How to Build the Perfect Resume in 20 Minutes

Everyone knows the importance of a good first impression. In the dizzying world of job searches, endless applications, and ego deflating “skills checklists,” hopefully, if all goes well, you are rewarded in the end with a gut twisting interview to seal the deal.

As a clinic director I was inundated with resumes from travel PTs all across the country. Some, I am sure, had impressive skills.

But guess what!  We only interviewed 5, and hired 1.

A young, relatively inexperienced PT who was eager to learn and grow her abilities.

So how did she land the job against all that competition?

Simple. She was able to stand out from the herd.

We have all had that same awkward experience. Sweating over your keyboard, trying to make your resume impressive enough to stand out, without coming off as being a complete know-it-all new grad that you may or may not actually be (sorry new grads but it is true – we have all been there – soon you too will know how much you do not actually know. In one of my first interviews I was asked about my comfort level treating back pain. To which I responded, “Yeah I think I pretty much have that covered.” Oh Brother!).

The problem for us PTs is that often times that awkward and creepy feeling of talking about ourselves wins out and we default to the easiest swiftest exit from the computer screen.

Simply listing job titles, dates and locations. But no one wants to hire a list of dates to fill their empty position as Lead Physical Therapist.

So what do you do?

Don’t worry. Writing the perfect resume is only 20 min away, and not nearly as difficult as you might think. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Presentation is KEY

A hiring manager often does not have the time or patience to read every word of every resume on their desk. Remember this.

Your resume must literally “jump off the page” when they glance at it.

One great way to do this is to add a “Summary of Qualifications” section near the top of your resume. For me it resides just under a well constructed “Goal Statement” at the top of the page.

The “Summary of Qualifications” is a bulleted list of the most important aspects of your resume.

It is your highlight reel.

For me it includes management and marketing experience, my OCS certification, and even references my past life as an educator.

The beauty of having this section is that you just saved the hiring manager 5 minutes and spoon fed them 6-8 of the most convincing reasons why YOU are the one for the job!

Quick tip: Give your resume the Eye Test.

Zoom out until the individual words in your resume are too small to read clearly and observe the layout of your newly crafted document.

Does it look like a jumbled mess or a neatly laid out, easily navigable document? Does it look like it is going to take undue effort to read it all?

Word Choice Matters

Economy of words is essential when crafting the perfect resume. Descriptions of each position you have held (described further here) should each be succinct but appropriately illustrative.

Do not repeat phrases within your resume. “Managed the complex medical needs of a diverse patient population” looses value if it is written for every job you have ever held.

Jargon is ok.

We are all within the same profession (healthcare in general) so a knowledgable hiring manager should be comfortable understanding what it means to be SFMA Certified or to be LSVT BIG trained.

Elimination is OK

At some point in your career you will get to a point where your early work, either as a pre-PT or new graduate, becomes less and less impressive in comparison to the more recent milestones you have passed. It is OK to leave some things out.

My first home health job was PRN and was largely unremarkable. Rather than include a description of the position (which in reality would read something like Floundered aimlessly through OASIS forms while I attempted to perform something that resembled an accepted physical therapy treatment for an amazingly understanding and calm patient population.) I list the job and dates but no more.

Eliminating unhelpful information from the resume it will free up precious space for more of what will actually win you the position, plus it helps to pass the Eye Test.

 

When sitting down to write your resume just keep in mind WHO you are writing this for. Keep in mind that you are likely going to be one resume out of 25-50, and the person reading it will be tired and crunched for time. The first rule of writing is to know your audience! Focus on your presentation, word choice, and remember that less is more when it comes to the essential information you need to convey.

For those of you needing a bit more guidance on the actual physical structure of the perfect resume check out our post “Make More Money part 2” for all of the specifics. Plus there is some great interviewing tips tossed in as well!

 

Written by:  Stephen Stockhausen