Nutritionist Resume: Examples & Writing Guide to Stand Out

Today, we hear of self-employed nutritionists working as consultants for various health-related organizations or for private clients who can afford a nutritionist's salary.

While the prospects are bright, the first order of the day is to score an interview with prospective employers or clients.

How?

Let me show you how with a nutritionist resume example.

Check out this sample resume of a nutritionist who has had some work experience. ????

Salary rates for nutritionists

• Based on a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for dietitians and nutritionists as of May 2020 is about $63,000.
• The report further states that the median pay is highest for those who worked in outpatient care centers at almost $70,000.
• It was lowest for nutritionists and dietitians who worked in nursing and residential care facilities, registering at around $60,000.

How to Craft a First-Rate Nutritionist Resume

Before diving into the nitty-gritty of writing a nutritionist resume, let’s first take a look at the essential sections you should put in your resume.

Your resume should have the following sections:

• Header
• Personal Statement (Professional Summary or Objective Statement)
• Work History
• Skills
• Education

You may add sections to this list for as long as they boost your credentials, e.g., licensure and affiliation to relevant organizations.

A winsome resume layout

Your resume layout reflects your personality so be sure to make it look professional.

Aim for a one-page nutritionist resume. You may use a second page if you have a long work history, but no more than that.

Make it look easy on the eyes by applying a one-inch margin on all sides or bring it down to a half-inch if you need a bit more space. Present details in bullet statements.

Be consistent with the use of font size and font types. Vary the size of your font size only when using them on headings and sub-headings. Use the biggest font size on the most important information on your resume: your name.

Use 1.15 line spacing and always add a space in between paragraphs and sections for better readability.

Check out sample professional resume templates and resume examples to see what a good resume layout looks like. Or you may want to have a resume builder create your nutritionist resume.

Choosing the Best Format for a Nutritionist Resume

You have three format options to choose from:

• Reverse Chronological Order

Go for the reverse chronological order if you have substantial work experience as a nutritionist or dietitian.

Your most recent work experience should be at the top of your list, followed by the next recent, and so on.

• Functional Format

This format works well for those applying for a nutritionist job with no work experience to show for, e.g., a fresh graduate, but has all the relevant skills.

The functional format is also ideal for nutritionist applicants with employment gaps or no industry experience.

• Hybrid or Combination Format

Typically, it begins with a list of your relevant skills, followed by your work experience.

If you have both the experience and the skill for the nutritionist position you are eyeing, then the hybrid resume is the right format to use.

Start with the Header

The header contains information that will allow the hiring managers to contact you.

Some view this section as a no-brainer because the information presented here is basic. But it creates a lot of impact on hiring managers, so be mindful of how you do it.

Your header must contain the following information:

• Your full name
• Your professional email address

A professional email address contains only your first name and last name. The following are acceptable formats:

If you don’t have a resume-ready address yet, get one now.

• Your mobile number

A recruiter has a better chance of reaching you through your mobile number than your landline, especially if you have an active lifestyle.

• Professional social media handles

LinkedIn is the most known professional social media platform, but you may include your other social media accounts that you use for your nutritionist services if you have them.

A Winning Header Example

Check out this example. A nutritionist resume is off to a good start when it has this kind of header.

CORRECT

JULIE DALTON

Licensed Nutritionist

julie.dalton@gmail.com

(123) 654 0987

LinkedIn.com/in/juliedalton

Nothing fancy about the header, but it professionally presents all your contact information.

An Example of a Header to Avoid

Here is an example of what a hiring manager would frown upon, so nutritionist resume samples would never present them in this way.

INCORRECT

Julie Dalton

Licensed nutritionits

lovelyjulie@yahoo.com

(123) 654 098

LinkedIn.com/in/juliedalton

I don’t think you’d move to the next step with this kind of header. Besides not making your name stand out, you have a misspelled word, an inappropriate email address, and a missing digit in your mobile number.

All of these are signs of your lack of attention to detail, a key requirement for a nutritionist job.

Should the Header Contain a Photo?

Unless you are applying for a job in which looks is critical, including a photo will not add value to your nutritionist resume.

Check the job posting if it says you should add a photo.

If you must include your photo, be mindful of the image you project. Wear something comfortable but professional, and the most important of all: wear your confidence and pair it off with a warm smile.

INSERT PICTURE HERE

The Professional Summary: Creating Your Brand

When you visit a corporate website for the first time and want to know more about the company, you tend to go to the About Us section.

The professional summary of your nutritionist resume almost serves the same purpose. In 3 to 4 lines, you present to your prospective employer your professional brand as a nutritionist that persuades them to read more about you.

But if you are a fresh grad and have no professional brand to boast of, do you still need this section?

Yes, but instead of writing it as a professional summary, write it as a professional objective: it speaks of your personal abilities and where you would like to bring your career.

