Although the above statements are true yet applicants making a job search for occupational therapists fumble in the contact details section. See the examples below.
Right ✅Anthony S. McNeill
Occupational Therapist
4484 Eagle Street
Olney, IL 62450
+1 618-354-3865
anthonymcneill@globenet.com
Wrong ❌Anthony S. McNeill
Occupational Therapist
4484 Eagle Street
Olney, IL 62450
+1 618-354-3865
Birthday: November 5, 1989
Age: 33 years old
Zodiac: Scorpio
anthonymcneill@globenet.comoktoknow.com
Height: 5' 7" (170 centimetres)
Weight: 249.7 pounds (113.5 kilograms)
Blood group: O+
What you must never add into the contact details?
- Birthdates are a big no since hiring managers don't prefer them.
- Avoid age, zodiac, and lucky numbers to occupational therapist resumes.
- Skip height, weight, and blood group in an occupational therapist resumes.
- Do not put social media links, instead add LinkedIn account links.
Summary in an Occupational Therapist Resume
Most occupational therapists resume that we come across are neatly designed and well-aligned based on the professional content. However, the most essential part is the resume summary because it's the first point of contact with the hiring managers and the applicant tracking systems.
Since it is the first thing that potential employers will read you have to be careful while writing one for your own resume. How you should write a summary? Here are some pointers to help you craft an impeccable statement.
- Describe 3-4 continuous sentences without unnecessarily tearing them.
- In the first sentence mention 2-3 expertise that you can bet on.
- Thereafter write you past accomplishments with the company name.
- Writing the company name infuses a trust factor in the hiring manager.
- Mentions certificate, awards, or honors received in the occupational therapy field.
If you religiously follow the tips above an unmatched resume summary is guaranteed. The following examples show the difference between two statements.
Right ✅Wrong ❌The issues with the above example is the lethal use of the pronoun "I" which is unprofessional. Second big mistake is breaking a continuous sentence into small parts to make it readable. That doesn't work here.
Unwontedly fragmenting sentences gives an amateurish feel to the hiring manager. Remember, they are looking for a responsible and caring occupational therapist.
Objective in an Occupational Therapist Resume
Even though potential employers are searching for an experienced and caring occupational therapist that doesn't mean a beginner won't qualify. An objective statement is written when there's no typical work history. Here's an example of occupational therapist resume objective statement in comparison with another one that is deliberately written to exemplify the differences.
Right ✅Wrong ❌If you observe the example above there is a frequent fragmentation of sentences. Secondly, two sentence begin with the same word "having" immediately one after the other. The last sentence "to expand my learnings......" seems short on the purpose. It begins nicely but ends up without a meaning.
Professional Experience in an Occupational Therapist Resume
The most read and scanned resume section (even more than the skills section) is the work history. Hiring managers read the experience section to determine the potential of an applicant.
On the other hand, the same work history gives ample opportunity to the applicant to include current and past job accomplishments, expertise, benefits to potential employers, awards, professional achievements, and a lot more details. But how do you incorporate it in the experience section? Here's how.
- Read the job posting carefully and list keywords. For instance, discharge planning, physical therapists, speech therapists, private practices, transferable skills, and so on.
- Write 4-5 statements using bullet points including these keywords without breaking the sentences into smaller pieces.
- Start the sentence using an action verb like communicated, studied, collaborated, provided, trained, assisted, supervised, monitored, and others.
- Refer to other OT resume examples if needed to investigate and learn how an OT resume should be written. For instance, you can refer to medical assistant resume or a practitioner nurse resume. They are more or less similar in format and structure.
Follow the above guidelines and you will be able to create a healthy work experience section in your own resume. If you still doubt whether or not you will be able to write the work history then refer to our resume examples. Browse here.
Right ✅Occupational Therapist
Illinois Trauma Center
Olney, Illinois
2015-Present
- Communicated with patients to analyse their mental and physical challenges due to the ongoing treatment and ailment.
