Which is what we are going to help you with today, this article will talk about how to write a professional resume, how to describe your profile information in each section in impactful way and many other questions' answers.
So let's dive in!
Professional physical therapist assistant resume
Writing a professional resume means making sure your resume meets the industry standards of a professional resume. That means, your resume should reflect professionalism, it should have utmost accuracy through and through and it should present your profile in the most powerful way possible.
Here are the tips with which you can write a professional physical therapist assistant resume:
- A physical therapist assistant resume should be proofread twice before you save it and when you are doing the proofreading, make sure you get rid of every spelling mistake, grammar mistake and the factual mistakes so that your resume is accurate in language from the beginning to the end.
- The resume should be written in formal language which means you need to use third person and past tense all through your resume, in each section; you should also avoid using pronouns anywhere in the sentences on your physical therapist assistant resume, as it can give your language an informal tone.
- Your physical therapist assistant resume should be labeled properly with your first name, last name and the term 'resume' and 'CV'.
- Your resume should be saved in a compatible format that helps the resume readers access your resume on every document viewing platform, device and medium. Such documents formats are PDF document and Microsoft Word document and you should choose one of these for your own professional physical therapist assistant resume.
- Your resume should be written in a particular professional format, there are many formats that you can choose from, we will talk about them shortly.
- Your resume should be visually appealing and you should make sure that the margins, font size, white space etc. are all symmetrical, when you are using resume templates you should keep these tips in mind.
Research
First and foremost, you need to do some research, research will help you with writing your professional resume as well as your interviews that you will surely get if your resume is written properly. So what do you need to research and how will it help you?
Job Market
In order to apply for job in the field of physical therapist assistant, you need to understand what the market is offering at present. This means to understand the current offering, finance wise, what packages will you be getting, or you should be expecting. Second, when you understand the general sense of your qualifications with respect to the market and the financial rewards, then you can narrow down on what other benefits each group or company is offering, any more benefits to its employees, or the kind of work environment you will be looking for.
Understanding the job market is important. You should research the market on google, along with social media platforms specifically designed for professional networking. Researching the job market also helps to learn what other people are doing and willing to do to get jobs as a physical therapist assistant.
Job Description
Researching the job description means to know what you should be expecting to do when you will be an assistant physical therapist. The job description provided to you will be the most basic thing that will be expected out of you. Therefore, you should know what all is to be expected of you before you enter the job in any company.
Read on multiple job portals, websites, and basically understand from even various company websites what you should be generally expecting. The reason why you should hop onto various other websites is to understand what is the mean or average work you will be expecting since some places might have a few other jobs in their job description, and some others might not have it, so what will you be expecting should be clear to you incase you are blindsided.
Self Assessment
Self assessment is not an actual assessment, test, or an exam you will be giving. It is introspecting and understanding what your qualifications are and what the job market is looking for. Before we come to the latter, you need to know who you are. You need to sit down, or stand, there is no one way you can do this, and start picturing, or noting down, or recollect what you have done, how you have done them, what it took to get them done, what are your goals and ambitions. This exercise is basically to make yourself confident of who you are so that you are ready when you are sitting in front of the hiring manager or when your resume is front of the recruiter they know what they are reading, and the confidence should exude from you and your resume.
Self assessment is a great way to create a list of all your education, qualifications, certifications, skills (soft and hard), your work experience, your hobbies, your achievements, your ambitions. This will be used when you finally start putting them in your resume.
Resume Outline
Resume structure is crucial to how you present your work. It is like showing your hiring manager your personality without actually sitting in front of them. What we mean to say by this is, the hiring manager will picture or visualise you while reading your resume to paint who you are, what your personality is and basis that they will judge whether you will be a good, bad or great fit for their organisation.
The resume outline is how you present what you have done, basically the part where you start putting all what you did in your self assessment phase. The formats for the design will be explained below, however, to give you a brief they are divided in to three broad categories i.e., Functional format, Reverse Chronological Format, and the Combination/ Hybrid format.
Professional Summary
Professional summary or the objective or the resume summary is basically the summary of your whole resume in a couple of sentences and lines. The resume summary or the statement contains your qualifications, your key achievement and anything that is outstanding that you want the hiring manager to read before they get down to your resume.
The whole idea of putting a professional summary before detailing out your professional career is to create an impression of who you are by telling them your personality, here you will definitely put something that will catch the eye of the hiring manager. therefore, the hiring manager will create a mindset and set an expectation of who you are basis this. Anything explaining your summary will be additional, bonus for you as a physical therapist assistant
Key Words
Key words or better called as action verbs are basically words that will catch the eye of the hiring manager or accentuate your resume points in a way that will make them look and sound emphatic. The reason why you have key words is the same reason why the language has adjectives, to describe what you are or how you are in a better way.
