Public Health Director Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Public Health Director resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Public health departments are tasked with monitoring, managing, and preventing disease outbreaks and other health concerns in communities. They also work with medical professionals, government agencies, non-profits, and other organizations to create programs that promote healthy living.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in public health but aren’t sure how to break into the field, here are some tips and example resume template for writing a public health director resume that hiring managers will love.
How to Write a Public Health Director Resume
Here’s how to write a resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
When you’re writing your bullet points, it can be tempting to focus on the responsibilities of your job. But that’s not enough to make a strong impression. Instead, you should focus on the results of your work.
For example, rather than saying you “managed staff,” you could say that you “increased staff productivity by 15% while reducing turnover by 50%.”
The second bullet point paints a much clearer picture of what you did and the results of your work. And that’s what hiring managers want to see!
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
Keywords are especially important when you’re applying for a public health director role. Most public health director positions are posted on job boards, like Indeed, where they’re seen by an automated applicant tracking system (ATS). This program scans your resume for certain keywords related to the position in order to determine whether your skills and experience match the company’s needs. If your resume doesn’t include enough relevant keywords, the ATS might automatically reject your application.
To make sure your resume makes it past the ATS, use this list of common public health director keywords as a starting point:
- Public Health
- Community Outreach
- Public Health Education
- Health Education
- Health Promotion
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Program Development
- Grant Writing
- Leadership Development
- Event Planning
- Community Engagement
- Volunteer Management
- Public Speaking
- Fundraising
- Public Health Policy
- Data Analysis
- Maternal and Child Health
- Epidemiology
- Research
- Strategic Planning
- Teaching
- Healthcare Management
- Healthcare
- Strategic Communications
- Team Leadership
- Program Management
- Coaching
- Public Administration
- Management
- Facilitation
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a public health director, you need to be proficient in a variety of software programs and systems in order to effectively manage your work. This might include experience with public health databases, case management software, or disease surveillance systems. Additionally, many public health directors are now using social media platforms to communicate with the public, so it is important to be familiar with these platforms as well.