How to format a healthcare resume to land the perfect job

If you’re in the market for a career in the medical field, the best thing you can do is to write or freshen up your resume to stand out for the healthcare industry.

Tips for creating an effective healthcare resume

Content blocks to include in a healthcare resume

Contact information

Make it easy for hiring managers to contact you. Write your full name, email address, and phone number in a large, easy-to-read format at the top of the resume. Hint: Remember hiring managers will be calling your phone number so be sure to record a professional-sounding voicemail message in case you miss their call.

Summary statement

Write a brief summary of the job you want, that matches what the company is looking for to fill the position. This summary statement should be one or two sentences long that combine your work ethic, personality, and skills. An effective summary statement will entice hiring managers to read on.

Work experience

List relevant jobs that can translate to a position in the healthcare field. Each job should include your title, the name of the company, and dates of employment. Detail duties and accomplishments in three to five bullet points, which correspond to what the employer is looking for. Use action verbs to describe your work, like “managed,” “organized,” “cared for,” “assisted,” “explained,” and “administered.”

Consider the needs of the position you’re applying as your write your healthcare resume. Pull out the responsibilities of previous jobs that will be useful in a targeted healthcare job. Use these examples as a starting point:

• Entry level pharmacy technician: good communication and customer service; organizational skills; computer skills; critical thinking; problem solving; math.

• Phlebotomist: good communication and customer service; attention to detail; data collection and entry; empathy; math skills; basic chemistry.

• Home healthcare aide: good communication and customer service; attention to detail; flexibility; patience.

Skills

Brief descriptions of relevant skills — both hard and [soft] — grouped together will make it easy for a manager to know you have the know-how to do the job. Be specific about the healthcare tasks you can accomplish: for example, venipunctures, understanding HIPAA guidelines, clear explanation of procedures, infection control, biohazard procedures, etc.

No healthcare skills? No problem. Other skills are transferable if you’re looking to make a career change to the healthcare industry. These are great skills to highlight as you look for a job in healthcare:

• Customer Service
• Communication, especially verbal
• Empathy
• Multitasking
• CPR/First Aid
• Problem solving
• Relationship building

Education

Include the highest diploma you earned: GED, high school, or college. Also include certifications, online courses, seminars, or other education you pursued that’s relevant to the job you’re seeking.

Correct formatting for a healthcare resume

Your resume’s content is important, but don’t let a great professional message get lost with an unreadable document. Follow these tips to get the look and feel of a clean resume:

• Use easy-to-read fonts like Arial, Tahoma, and Calibri in 10 - 12 point type
• Avoid borders
• If you must add color, use only one accent
• Check for typos and spelling errors (there is no excuse for spelling mistakes with spell check!)
• Finally, have a trusted friend review the resume for clarity

A clean, precise resume that focuses on the job you want will entice recruiters and hiring managers to put your name at the top of the interview list. Follow our guidelines to write a winning healthcare resume and you’ll be at work in no time!