As you get ready to leave your Epic position, it’s important to accurately translate your experience on your resume to align with the future role you’re striving for. Failure to do this could mean that your resume gets passed over when applying for a new job.
The most important tip to keep in mind is to write about your experience as it pertains to the job you want and not as a running list of things you previously did. How do you do that? We’ve got some tips!
Use Recognizable Role Titles
Epic uses a lot of unique titles like BFF, Technical Coordinator, and Implementation Director. These role labels aren’t intuitive for outsiders, and you don’t have to use them.
Use a more generic title to describe your experience: Project Manager, Software Implementation Manager, Account Manager, Technical Services, or Quality Assurance Tester. These might seem vague, but they’re a concise way to communicate core job functions to employers unfamiliar with Epic. Plus, you’ll still get a chance to describe specifics and breadth of experience in the detailed bullet points accompanying the title.
Ditch the “Epic Speak”
Remove application names, system acronyms, industry jargon and hospital names from your resume unless you’re applying to an Epic focused job in the healthcare industry. Replace these with words like “application,” “customer,” “SaaS,” “software implementation,” and other broad, multi-industry terms.
If you’re unsure of what counts as “Epic terminology,” read job descriptions for the type of role that you’re interested in. Notice how they describe the responsibilities and, more importantly, see what language you’re using and that they aren’t.
By swapping out Epic terms for the language used in the job descriptions for roles you’re targeting, you can tailor your work experience to the specifics a hiring manager values, therefore increasing your likelihood of getting an interview.
Highlight Your Skills
We recommend you have a Professional Summary at the top of the first page of your resume. The professional summary is a great way to speak to your soft skills and professional growth. Include 3-5 sentences at the start of your resume speaking to the attributes the new role is looking for, like excellent communication, being a team player, technical abilities, etc.
| John is a technical services expert with 8+ years of experience supporting live systems and implementing updates. His deep understanding of business operations and technical solutions allows him to bridge the gap between customers and internal development teams. John is able to creatively find solutions to complex questions and anticipate risk areas. |
In addition, having a highlights section is helpful to make sure the key takeaways are easily found. Often shown as a column on either side of the resume, these short bullet points can highlight your major
accomplishments, traits, technical skills, and/or certifications.
Professional Skills
Certifications
Technical Skills
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Break Free from Epic Experience Format
Avoid summarizing experience under headers relating to your client, since those names don’t carry the same weight outside the industry. Instead, list a broad title like “Project Manager” and have a bullet point about how many projects you’ve worked on with any interesting or impressive details about them (budget or team sizes for example). Then, consolidate the responsibilities you had on each of those projects into a single bullet point about that responsibility.
Project Manager
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Project Manager
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The bullets in the updated example above show how to consolidate redundant points and flush out the responsibilities you had in each distinct role.
Tailor Your Responsibilities
Consider the role you’re applying for and the qualities they value, then reframe your Epic experience accordingly.
Instead of focusing on who you worked for, the application, or the integrated area that you worked on, focus on your core job responsibilities in those areas.
| Led and managed an HB account workflow for a research medical hospital by developing a toolset optimized for MyChart guarantor collections. | Led the implementation of an online solution by gathering requirements, obtaining leadership buy- in, and managing the project plan. |
This example shows how to highlight the responsibilities involved in leading the project instead of what the project did or who it was for.
| Reconciled billing office workflows for two existing Epic platforms to standardize workflows. | Standardized workflows across multiple departments and systems by analyzing current state processes, aligning similarities, and incorporating industry best practices. |
The focus highlights what happened in the process of reconciling workflows and elaborates on skills that are relevant for a job outside of healthcare IT.
| Managed a team of 5 people for HODs, a team of 10 for clinical workflow review, and a team of 3 people for security during Health System X’s implementation. | Managed multi-disciplinary teams of up to 10 people; oversaw task delegation, team progress, and project plan updates. |
In this example, we’re moving away from using healthcare terms and instead focusing on what tasks the manager was responsible for while managing the teams.
Want more on how to tailor your resume? Check out this handy how-to guide.
Remember—We’re Always Here to Help
Starting a new job search can be daunting, especially if you plan on making the switch to a new industry. But we have a ton of resources available to help you take the leap! Check out our Career Pivot Checklist for more information on resumes, LinkedIn, networking, interview prep, and more.
View the guide: Carex’s Guide to Translating Epic Experience on Your Resume