You'll learn:
What are the job duties & responsibilities of a doctor?
Your job as a doctor is to save lives. In order to save lives, it’s important to diagnose your patients properly by keeping up with the latest medical technology and research, and also assessing symptoms and treating your patients with the proper medication.
Is there any difference between a doctor and a physician?
In fact, there isn’t much of a difference between a doctor and a physician, so we will use these two terms interchangeably in this article to refer to the same job: a medical doctor.
What’s the importance of a professional resume for a doctor’s job?
No matter how well your grades were in medical school, it’s important to write a professional doctor CV when you’re looking for a job. This will allow your preferred hospitals or clinics to learn about your qualifications and call you in for an interview.
In this article, Cake will guide you through the process of creating the perfect doctor resume. Let’s begin!
Here are 5 simple steps to writing a resume for medical doctors.
Let’s start by writing your doctor resume headline.
A resume headline is a brief phrase that summarizes your qualifications. It’s important to write an impressive doctor resume headline, because it’s one of the first sections your potential recruiter will see on your medical doctor resume, since it is usually located at the very top.
💡 Think of an eye-catching doctor resume headline so that your potential employer will be interested in you and continue to look through the rest of your resume.
Examples of resume headlines for a doctor resume:
Now that you’ve completed the resume headline, it’s time to move onto the next part: a summary for your doctor resume.
Your doctor resume summary is a brief outline of your entire resume. It is usually 2 or 3 lines longer than your resume headline, so that you can provide more detailed information about yourself, such as your relevant skills and work experience.
It’s important, because it offers more information about your professional status in just a short paragraph. This will help your potential employer decide if you are qualified for the job.
💡 If you’re having trouble thinking of what to write on your doctor resume summary, consider asking yourself this question:
What are some of your most important achievements that are relevant to the job position you are applying for?
Examples of summary for a doctor resume:
You’re now halfway done with your customized resume for medical doctors! Now, it’s time to write the skills section.
If you’ve searched online for the keywords “doctor skills for resume”, but still aren’t sure what to write, don’t worry!
💡 Begin by asking yourself a question:
What are some of the most important skills you should be equipped with in your line of profession?
List them on your physician resume. By writing down all of your relevant skills, it allows your potential employer to further understand your ability to handle this job as a professional.
List of skills for your doctor resume below:
Hard skills:
Soft skills:
The human body is very complex; similarly, the medical field is complex as well. Every doctor is most knowledgeable about their own specific field. What unit are you applying for? What exact job position are you looking for?
Writing a resume for a dentist is completely different from a cardiologist. So, remember to tailor your doctor CV to a specific job opening. Read through the job description to make sure that this is a suitable job for you, and create your resume by providing the information requested on the job description.
Before you send out your job application, the final (and most important) step is to proofread!
If you are sending an online application, make sure the links on your physician resume work properly. Don’t forget to convert it into a PDF file so that it can be viewed on different devices.
There are 3 common types of resume formats, and each is suitable for different job search situations, depending on how far you are in your career.
🔖 Chronological resume format
This is the most common resume format, which is also referred to as ‘reverse chronological format’. The employment history and relevant accomplishments are listed from the most recent to the oldest.
This resume format is popular among most job applicants, which means that it is suitable no matter how far you are in your career. It highlights the progress you’ve made along your journey. However, if you did not have steady progress in your career, perhaps you can consider using the functional resume format.
🔖 Functional resume format
This resume format emphasizes on the skills of the candidate, rather than the employment history. This is a resume format suitable for those who have had rocky starts in their career, or if you don’t have much relevant work experience.
Freshers, entry-level job seekers, and career changers can use this format to highlight your skills to make up for the lack of relevant work experience.
🔖 Combination resume format
This is a combination of both the chronological and functional resume formats. The hybrid/combination resume format focuses on the job applicant’s qualifications, while also showing the employment history. The qualifications (relevant skills and experience) are listed first, followed by the work experience written in reverse chronological order.
This is a resume format suitable for senior job seekers or career changers who have impressive work experience to share.
Cake provides the best doctor resume templates & examples for talents to demonstrate their qualifications. Let us help you land the dream as a doctor with a strong resume (free download)!
