Physical Therapist Assistant Resume: Examples, Template, and Resume Tips
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Are you looking for your very first job and are frightened of how to even start writing your resume while you still have no experience?
Or are you a seasoned employee just wanting a change of pace and new challenges?
In both cases, we at Cleverism are there to offer you a helping hand in the resume-making process.
As a physical therapist assistant, you do not have to know all the tips and tricks on how to make the best possible resume, so this is why we are here – to make this easier, and answer some of the most common questions that arise when you inevitably start creating a resume for yourself.
The questions that most commonly arise are:
- How will I stand out?
- How long should my resume be?
- What information should I include?
- I do not have any experience! What can I do?
- And many more.
By reading this text and following the simple rules and guidelines you will learn how to:
- make your resume be at the top 2% of all resumes
- increase your chances at a callback
- make your values work for you (and mask any potential flaws)
- learn how to handle each section in the best possible way
- …
So, before we start explaining each section separately, we will provide you with two great examples of how a PTA resume should look like.
You will surely be able to recognize some patterns and/or rules and even previous mistakes just by going through the examples.
The in-depth explanation of sections will help you be sure of how to fix the mistakes and make your resume work for you.
Before you start creating your resume, visit our resume builder and choose a template that fits you the most.
You can gradually fill it in as we go about explaining the sections, or you can decide to complete it after you get a full idea.
Either way, our designs and usability guarantee that you will find exactly what you need.
Let us start by revising these two examples:
Physical Therapist Assistant Resume Example
Physical Therapist Assistant Resume Sample
After you have read through our two examples we are sure that you have noticed some issues that you should pay attention to when writing or revising your resume.
Nevertheless, we are offering you a hands-on, step-by-step approach to writing each individual section, just to make sure that you did not miss any important point.
If you haven’t already, choose one of our templates and start filling up sections as we go.
It will make the process faster. If you need to revise, feel free to take notes and apply the knowledge to your resume building later.
GUIDE ON WRITING THE PERSONAL INFO SECTION THAT NAILS THE JOB
It seems as if the personal information section is not something that needs to be thoroughly explained. However, it only seems so.
You would be surprised how many candidates are eliminated just by making one quick glance over this section.
Although it is pretty straightforward to fill out this section, there are several mistakes that you may overlook. Recruiters spend only about 7 seconds scanning each resume.
This might make it more difficult for the mistakes to be noticeable, however, if by chance it is the mistake that catches the recruiter’s eye, there’s pretty much nothing that can make them look further than this part.
The first thing you should pay attention to is to give all the necessary information needed to contact you and make sure they are up-to-date and correct.
It would be a shame to lose opportunity just because you mistyped your e-mail or you left out a digit in your phone number.
The obligatory parts of the personal information section are:
- Name – use your full name (first name and your last name, feel free to leave out middle names). The practice has shown that sometimes people use their nickname. This would constitute a mistake as it implies a lack of professionalism and shows a childish approach.
- Phone and address – Make sure to give information about your current address and current, active phone number.
- E-mail – Your e-mail address should be easily remembered and linked to your person. The safest option is to make it a combination of your first and last name since it will be transparent to who it belongs to. You should be available to reach via e-mail so checking it daily is a priority.
A mistake that happens quite so often is that people use their old e-mail address that reflects their youthfulness.
You really do not want to be remembered as the person with jackson.mc.hottie@gmail.com as an e-mail. Opt for jacksonsmith@gmail.com better (or something to that extent).
Avoid randomly thrown down numbers or letters as well – it will be more difficult to remember and easier to mistype. It is good to have an e-mail only for work-related business.
Optional information are:
- LinkedIn account– it is a modern-day equivalent to a business card. If you do not have it, make it. It takes only a few minutes to create, and it shows how professional you are. You are not required to provide it but it can make a difference.
- Photo – in some countries having a photo on your resume is obligatory while it is not required in others. Some even find it distasteful to include it because they want to avoid bias based on physical appearance. To be sure what you should do, gather information about practices in your state/country.
What mistakes are possible regarding resume photos? Make sure that the photo is of good quality, that your photo is also up-to-date (you do not want to include a photo when you were 26 and you are 40 now), and make sure that it is a nice headshot made in a studio (or at home in front of a wall). Cropped party or outdoor pictures are not considered appropriate.
Have you made any of these mistakes? If you have, correct them and fill up the next section of your resume using our resume builder. Easily add or remove the section for photos
GUIDE ON WRITING THE SUMMARY SECTION
The summary section is just that- a summary of who you are, what you can offer to the company and what you are looking to get from this new experience.
The summary section is the trickiest to write. The reason for that is that we, as people, either has a tendency to talk about ourselves a lot, or not talk about ourselves at all.
Both these cases are not good for writing a summary of your resume.
If you are shy and reserved, your resume may seem stingy and generic, essentially just stating the obvious and not giving any new, enticing information that may help your cause.
In the case of talkative people who are comfortable talking about themselves, a summary section often turns into a shorter essay, which the recruiters have no time to read.
The key to writing the summary section is finding the balance between the two and creating a short paragraph, 2-3 sentences long, with just the right information to draw the recruiters’ attention.
For all of you, who belong to the second group of people, just hone in your enthusiasm a bit and you will have your perfect resume. And all of you who are dreading talking about yourself, just follow these simple guidelines and you will be on track.
So, what should a perfect summary have?
We said it should be about 2 or 3 sentences long. Another thing you should pay attention to is stating who you are in terms of profession, so by all means, start with “A physical therapist is looking for a new job”. Now, this sounds a little dry and generic, so what should you do next?
You should enrich the original sentence with information that applies to you and echo the job application requirements. Are they looking for an experienced therapist?