Take a look at the examples shown below to get a better view of what it's like.

Examples of Your Professional Summary

CORRECT

Highly conscientious Magna Cum Laude graduate of B.S. in Nutrition Science. Experienced in developing medically tailored diet regimens based on individual patient needs. Highly knowledgeable on relevant legal mandates. Seeking a nutritionist position to leverage skills and knowledge in managing the nutritional needs of Wellness Haven residents.

INCORRECT

Graduate of B.S. in Nutrition Science, Magna Cum Laude. Interned with a nursing home where I practiced my skill in preparing need-based diet regimens. Knows legislative laws that pertain to food and nutrition. Seeks nutritionist job in a nursing home to gain more skills and knowledge in food and nutrition

The applicant could be well-qualified for the role, but if the second example were used, I doubt if the hiring manager would be interested in talking to them at all. Why downplay your qualifications when you've got what it takes to be hired into your desired nutritionist position?

What about these examples for an experienced nutritionist?

CORRECT

Seasoned clinical nutritionist with 5+ years of experience committed to the promotion of healthy lives. Exceptional skills in the development and delivery of medical nutrition therapy to patients and the provision of basic nutrition education and counseling to patients, family members, and other healthcare providers. Looking for an opportunity to serve as a senior public health nutritionist to help Health+ achieve its goal of promoting public health in the underserved communities in Texas

INCORRECT

With over 5 years of experience as a clinical nutritionist seeking to broaden knowledge and expand reach by shifting to public health nutrition. Intends to bring knowledge of medical nutrition therapy and delivery of nutrition education to the other healthcare providers of Health+ to contribute to the achievement of its mission

In this set of examples, the personal goal of the applicant came on top, and if the hiring manager is focused on looking for someone who could help achieve their goals, they may not read through to the end to see if your “brand” is worth looking into.

The tone of voice used for writing the professional summary had no enthusiasm at all.

Flaunt Your Work Experience

The purpose of your nutritionist resume is to entice the hiring manager into interviewing you, so you need to show them what you have to offer.

Your work experience is a showcase of your expertise and your accomplishments as nutrition professional.

Focus on your responsibilities that match those specified in the job description posted. Present them in bullet form for easy reading.

Limit your duties and responsibilities to four or five. Make sure these five items count by comparing them with the job description.

Do not be afraid to use numbers to demonstrate the impact of your contribution to the company you worked for.

Understandably, the more seasoned you are, the meatier the work experience section of your nutritionist resume should be.

But what about if you are a fresher?

Calm down. You can still show what you’ve got even if you have no relevant work experience.

Let me show you how.

A Work Experience Section Sample for a Fresh Graduate

You had your internship, right? Now, what you need to do is put in all the details of your internship under the Work Experience section.

Add in your relevant volunteer experience, if you have any.

Just like this.

For nutritionist coaches

A nutrition coach does not have a nutrition degree or did not take or pass the RD (registered dietitian) but may be certified by an accredited wellness organization. The scope of service that a nutritionist coach provides is limited compared to a nutritionist.

An Excellent Work Experience if You are a Senior Nutritionist

If you have acquired enough relevant experience and have reached senior nutritionist status, do not be complacent to simply rely on the number of years you’ve held onto a nutritionist position.

Highlight your key achievements in your nutritionist resume.

There’s no need for you to mention jobs where your role was to provide technical assistance to clinical dietitians.

You can refer to the sample format below to write your work experience.

Do you need more inspiration to write about your work experience? Check out more resume examples.

Highlight Your Nutritionist Education

Nutritionists are expected to promote healthy lifestyles and are considered health providers.

However, fresher or not, do not go into an info overload on the education section of your nutritionist resume.

There’s also no need to include your high school education.

How to Write About Your Nutritionist Education

If you are experienced, it would be enough to indicate the course you graduated from, the university where you graduated, and the year you graduated.

For freshers, it would help to add your GPA (assuming it's at least 3.6, that is), awards and honors received, and the academic and extracurricular activities where you showcased your soft skills.

Examples of How to Write the Education Section

And if you are a fresher, you may model your resume after this one. ????

Identify Your Skills in Your Nutritionist Resume

Hard skills are crucial to any nutritionist job. After all, who would want to follow a meal plan designed by someone who is not adequately trained to do it?

Although hard skills are non-negotiable, it will serve you well to highlight your soft skills, too.

The critical hard skills for a nutritionist job are as follows:

• Food production
• Food safety management
• Nutritional therapy
• Nutritional risk assessment
• Nutrition counseling
• Human psychology
• Presentation skill
• Microsoft Applications

Soft skills:

• Analytical Skill
• Communication Skill
• Active Listening
• Problem-Solving and Decision Making
• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Coaching Skill

These are just partial lists of skills needed for a nutritionist job, so don’t be limited by them.

