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How to Write a Cover Letter for Any Job [2023 Guide]
A cover letter can make or break your entire job application. Discover how to write a cover letter that will impress any recruiter.
You help people recover, develop, and thrive after life-changing set-backs. Prove your effectiveness with an occupational therapy resume that’ll make hiring managers take note.
The life of an occupational therapist can be stressful—
And productivity quotas certainly don’t help.
So—
OTs too often end up neglecting their own continuing education and even mental health—
Let alone career development.
An effective occupational therapy resume can be your ticket to a better every day.
Make sure yours is up to the task—
It’s not nearly as difficult or time-consuming as you might think.
In this guide:
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Looking to try your hand at a different job, too? See our guides:
Lindsey Wiley
Occupational Therapist
Personal Info
Phone: 318-876-8909
E-mail: lindsey.s.wiley@reslab.com
linkedin.com/in/lindseyswiley
Summary
Dedicated occupational therapist with 5+ years’ experience treating both inpatients and outpatients. Seeking opportunity to leverage proven acute care skills in providing excellent patient care at St Luke’s Medical. At St John Hospital, facilitated post-rehab functional independence rates 17-19% above average while supervising and mentoring two OTAs.
Experience
Occupational Therapist
St John Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
Aug 2018–present
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Howard Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
July 2016–Aug 2018
Education
Post-Professional Master’s in Occupational Therapy
University of Southern California Sunnydale, CA
2018
BS in Occupational Therapy
University of Southern California Sunnydale, CA
2016
Certifications
Languages
Key Skills
Now here’s how to write an occupational therapy resume they’ll love:
Imagine the hiring manager pulling up your resume on her screen—
All that work you put in is about to pay off.
Wait—
Where did it go? Did she just shift+delete it straight away?
She did too—
Your resume didn’t even look the part. The layout was weird, the format illegible.
So, first up, you need to make sure your application is clean and logical, using the correct formatting for a resume. Here’s how:
While saving your resume in PDF is generally a much better option that using *.docx files—
It’s not always the right way to go.
Some OT employers use ATSs (Applicant Tracking Systems) that can’t parse PDF files.
So—
To make sure you submit an ATS resume that won't get automatically rejected, always check the job ad to see if there’s a preferred file format mentioned.
If not, then default to PDF.
Having your resume format in order will help stop you from standing out in a bad way.
Now you need to stand out in a good way, and fast.
Do this with a resume profile that’s like the ultimate TL;DR.
Racked up a year or more as an OT?
Then start with a resume summary. It’ll shine a spotlight on all that experience.
Use:
These occupational therapy resume examples show how:
See that?
The first example makes a strong case based on quantified achievements, not lifeless duties like in the second example.
Haven’t been an OT long enough to write something like this yet?
If you’re a new grad writing a resume with no experience, use a resume objective instead and shift that spotlight onto relevant achievements from your studies, any OTA work you’ve done, and non-OT jobs.
Check out these occupational therapy resume objective examples:
The first example is all about what the candidate can do for their potential employer, not the other way around—that’s crucial.
Struggling to get through writing a resume profile?
Write it last.
You’ll find it’s easier, faster, and much more effective to do it that way.
Talking about your future performance is tricky—
And invariably ends up sounding like a bunch of promises.
There’s a much better way:
Show them you’ve got a proven track record of success in doing just what they need.
Make your resume work experience section a showcase of achievements.
How to write a job description for occupational therapists:
These occupational therapy resume examples show how:
Occupational Therapist
St John Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
Aug 2018–present
Occupational Therapist
St John Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
2018–present
Big difference.
So simple and yet so effective:
Putting numbers to duties and focusing on the results of your work really transform a job description.
One more thing:
You need a section listing the key skills to put on a resume that make you the ideal candidate.
But—
Flooding the page with random OT skills is not the way to go.
Check what the job ad requires and aim to cover that plus only a little more.
These examples will help with the phrasing.
Hard skills
Soft skills
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Occupational therapy isn’t the easiest field to get into.
Between the educational requirements—
And the licensing procedures—
You’re very much invested by the time you independently treat your first patient.
Do all that effort and expense justice with a strong resume education section:
List degrees (with majors), schools, and graduation years.
Then:
Add bullets that show key OT skills in action.
This occupational therapy resume example shows how:
Post-Professional Master’s in Occupational Therapy
University of Southern California Sunnydale, CA
2018
BS in Occupational Therapy
University of Southern California Sunnydale, CA
2016
Short on OT experience?
When writing an occupational therapy resume, new grads can extend the education section with projects, classes, and accomplishments that show OT skills like anatomical knowledge and time management.
It’s no secret that occupational therapy is booming—
And that’s the problem:
Everyone wants in, and competition for the best jobs is fierce.
Give yourself an unfair advantage—
Add one or two extra sections:
These two occupational therapy resume examples show yes vs no:
Certifications
Languages
Certifications
Hobbies and Interests
Night, meet day.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with adding hobbies and interests—
But they, like everything else you add, have to be relevant to the job ad.
One last hoop:
You’ll need to write a convincing cover letter to go with your occupational therapy resume.
The only exception is when the job ad specifically asks you not to submit one. Otherwise, write one just to be on the safe side: cover letters are necessary for many recruiters to consider your application.
Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.
Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.
For an occupational therapist resume that gets interviews:
Still not sure how to write your best ever resume for occupational therapist jobs? Not sure how you can customize our occupational therapy resume template? Share your thoughts down below. We’d love to read them and we’ll be sure to get back to you.
A cover letter can make or break your entire job application. Discover how to write a cover letter that will impress any recruiter.
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