If yes, point out your experience. If you do not have it point out something else that makes you stand out.
Also, say what you want to get out of the new job – e.g. more hands-on experience, and what you can bring to the picture – e.g. fresh perspective, new techniques…
Look at these examples and realize what it is that you may have done wrong in the past.
Use our resume builder to write your perfect summary right now, while the information is still fresh and you are inspired!
GUIDE ON WRITING EXPERIENCE SECTION
The key to writing a good experience section is to really focus on the relevant experience.
There is no need to write down the work you did to put yourself through school like your afternoon shift in a local buffet.
While this shows that you are hardworking and dedicated, it might draw attention away from your experience within physical therapy.
To make the best out of this section, write your experience starting from the most recent up to the very first one.
Highlight the period you have been at this post and also provide full information about the previous employer.
Listing the job like this is not enough for a good resume that will stand out.
It is advisable to provide information about specific achievements and accomplishments during that engagement in as much detail as possible – the number of recovered patients, new knowledge you received, and so on.
This could all be easy if you have a master resume to use as a helping tool to recall everything that you have accomplished, but what happens if you do not have any experience in the field and you are just looking for your very first job?
In that case, we advise to leave out experience section altogether and focus on your achievements during education.
You can also make your summary work for you by saying that you are open and ready to learn from a more experienced therapist.
Luckily, with our resume builder you can quickly add or remove sections according to your needs, so, take your pick and let’s get started!
GUIDE ON WRITING THE MOST AMAZING EDUCATION SECTION
Writing the education section may be the most straightforward part of writing a resume. What you need to do is just list any formal education you have acquired over the years.
Stick to the points relevant to the job. You are a physical therapist and the fact that you have a management certificate is great but is not relevant when you are applying for a physical therapist assistant job.
We already mentioned that recruiters spend just a few seconds scanning your resume, so why risk your chances if they notice what is not relevant rather than the right, targeted information.
After you have picked the right education information, it is time to highlight them in the right order.
As with the experience section, you should pick the reverse-chronological order and start from the most recent one and go back to the first relevant one.
List any certificate or diploma (online certificates also) along with your college education.
One question often comes up, and that is if you should list your high school education. Unless it is directly related to the job you are applying-avoid it.
To make your education work for you in the best possible way in the eyes of your recruiters, highlight any accomplishments during specific education: scholarships, awards, honors, a great GPA, and more.
Also, do not forget to include information about the license to practice physical therapy.
Pick the right resume layout from our builder and easily add or remove sections. In this way, you will make sure that all the correct information is right there where they need to be. Let’s do it!
SKILLS SECTION THAT WILL MATTER IN 2019
Writing the skills section is pretty straight forward as long as you know which skills to include and which ones are not necessary. We divide skills into two groups – hard skills and soft skills.
Hard skills are the ones directly related to your profession i.e. specific kinds of massages or techniques, fields in which you are skilled (injury recovery, developmental physical therapy…).
Soft skills are your personal skills that help you do your job or may be a great addition to the hard skills (depending on the job add).
For example, being a great listener is a plus for a physical therapist since you are working with people on a daily basis, and if your patients are feeling comfortable around you so they can share concerns and ask questions is crucial for the success of physical therapy.
If you are applying for a position overseas or even somewhere where there are multiple nationalities, speaking another language is also something you should include.
Avoid, however, information about your personal life that has no connection to the job.
The fact that you are able to stay in a handstand for 5 minutes is great, but your recruiters will not find it important on your resume.
Another trick with writing a skills section is the level of mastery. Just simply writing skills down is not a tell tale sign that you are the right person for the job.
Luckily, our resume builder offers you a variety of ways in which you can grade your skill knowledge.
You can use stars, lines, grades or even a descriptive method (advanced, beginner, and so on).
Just pick the one you like and let’s start.
FINAL TIPS & TRICKS
- Keep a master resume. By keeping a master resume you will have all the information about your experience and education in the same place, and you will not have to worry if you have forgotten a detail or two, especially about the points that happened a few years ago. Make sure to update it constantly with any new experience or acquired certificate.
- Tailor-make your resume. Each time you send out a resume, make sure to adjust it to the job description. Include only relevant information – we did say this already several times, but there is no harm in highlighting it. Even the slightest change to your resume can make a difference.
- Proofread. Although you are more interested in helping people get better and words and spelling are not your main concern, you should pay attention to any type-Os or mistakes that can harm your professional image. Sometimes it helps to have a friend or a family member proofread the resume. The new set of eyes will be more scrutinous to find something that escaped you.
- Use our resume builder to quickly and effectively create a resume that will set you apart from other candidates. You will also be sure that the format is just right, it will take less time to create than if you were making it from scratch, and you will be sure that all the required information are where they should be.
- Include information that you are able to elaborate on. If you are not able to explain why a specific piece of information found its place on your resume you should not include it. It will harm your chances to get the job, especially in the in-person interview round as it will seem like you just needed it to fill the empty space, without any content value.
- Keep it short and sweet. A one-page resume is a great way to present your case. All the information is in one place, and there is no need for twisting and turning the pages to find the desired information. This is specifically important in the first round of recruitment as the resumes are only glanced through.
- Save your resume in the PDF or link format. It is the easiest to open, print, and it is un-editable. In addition, it really looks professional and neat.
CONCLUSION
We here at Cleverism hope that following the simple steps of creating a perfect resume will help you quickly create one that will get you your dream job.
You are on a mission to help people (re)gain their strength, and our mission is to make the job search easier and less time consuming so you can focus on what is important for you- helping people feel better.
With a little luck and with the help of our resume builder we are sure that the right job will come your way in no time! Good luck!
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