- Studied the activity list and overall medical history of the patient to onset their treatment plans prescribed by the consultant physician.
- Collaborated with case managers and ICU nurse staff for discharge planning of patients and report the same to the admission department.
- Provided support to the patient's family and redirect them to the mental health department for primary assistance if needed.
- Trained patients to use durable medical equipment both at the medical facility and at home to restore function and daily tasks hassle-free.
Wrong ❌Occupational Therapist
Illinois Trauma Center
Olney, Illinois
2015-Present
- Communicate with patients.
- Study the activity list and overall medical history.
- Collaborate with case managers.
- Provide support to the patient's family.
- Train patients to restore function and daily tasks.
A short sentence with merely a couple of keywords won't give fruitful results in an occupational therapist job search. Read the first point - it has hardly three words that conveys no meaning. The third one - collaborate with case managers is unfurnished without making a proper sense.
Thus avoid writing shorter meaningless sentences with just a bunch of keywords from the job description. Draft thoughtful statement to invite attention and exercise a trust factor.
Skills in an Occupational Therapist Resume
The key skills section of your occupational therapist resume is the key to get noticed provided you have bifurcated the list under separate headings. A long list in the key skills section without any fragmentation will easily kill your chances for an interview call.
Before compiling the list refer to the job description and analyse what is being demanded. Make a list of activities that you count on and match the same with those mentioned in the job description. Aim for similarities more than 70% to be qualifiable. Bifurcating the list will make your resume stand out of the competition.
Right ✅- Durable Medical Equipment (DME)
- Primary consultation
- Occupational therapy
- Discharge planning & assessment
- Physical rehabilitation
- Reporting patient outcomes
- Documentation
- Monitor patient's daily living activities
- Prioritize severe acute care
- Developing treatment Plans
- Support patient's family
- Training and supervising
- Compassionate
- Time management
- Interpersonal skills
- Communication
- Computer literacy
Wrong ❌- Durable Medical Equipment (DME)
- Primary consultation
- Occupational therapy
- Discharge planning & assessment
- Physical rehab
- Reporting patient outcomes
- Documentation
- Monitor patient's daily living activities
- Prioritize severe patient care
- Developing treatment Plans
- Soft skills
- Support patient's family
- Training and supervising
- Compassionate
- Time management
- Interpersonal skills
- Communication
- Computer literacy
Education in an Occupational Therapist Resume
An occupational therapist job posting usually demands a bachelor degree yet if you have a master qualification then begin with the highest one. Include GPA only if it is 3 or more than three because there's no point in writing 2.9 or making it 3.0 as a nearest round figure.
Whatever resume format you apply the education section details remain the same with the same pattern of writing. You can also add relevant coursework by referring to the job posting to draw the attention of the hiring manager.
Right ✅Master of Science (MS) in Occupational Therapy
Olney College of Occupational Therapy
Olney, Illinois
2008-2010
Bachelor of Science (MS) in Occupational Therapy
Olney College of Occupational Therapy
Olney, Illinois
2004-2008
Wrong ❌Master of Science (MS) in Occupational Therapy
Bachelor of Science (MS) in Occupational Therapy
Olney College of Occupational Therapy
Olney, Illinois
2004-2010
Extra Details in an Occupational Therapist Resume
Occupational therapists can be multi-talented with having a varying experience and certifications. Above all, being a bilingual can be an added advantage if the same is mentioned in the job listing. But there's a method to write these details and the below examples reflects the same.
Language fluency and competence must be written in this formula - name of language (English, Spanish or French) + proficiency level (native, beginner, or conversational). As far as certifications are concerned they must be separately defined using bullet points.
Right ✅- English (Native)
- Spanish (Beginner)
- French (conversational)
- Certified Pediatric Occupational Therapist
- Professional Aquatic Occupational Therapist
Wrong ❌- English (Native), Spanish (Beginner), and French (conversational)
- Certified Pediatric Occupational Therapist
- Professional Aquatic Occupational Therapist
