Psychologist Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Psychologist resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Psychologists are highly trained professionals who help people identify and work through their mental health issues. They’re skilled at listening and asking the right questions to get to the root of a problem. And they have a deep understanding of the human psyche.
If you’re ready to join this growing field or if you’re looking for a career change, here are some tips and an example resume to help you write a fantastic psychologist resume that hiring managers will love.
How to Write a Psychologist Resume
Here’s how to write a psychologist resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most effective way to showcase your experience and qualifications. But rather than simply listing your responsibilities, you can make your resume more interesting by using bullet points to describe the results of your work.
For example, rather than saying you “conducted psychological evaluations,” you could say you “conducted psychological evaluations and provided recommendations for treatment based on findings.”
The second bullet point is more specific and provides more detail about what exactly you did. It also provides a clear outcome—a recommendation for treatment. That’s much more interesting and compelling than just saying you did something!
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a job online, your resume is usually scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. These programs look for specific terms related to the position, like “psychology” or “counseling” in order to determine whether your skills and experience are a match. If your resume doesn’t have enough of the right keywords, the ATS might automatically reject your application.
To increase your chances of getting an interview, it’s important to include relevant keywords throughout all sections of your resume. Here are some of the most common psychology keywords:
- Psychology
- Mental Health
- Psychotherapy
- Crisis Intervention
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Mental Health Counseling
- Psychological Assessment
- Mental Health Promotion
- Mental Health Care
- Group Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Psychological Testing
- Counseling Psychology
- Family Therapy
- Program Development
- Research
- Teaching
- Community Outreach
- Social Work
- Wellness
- Behavior Modification
- Individual Counselling
- Clinical Supervision
- Healthcare
- Working with Adolescents
- Psychometrics
- Qualitative Research
- Personality Assessment
- Program Evaluation
- Trauma Therapy
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a psychologist, you are likely familiar with a variety of programs and systems used in your field. Recruiters are looking for psychologists who are proficient in programs like SPSS, R, and MATLAB, and who have experience with data mining, machine learning, and modeling. Additionally, psychologists need to be familiar with big data concepts and platforms like Hadoop, Hive, and Spark.
So if you have experience with any of these programs or platforms, be sure to list them on your resume. And if you’re not familiar with them, now is the time to learn them!