.

Have you ever contacted AHIMA and asked about career advice? It might not occur to you to do that, but it sure is a popular place for a lot of people. Personally, I feel like a person, not a web site, ought to help guide people along. These are really important decisions in a person’s life. As a result, I am AHIMA’s Career Counselor and can be contacted at their website. Most of the questions that have come in this month are directed toward coding, and may apply to you or someone you know. Here’s a shortened version from some January conversations:

Advice from the “Ask Jeeves” of HIM…or that’s how I feel most of the time.

Q: Can I take coding classes from home?

A: Of course. There are several AHIMA approved coding programs offered on-line.

Q: Does a coding course have to be AHIMA approved for me to sit for the CCS or CCA exam?

A: Nope. But when you go through an approved program you have the assurance that the curriculum has been designed to cover all the bases for passing the CCA test.

Q: Why mess with the CCA exam when the CCS is the credential people want to hire?

A: The CCA is entry level, the first rung on the coding career ladder. The CCS is designed for the more experienced coder. That test is just plain harder.

Q: If I pass the test, will I get a job?

A: Boy, I hate this question. Although there is certainly a shortage of coders, experience still speaks volumes. Coding is simply too important to risk a learning curve. Your very best bet is to network early, do an internship, offer to re-code charts to prove your ability. This will help an employer realize your ability when you’re just getting your feet wet in the profession.

Q: How can I find out if my program is approved?

A: www.ahima.org Scroll across the header of this home page to “Schools/Jobs”. Select Approved, accredited programs from the drop down menu. A screen with 4 blank boxes will appear. Put Coding in the first box, skip the next box, put in your state for a traditional program and mark “no” for the last box, distance education. The search will tell you all the approved programs in your state. To find out about an on-line program, ignore the box asking about your state and mark “yes” in the last box, distance education. This search will tell you all the approved on-line programs in the country.

Contact us for all of your employment and recruiting needs! 910-392-0047

Top Quality Jobs Await You

In these difficult times, it’s wise to know your options. Immediate Openings are listed below.

Now assisting recruitment of HIM professionals to fulfill RAC Contracts

• Atlanta based, relocation required.
  Job descriptions are detailed and available upon request.
  
• DRG Auditor, no travel
  
• DRG Manager, must be able to participate in on-site visits
  
• Coding Audit Director, travel and management skills required
  
• In a perfect world, candidates would have provider, payor and consulting experience.
  
• The world is not perfect, you do not have to have experience in all three to be considered qualified.
  
• RAC Audits have been greatly debated for some time now.
• What an opportunity to use your impeccable skills, ethics and integrity to help the process have its intended outcome.

Senior Level Coding Consultant:

• National Coding/Auditing Consulting firm is adding to their senior level staff.
  Great opportunity to move up in the consulting arena!
  
• Prior consulting experience required.  
  
• Expectations:
  
• Inpatient Coding and Auditing skills required
  
• Outpatient coding, added plus
  
• Revenue Cycle, added plus
  
• Good communication skills
  
• AHIMA Credentials:  RHIA or RHIT, CCS is a plus.
  
• Travel required, estimated at 70%, flexible.  Good salary and benefits, competitive.

Coding Consultant:

• National Coding Firm is seeking a skilled coding consultant. 
  
• Requirements:
  
• Solid hospital coding skills mandatory
  
• Ambulatory coding skills a huge plus
  
• AHIMA Credentials:  RHIA, RHIT or CCS
  
• Travel required, very flexible but this is not a remote position.
  
• Competitive salary and great benefit package.

Health Information Managers

• Acute Care HIM Director.  RHIA or RHIT credentials.  3-5 years Acute Care Management required.
  
• Multiple opportunities – this changes frequently.
  
• Hot jobs right now are in: 
  
• Virginia
  
• Pennsylvania
  
• Texas
  
• Indiana

Coding Professionals:

• Dallas Texas
  
• Large LTAC System seeking two skilled coding professionals.
  
• Must be RHIA, RHIT or CCS. 
  
• Solid inpatient and DRG skills
  
• Two years of experience preferred

Senior Practice Leader:

• Excellent opportunity to expand your leadership skills to one of the largest healthcare corporations in the country.
  
• Candidates must be credentialed in HIM and have at least 5 years of HIM operations and 3 years HIM management experience.
  Muli-site experience is a big plus.
  
• Responsibilities include:
  
• Benchmarking
  
• Work-flow design
  
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with multiple facilities and departments
  
• Assist in implementation of HIM initiatives
  
• Serve as functional lead for HIM systems and operations.
  
• Limited travel, relocation to Nashville TN required.
• Competitive salary.

Remember: check with us and refer to this page often. Opportunities change daily!

Submit your resume to: seagatejobs@bellsouth.net

What Is the Time Frame?

Our time frame depends upon the individual situation, but a job candidate match is typically made within 4 weeks.

What Are Your Needs?

Let us start helping you right now.

Contact us for more information 877-392-0047