Tailored Resumes: Physical/Occupational Therapist & Athletic Trainers

Drafting a strong resume is important, but tailoring that resume to the career you’re looking to get hired into can help you stand out from the pack and land an interview.

When writing your physical therapy, occupational therapy or athletic training resume, it is vital to highlight your direct and related experience for the specific position you are applying. For some help getting started, check out the suggestions and resources featured below:

Headings and Sections

One simple way to highlight your related-experience is by updating the headings on your resume, as well as the content included under each heading. Take the following tips into consideration:

Education:

• List your graduate education first in this section

Licenses and Certifications:

• For example: “Licensed Physical Therapist, State of Illinois, 09/2016”

Summary:

• If your work experience is lengthy, consider a summary to concisely describe your expertise and desired position

Physical/Occupational Therapy or Athletic Training Experience:

• Title this header exactly what it is, for example, “Physical Therapy Experience”
• Each description of experience should use bullets beginning with strong action verbs
• Highlight the populations you treated, special skills gained or modalities used
• If you treated any special diagnoses, consider listing those here

Continuing Education:

• To showcase your skillset and dedication to learning, list any significant or unique courses that you’ve taken and include the dates

Professional Organizations:

• If you are involved in relevant professional organizations, list those under their own heading
  • For small categories, group headings together in order to avoid listing only one thing under a heading

Other Relevant Experience:

• If you’re applying for a position that requires managerial experience or works with a specific population, this section can be utilized to highlight any related skills you have
• If a position you had in the past isn’t directly related to the clinical aspect of the job you’re applying for, remember that it can still be relevant to list other aspects of the job

Community Activities:

• A lot of organizations like to see community involvement, so if you volunteer or have worked community events outside of your normal scope of duties, make sure to list that experience

Clinical Experience

If you are a student applying for internships or your first professional position, list out your clinicals and even observations. Not only is it part of your schooling, but it is relevant experience that you can draw upon, just like you would with any other job.

Additional Resources

For tailored resume examples and more detailed information, take a look at these resources: (Author note: these resources are not affiliated with Athletico)

University of California, San Francisco – Office of Career and Professional Development

University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences

Keep in mind that you also have great resources in professors and the professional mentors who have helped you get this far.  Remember to have your resume reviewed by at least two other people before submitting it for a job.  There is no right or wrong way to write your resume, but there are tips that can help you showcase your talent.

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