Putting key words in your resume is no crime, however, just as a precaution or a note, do not put all key words or use a thesaurus otherwise your resume will stop making sense and it will just be a page full of words pulled from the dictionary.
Getting back to the points, key words emphasise your character and personality, for example, if you have achieved something and that can be quantified through numbers then you can say i.e., boasted the over sales of the team by 25% in a span of 4 quarters. of . Here we have used the word 'boasted' instead we could've just said 'increased the sales by 25% in 1 year' which does not sound amazing at all.
Key words have impact in the way you sell your skill and your achievements, and it creates a 'oomph' factor, which may eventually help in setting you apart from other candidates.
Resume Length
Resume length is important in the sense that recruiters do not spend more than a minute or two on one resume, so if you have multiple pages then your resume will not be read in detail or as thoroughly as you intended in the first place. Ideally you would want to keep your resume length to a single page.
Even though I have said it is a single page, the content has to be legible. The font size and the font selection should look formal. there should be enough space between words, and enough space between each line for the hiring manager to read properly. There should also be clear distinction between each header and/or segregation.
Tailoring
If your wondering, Tailoring has got nothing to do with your clothes. Tailoring means that for how many ever companies, organisations you apply to customise it that particular entity by going through their website, or their LinkedIn page, or any other source where you can pick up their vocabulary and then put it in your resume.
It is called lift and shift, you are making use of the idea that they will relate to you more, and by they it will be the recruiter. They will understand subtly that you are a good fit for the company as you are incorporating words from their mission, vision statement, or their values. If they do realise that there are some words that are from their website or content, then they will understand at least that you made the conscious effort to go read up about their company, as is expected of each potential candidate.
However, do not make it very obvious that you are lifting and shifting sentences or phrases out of their content.
Online Resources
Online resources as mentioned previously will be the social media platform dedicated to professional networking, such as LinkedIn, Xing, Meetup, Bark, Indeed, Glassdoor, Opportunity, Shapr, Reddit etc. the aforementioned are professional networking websites although, you should also visit informational pages, where you can understand what resume formats to use, the structure, the type of content that needs do be inside your resume.
In present times, online resources account for any research that needs to be done. Gone are the days of going to the library to read up about what you need to know. Jokes apart, online resources are at your disposal, make use of internet wisely, and educate your self on the various things a resume demands and especially in the context of physical therapist assistant.
LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn has become the 'Facebook' of the professional world. There is no joke in this, and we are as serious as Joker is in Batman. LinkedIn is a professional website for professionals, and people use it to create their professional resume, put their education, their goals, their experiences, their skills, their endorsements, their certifications, their comments, stories, posts anything you can imagine. The reason why it has become so popular and important is because it is solely related to the professional world, people and recruiters and even your peers will use this to know more about you. It is becoming more of a norm every passing day.
Although not compulsory at all, if you're willing to do it, you should update your LinkedIn profile even if you do not have lot to show yet as you might be starting off. However, learn it over time and update everything, since you can put in what you can't put in your resume as you will be constricted to a very limited amount of space.
Proofreading
Proof reading is absolutely crucial and you should not forget it. Go back to your resume every single time you edit it and read what you have written a hundred times, make other people read it, take feedback and improve it to the point where are able to explain what was intended in the most efficient way and explosively to create an impact on the reader.
Check your grammar, check your spellings, your syntax and semantics. Do not for get to adjust the correct font size for headers, your pointers, and maintain uniformity at all times. It sounds basic, however, people tend to forget to do this as they get so lost in the content, and are so used to the content that the format, and language do not make an impact to themselves.
Formats
Resume formats help you write your resume in the most efficient way possible where you can focus on and highlight the parts of your resume that are important for your next job and its job responsibilities. There are a number of formats available on the internet that you can explore, here we will talk about top 3 most chosen resume formats that majority of professionals use for their own professional resumes. You can choose one of these formats for your physical therapist assistant resume as well.
📌Types of resume formats:
Functional resume format: This resume format is suitable for professionals who have no professional work experience or work history and they need to focus upon and highlight their skills and education to impress the HR manager and convince them that they are competent for the job. Usually this means, that professionals who use this resume format are freshers and recent graduates.
