Your respiratory therapist resume is a key tool in helping you land a rewarding new position. Here are some tips for how to write a respiratory therapist resume, along with some examples that will inspire you to create a document that shows off what makes you special. Allied health job growth trends continue upwards, making it a great time to take the next step in your respiratory therapy career.
Getting started with your resume
You might want to start with a respiratory therapist resume template. It will help you organize and format the story you want to tell hiring managers. Formatting your resume and showcasing your qualifications and experience is exceptionally important in today’s job market. Given how quickly hiring managers sort through resumes, it is vital that you catch their attention and convey your value quickly.
How to write a great respiratory therapist resume in 2024
These tips for how to write a respiratory therapist resume will help get you started and ensure that you successfully complete this important step in your job search.
1. Review some examples of resumes
It can be inspiring to review several respiratory therapist resume examples before you start writing your own. You can also look at the best ways to organize your resume based on your specific career phase.
- Entry-level respiratory therapist resume example:
When you are just starting out, you may not have extensive experience in prior roles or a long list of professional achievements to showcase. You can use this template to instead call attention to your education, coursework, and clinical rotations, as well as document your certifications and academic achievements.
- Mid-level respiratory therapist resume example:
At the mid-level point of your career, you will likely have relevant clinical experience to share. If you have leadership or supervisory experience, you will want to add it to your academic achievements, certifications, and licenses. This template also provides a way to highlight your experience and technical skills in making respirator assessments, measuring blood gasses, and using ventilators.
- Senior-level respiratory therapist resume example:
By the time you reach a senior level in your career, you would benefit from using a respiratory therapist resume template that conveys both the value of your patient care experience and your leadership and management skills. You want to demonstrate a history of increasing achievements and responsibilities.
2. Optimize your resume with relevant keywords
Once you have created the first draft of your respiratory therapist resume, you will want to go back and add keywords. Many employers use an ATS, or applicant tracking system, that machine-reads, scores, and sorts resumes automatically. This software looks for words and phrases that indicate that you have the right experience for the job. By using the right keywords, you increase the chances of your resume making it through the screen.
3. Use easy-to-read fonts and formatting
In the respiratory therapist resume examples above, you may notice they all use common fonts that are easy to read. Times New Roman, Calibri, Verdana, Lato, and Garamond in sizes between 10 and 12 points make it easier for a human reader to scan your resume. They are classic fonts that give your resume a professional look.
4. Customize your resume for each application
Match the keywords in your respiratory therapist resume to those mentioned in the job description. Present the details of your skills, experiences, and achievements in a way that clearly illustrates why you would be a great fit for the specific role.
5. Use action words as much as possible
Active verbs give your story a sense of energy and excitement. You want to bring attention to what you have done and what you have accomplished in a way that is dynamic.
6. Tell your story with numbers
Including metrics and statistics in your respiratory therapist resume helps quantify your accomplishments and make them more real and concrete for the reader.
7. Bullet points help make your resume readable
Hiring managers glance through your resume quickly. You can convey more information and make it easy for them to digest by using bullets and short phrases to break the document up.
8. Thoroughly proofread
In some cases, a single mistake will get your resume sent into the discard pile without further consideration. It can be tough to spot your own errors, so ask someone you trust to carefully read your resume and point out what needs to be fixed and where you can make improvements.
Respiratory therapy resume format
Follow convention when it comes to formatting. You don’t want your respiratory therapist resume to stand out for the wrong reasons. Align text to the left. Don’t right-justify, as it is harder to read and can create strange spacing within a line of text. Use traditional one-inch margins. Label the material in different sections to help readers find specific information.
What to include on your resume
The following structure is the time-tested way to present your credentials.
- Heading. Use these to identify each section and incorporate keywords when possible.
- Professional summary. This section should highlight your background and what makes you the ideal candidate for the respiratory therapist role.
- Skills and qualifications. Here is where you can showcase your technical knowledge, care-giving skills, and administrative abilities.
- Work experience. Show a progression of roles to demonstrate how your career, abilities, and value are progressing. Begin with your most recent role and then work backwards, including your job title, employment dates, and a summary of your achievements and responsibilities in each job.
- Education. Include your degree, as well as any specialized training and notable clinical rotations.
- Licensure and certifications. Document the relevant certifications you have earned and the licenses you have been issued.
How long should a respiratory therapist resume be?
You want your resume to be efficient. It should be long enough to show your value, but short enough that the reader doesn’t get bogged down in pages of material. If you are starting out, your resume should not exceed a page. Even for a lengthy career, you should refine and focus so that you can present the most relevant material within two-to-three pages.
Do staffing agencies require a resume from respiratory therapists?
You will need to submit your resume to the staffing agency when applying for one of their open roles as a respiratory therapist. If you are working with Sunbelt Staffing, you have support and allied health resources to help you along in your career. We are here to guide you throughout the process and can offer plenty of advice on preparing for respiratory therapist interview questions and answers.
Submit your resume today
Get started now in taking your career further. Explore some of the currently available respiratory therapist jobs. Then use our quick apply process to put yourself in front of opportunities that fit your abilities and your aspirations.