There are 2 common ways to create your own doctor resume template: Microsoft Word or an online resume builder.
➡️ Microsoft Word
1. Open Microsoft Word.
2. Click on the “More templates” option located on the far right.
3. Choose “Resumes and Cover Letters” in the suggested searches.
4. Scroll down to find various templates, and click on the one you prefer.
5. Click “Create” to start editing your preferred template.
➡️ Online Resume Builder
If you want to create a customized doctor CV, instead of using the templates provided in Microsoft Word, you can consider using online resume builders.
Cake has an online resume builder that offers a variety of different resume templates for you to choose from. It’ll help you break free from outdated resume formats and you’ll definitely be able to find unique resume templates for doctors as well.
Below are the top 10 Medical Doctor Resume Dos and Don’ts that you can keep in mind when you’re creating your medical doctor resume.
✔️ Tailor the resume and include only relevant information.
As we mentioned before, it’s important to search for the job description of your desired job opening and tailor your resume based on the information provided. Only include relevant information that will highlight you as a suitable candidate for this specific job.
✔️ Add quantifiable and measurable achievements.
No matter how impressive your employment history is, it’s very important to list your achievements by the numbers. Adding quantifiable and measurable achievements on your physician resume will help your potential recruiter learn more about what goals you’re capable of achieving.
✔️ Optimize the resume for ATS.
Most resumes are run through an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) software before falling into the hands of the human hiring manager. Make sure that you can pass this stage by making your doctor CV ATS-friendly.
✔️ Choose the right resume format.
As we mentioned earlier, it’s important to choose the most suitable resume format to help you score that interview. For freshers, using a functional resume format can make up for the lack of relevant work experience. If you’re a senior level doctor, using a hybrid/combination resume format can make your profession shine through.
✔️ Use active verbs in the resume.
Notice how the previous examples for doctor resume headlines and doctor resume summaries all included verbs? It’s important to use active verbs as a way to attract the attention of your potential employer. Using active verbs can highlight your profession in a confident tone.
✖ Don't leave typos or grammatical errors.
As we mentioned earlier in the article, it’s important to proofread your entire doctor CV to make sure that there are no typos or grammatical errors. If the hiring manager sees many typos on your doctor CV, they might have a bad impression on you.
✖ Don’t adopt an old-style resume objective statement.
Instead of writing a doctor resume objective statement simply stating what you “want” in your career, you should provide useful information on what you can “offer” in terms of knowledge and skills.
Listing your qualifications that are relevant to the job is much more useful than an old-style resume objective statement. Tell your potential employer you are capable of handling the job by providing your skills and work experience.
✖ Don’t disclose confidential information about previous employers.
No matter how unsatisfactory you are about your previous job or employer, don’t let it show on your current physician resume. This is unprofessional, and it’ll make you seem untrustworthy as well, which might make you lose your chance at an interview.
✖ Don’t include unnecessary personal details that might lead to discrimination.
Keep it professional. Providing unnecessary personal details that are irrelevant to the job will make you seem unprofessional, and the hiring manager might decide to skip your resume in preference to reading others.
✖ Don’t send the resume as a Word document.
Before you send out your application, be sure to convert your medical doctor CV into PDF format. Sending your resume as a Word document is risky, because some versions of Word might not be able to process the file. If the hiring manager happens to have an older version of Word, you’ll be at risk of disqualification.
Certified neurologist with 7 years of experience, devoted to providing top quality healthcare to patients in need, seeking a position as junior level physician at St. Louis Hospital
604-574-9624
[email protected]
Richmond, Virginia (USA)
Fully licensed neurologist with several board certifications seeking a job as a junior level medical doctor at St. Louis Hospital. Up to date with the latest medical research to ensure accurate lab tests. Maintained 5-star healthgrades score for 300 reviews and 93% success in treatment for patients at previous healthcare centers.
Physical Therapist
Riverside Hospital
Feb 2016 - Jun 2020
Clinical Psychologist
St. Mary Children's Hospital
Apr 2013 - May 2016
2007 - 2013
UVA School of Medicine
Department of Neurology
Technical Skills
Non-technical Skills
--- Originally written by Celine Chien ---
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