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A good resume example can help set you apart from other job applicants. Use these examples to help you score a job in occupational therapy.
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Occupational therapists (OT) are in high demand and require a variety of skills to be successful. OT duties include managing a large caseload, assisting patients in pain relief exercises, and assessing patient conditions, as well as administrative tasks, such as maintaining medical records. The perfect resume format for an occupational therapy job should be easy to read and organized. In this article you will learn the components of a great OT resume and tips to reduce your job search time.
Build my resumeYour perfect occupational therapy resume should have the following sections:
It is vital to list all of your relevant OT experience on your resume. This starts with including your credentials along with your name. For example, Emily Doe, MSOT, would be the correct way to list your name as a registered occupational therapist. Providing contact information at the very top of the resume allows potential employers to know how to reach you and professionally address you. You can also include your LinkedIn profile if you have one.
A resume summary is essentially a professional summary. To write a resume summary, think of how you would answer the question “What will you bring to the company?” The resume summary should be about 2-3 sentences. Include your most significant achievements to capture a recruiter’s attention.
The skills section of a resume is very important because it shows what hard and soft skills you have gained from your previous work and education.
Some examples of hard skills you can include here include physical therapy, discharge planning, assisting patients with activities of daily living (ADL), or experience with electronic medical records (EMR). You should also include soft skills such as written and verbal communication, or problem-solving.
The next section of your resume is where you list your work history. Include your relevant professional experience and previous job titles in reverse chronological order. Relevant experience can include anything in the healthcare field or related to occupational therapy. If you were an occupational therapy assistant, interned in an OT office, or helped create treatment plans or evaluation plans, be sure to list those job experiences. Also include any relevant intern work or fieldwork done during grad school, along with any paid experiences you’ve had, such as being an occupational therapist assistant.
In the education section of your occupational therapist resume, you should include your education, including your bachelor of science degree with your major and course of study. If you graduated with any honors, such as cum laude, don’t forget to include them. You don’t need to list your GPA though. You can also include any certifications you have in this section, such as NDT or ATP.
Build my resumeMany OT professionals will share a lot of similar experiences. To make your resume stand out, focus on accomplishments or awards won, specialty skills, and job keywords.
You should list your accomplishments for each job in your work experience section. Accomplishments are very important to put on your resume! Here is an example for an occupational therapist who performed hospital transport aid services:
Transport Staff at Memorial Hospital
Specialty skills are what will make you stand out to the candidate next to you. Specialty skills include any topics or areas you may have worked in that can give you a leg up on jobs, and relevant interpersonal skills.
For example, if you have experience working with specific situations, such as with stroke patients or down syndrome pediatric care, list them in your resume. This tells employers what areas you have expert experience in that may be useful to the job.
Many potential employers use applicant tracking system (ATS) software to filter through job applications based on keywords that they may be looking for. Keywords may include specific job duties and skills listed in the job application or job description. Keywords can also be common experiences that the employer may be looking for.
If the job specifically wants someone that is a registered occupational therapist, then you should have “registered occupational therapist” listed in your resume and cover letter. You can also include the job title somewhere if it makes sense to list it as part of another experience.
Do's
Don'ts
Have questions? We’re here to help.
Your occupational therapy resume should have all the relevant experience you have. Any experiences working with healthcare and acute care are important. You also want to include any special skills you have, such as disabilities you have worked with, any other languages you may speak, and any awards you have earned that are related to occupational therapy. To create a professional resume for potential employers and hiring managers, you can choose from these resume templates designed by experts. These resume templates will help you show all of your experiences and skills in an organized and professional way.
Skills you should include for your OT resume are any skills that show your ability to excel in a healthcare setting, or working with patients and caregivers. You also want to include any skills that mirror the job application. For example, if the hiring manager is looking for someone who has experience as a physical therapist and you do, include that!
When writing credentials on your resume, you can use both the spelled-out and shorter acronyms for your credentials, since hiring recruiters may not know what they all stand for. The credentials should be written after your name and with a comma. For example, John Doe, OTD is appropriate.
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