Be sure to put in only those skills that you can support. The skills you list may land you an interview, but if you cannot explain to the interviewer how you demonstrated those skills, that might mean goodbye to the job you are aspiring for.

Skill Section: An Example

Shown below is a suggested format for showing your skills on your nutritionist resume.

• Proficiency in Nutrition Program Development
• Proficiency in Facilitating Educational Programs
• Demonstrated ability in meal planning
• Demonstrated ability in nutrition counseling
• Working knowledge on Menu Planning
• Knowledge of medical nutrition therapy
• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Above-average coaching skills
• Above average analytical skills

Enhance Your Nutritionist Resume with Additional Sections

We have covered the essential sections of your nutritionist resume.

But there might be other things about you that would boost your chances of getting hired, so add them and introduce a new section.

Volunteer experience

Freshers would normally put their volunteer experience under work experience, which is fine. Experienced nutritionists may also do the same if the volunteer experience is relevant to the job applied for.

However, if your volunteer work is not relevant, you may create a separate section without putting in too many details.

The format for showing your volunteer work is similar to how you would present your work experience. See this example:

Languages

You are likely to encounter a patient or a client in your profession, or even a program partner who does not speak fluent English. A second and maybe a third language will be most helpful.

Certification

You might have attended a short certification course as part of your continuing education.

List them down in this section the same way you would list down your nutritionist education: Name of the certification program, the name of the program provider, date certification was issued, date of certification expiry.

Affiliations

Affiliations with accredited organizations give your credentials an added push. Mention those organizations here.

Indicate any special role (e.g., secretary) you were given in the organization, if applicable.

References

Include references only if the job posting says you should. If you must put a reference, choose personalities you have worked with. Don’t forget to ask their permission.

Everything that you've written down on your nutritionist resume should be enough to tell the employer if you'd make a good fit.

Power-up Your Nutritionist Resume

Let me share with you some tips on how to make an excellent resume.

• Tailor your resume. Check the job posting thoroughly for keywords and use them naturally in your resume.
• Be concise. The hiring manager won’t have the luxury of time to read through a long resume.
• Look up nutritionist resume samples. Get inspiration from these examples.
• Wear the employer’s hat. Read through your resume and ask yourself, “Will I hire this person?” If your answer is no, go back and revise the portions you think are weak.
• Edit before you submit. You may have exceptional skills and impressive work experience. But if your resume is peppered with typos, grammatical errors, and layout inconsistencies, your credentials would be overshadowed by those important details.

Summary: Writing a Perfect Nutritionist Resume

Let’s have a recap of how to write a winning nutritionist resume.

• Include all essential sections of a resume: header, professional summary or career objective, work experience, education, and skills.
• For added impact, add relevant sections.
• Strive for a professional layout.
• Choose the appropriate resume format.
• Pay attention to your resume’s readability.
• Support your achievements with numbers.

Write an Exceptional Cover Letter to Match your resume

To write a cover letter or not is a dilemma that applicants face. Others say it has no use, but some say recruiters look for it.

But having a cover letter is a great indicator of how much you value your application and how sensitive you are to other people's needs.

See sample cover letters to write and boost yours in just minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some of the less known but profitable nutritionist jobs?

Nutritionists can take on other roles that go beyond Nutrition Educators or Nutrition Specialists. Let’s look at three of these equally interesting and profitable nutritionist jobs.

This nutritionist job requires you to experiment and produce original, delectable dishes with nutritional value. If you want to build a career in recipe development, you may apply with a food manufacturing business to create healthy recipes using their products; these recipes may also be used as part of their marketing campaign.

Link up with publishers to update or expand the recipe books or cookbooks in their roster of publications. Or, you may be self-employed as a consultant to food bloggers who would like to enhance their sites with the introduction of healthy recipes, e.g., low-sugar or vegan, to their website.

Pursuing this track will require additional studies to be certified as one. You also need to decide which field you’d like to specialize in, e.g., promoting a healthy lifestyle among athletes to improve their performance or healthy eating to ward off chronic illnesses?

You may work in clinics, corporate offices, gyms, hospitals, or wellness centers.

To work as a sports nutritionist, you need to have a bachelor’s degree in sports nutrition; you need to enroll in subjects that were not covered in your BS in Nutrition Science. Be certified as a Registered Dietitian and secure a state license as a Sports Nutritionist.

You may work in a gym, a sports studio, or a sports franchise to provide professional advice on diet and lifestyle preferences that would complement their exercises.

Who Gets Better Pay: a Dietitian or A Nutritionist?

The salary information provided by the Bureau of Labor of Statistics does not differentiate the salary of dietitians from nutritionists.

However, because dietitians have more credentials, e.g. certification as registered dietitians (RD) or registered dietitian nutritionists (RDN), dietitians earn more than nutritionists.

Discover more templates for your resume