Reverse chronological resume format: This resume format is useful for any professional who has notable to extensive work experience and work history that is sufficient to reflect their competency for the new job. Seasoned professionals also use this resume format because this format focuses on the work experience and history section of the resume.
Combination resume format: As you may have guessed, this resume format is the combination of the above two formats and focuses both on the skills and experience of a professional. People who are looking to change their career by taking up a new role or a new job in a similar field or entirely new/different field, use this resume format to showcase their transferable skills and experience aspects.
Once you have chosen the resume format, you can choose a resume template that suits your physical therapist assistant resume the most.
Physical therapist assistant resume sample structure
In this section we will guide you how your resume shall be designed in order to give an idea of how to create yours. We urge you to follow a similar approach, however, do not shy away from doing something differently, however, beware and always take feedback of other's before you head of to submit it.
Resume header
Full Name
Give your full name; your first name, your middle name if you choose to, and your last name. Always give your full name and it should be visible without having to search for it. It should be legible and exuding confidence.
Phone/ Contact Number
Your mobile number which you carry at all times, since the recruiter or the hiring manager or anyone who is willing to reach you in a professional capacity can hear your voice almost instantly. If you give a number which you do not carry then you might lose the chance at particular opportunity.
Email Address
Your email address is important, since all formal communication is done through this medium. The email address should be read formally, and by this we mean that do not five your personal email id which might not read formal, and may contain words or letters or numbers or all off them in some sequence which does not portray formality then it might not look good.
Permanent Home Address
Permanent home address is optional and you do not have to give it. However, if you choose to give it then you can give a part of your address such as your locality, and then your pin code of the area.
LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn profile is also optional, however, if you do choose to put it over here then be sure that it is upto date and has a picture that is formal in nature, and has all the details that are up to date. These are some basic etiquette before you put your profile on public platform.
Resume summary
Resume summary or your objective is the first thing the recruiter will read after you formally introduce your self in the header section. This section is a formal introduction before you get into detailing out your professional career.
Resume summary or your objective statement, has to be a between 3-5 sentences long, or a 4-6 lines long at maximum. It should contain your qualifications with respect to education, or certifications you have done which has made you apply in a professional capacity as a physical therapist assistant. Secondly, you need to put in any achievement which you would like the recruiter to remember you by and when they get to know more about it are impressed by your ability and your personality.
The resume summary section is for the recruiter to know whether you are a great fit for their company, in this case whether you will be able perform the duties of an assistant physical therapist assistant.
Professional experience
This section is for any and all jobs you have done in the past. There needs to be a guideline which needs to be followed as stated below, try to make use of it as efficiently as possible.
Job Title and Company
The name of your designation as per your role in the company you were working for and the name of the company should be followed by it.
For example:
Here you can read the designation and the role at the organization very clearly.
Date of Employment
Date of employment would be the 'to' and 'from' date of your employment.
For example:
There are various ways to portray the date of employment, choose which suits the template you select the best. There is no wrong way, however, be careful in always presenting the month and the year, the date is not as important. Even more important is that you should have evidence of the exact same period you put in here.
Experience
Your experience shall be listed in pointer format and should have key words, and numbers wherever possible. The point you mention should cover the whole line and not be left in middle, although not compulsory it should be tried since it makes the resume complete in a better manner.
For example:
This is sample line, here you need to use key words, and keep it between 2-3, and fill this line
In this section do not put in more than 4 points, and put maximum points in your recent most experience as that will serve as a basis of reference for the recruiter.
Accomplishments/ Key Achievements
In this section try to put the accomplishments you achieved during the duration of your employment with the organization. Use numbers and quantify them as hiring managers love seeing numbers as they pop out and the previous section proves it. Put in your key achievements and not all achievements, if there are a lot, Mention them in one or two points maximum and keep your proofs ready as the hiring manager might ask them during the interview.
Education section
Name of Educational Qualification
The information in the education section should include your educational qualifications of course but more importantly the name of that qualification needs to be mentioned, meaning you need to mention your degree or course's full name and also note any online programs or courses names.
Name of Institution
With the name of the educational qualification and courses, you should also note the name of the educational institute from where you acquired the education.
Subjects/ Major, Minor
In addition, you can also add more relevant details such as any related topics, your major and minor areas of focus during the degree or course and so on. You can also note your academic performances such as your CGPA and more.
Skills section
Skills make you competent for the job, any job at hand for any employee. One way to prove your competency and ability to do the job is to showcase your skills and capacity for the use of those skills. Skills section on the resume helps you highlight your skills that may be core competency for your job or role and you can even mention your soft skills in this section.
The list of skills on this section of your physical therapist assistant resume should include your top most strengths that are also most important and relevant for you role. The list of skills should be a balanced list of soft skills, hard and soft skills, technical skills and any other useful skills for your role of physical therapist assistant.
📌List of relevant skills for your physical therapist assistant resume:
- physical therapy
- physical therapist skills
- physical therapist assistant skills
- physical therapy services
- manual therapy
- patient care
- patient care services
- ultrasound and electrical stimulation
- therapeutic exercises
- therapeutic techniques
- wellness and health maintenance
- consistently reported patient progress
- patient education
- physical therapy treatments
- patient and department records maintenance
- quality patient care
- therapeutic modalities
- occupational therapy
- patient evaluations
- providing physical therapy services
- noting patient progress
- therapeutic exercise
- assisting patients
- educated patients
- assisting patients recovering
- reviewing physical therapist's interpretations
- gait training
- develop comprehensive treatment plans
- soft skills
- patient treatment
- physical therapist's effectiveness assurance
- utilized therapeutic modalities
- tissue healing
- patient treatments
- passive and active range
- medical prescribed exercise regimens
- patient health
- patient outcomes
- outpatient setting
- elderly patients recovering
- describing therapeutic regimens
- identifying patient care issues
- maintain therapeutic gains
- working with physical therapy staff
- home exercise programs
- treatment plans
- hard and soft skills
- exercise programs
- home health patients
- taking patient status
- patient documentation
- educate patients
- therapeutic interventions
- neurological disorders
- therapeutic procedures
- assisted patients
- sports injuries
- instructed patients
- treatment program
- constructed home exercise programs
- administering manual exercises
Licensed physical therapist
As a physical therapist assistant, you may have or be in the process of acquiring your license because to work as a physical therapist, you need to be a licensed physical therapist as it is unethical and often illegal to practice without the license. It is very common aspect of the health industry and every professional of the industry such as a doctor or a nurse, needs some kind of license or certification. Being a certified or licensed physical therapist can go a long way for your career. In your resume, if you have acquired your license, you can mention the same as well.
Bonus Tips
Keywords
The software and ATS used by the recruiters use the parameters that are nothing but the relevant keywords to your role, your job descriptions, job duties, industry and everything related. We have prepared a list of relevant keywords for you that you can use on your physical therapist assistant resume.
Make sure you do not stuff your keywords randomly in your physical therapist assistant resume and use it in an insightful and meaningful manner in every section through your physical therapist assistant resume.
📌List of relevant keywords for your physical therapist assistant resume:
- sports injuries
- assisted patients
- effectively assisted patients
- instructed patients
- patient documentation
- exercise programs
- treatment plans
- hard and soft skills
- home exercise programs
- outpatient setting
- patient outcomes
- patient health
- licensed physical therapist
- patient treatments
- electrical stimulation
- patient treatment
- soft skills
- gait training
- educated patients
- assisting patient
- therapeutic exercises
- therapeutic exercise
- patient progress
- patient evaluations
- providing physical therapy services
- therapeutic modalities
- quality patient care
- physical therapist assistant students
- physical therapist assistant license
- patient education
- physical therapist assistant jobs
- therapeutic techniques
- therapeutic exercises
- dedicated physical therapist assistant
- physical therapist assistants
- patient care
- manual therapy
- physical therapist assistant position
- physical therapists
- physical therapist
- physical therapist assistant
- physical therapy
- physical therapy assistant
Cover letter
The cover letter for your physical therapist assistant role and jobs should be personalized and customized for each job of physical therapy assistant. You can do it by looking up the recruiter and then using their name to address the letter. You can use the cover letter to include more keywords, reiterate your interest and talk about your skills and experience. You can also talk about your inspiration for choosing the profession of physical therapy and your journey so far, you can lay out your future goals and plans and so on.
All of this will help you reflect your passion for the job and convince the recruiter or the HR manager that you will do you job with dedication. Any HR manager or recruiter would be looking for a dedicated physical therapist assistant who can deliver what they promise and claim on their resume, cover letter and job application and the cover letter is your chance to convince them to give you a chance to prove it to them that you will be an excellent physical therapist assistant.
Conclusion
Now, all that is left to do is to check out physical therapist assistant resume examples, you can check out our exhaustive collection of resume examples and templates and resume writing guides. You can also use our resume builder that will give you AI recommendations, similar to how ChatGPT works. It will help you write your resume in minutes and you will save a lot of time and energy.
Best of luck with the job search!
