Public Health Resume Examples & Templates [Step by Step Tutorial]

Public health is constituted by a set of policies that seeks to guarantee, in an integrated manner, the health of the population through actions directed both individually and collectively. Its results include indicators of the conditions of life, well-being, and development.

We know how it is important for public health professionals to have a top-notch resume especially when they play a key role in our communities. It is no easy task to convey aspects regarding public health when you are on a job hunt. Nonetheless, this step-by-step guide will help you in building that great public health resume in the most efficient way possible!

One page is the best approach as recruiters tend to receive a high volume of applications, so do not make it extensive. You only need to include information relevant to the job.

For a public health specialist resume, stick to using 10-12 pts in font size. The best font styles are Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman, and Helvetica.

There should be an adequate amount of white space around the content in your resume to make it easy to read. A rule of thumb is to stick to at least one inch on all sides.

When writing your resume, space your lines using 1.15 or 1.2, and use 1.5 or double space after a heading.

A public health resume in PDF format will less likely be altered once it is open and viewed across other devices. As for word format, layout changes might occur to your public health resume when it's opened on other devices.

There are 3 types of formats you can use for your public health resume.

The following section will introduce each type of format and its advantages and disadvantages:

This format emphasizes work experience, listing the recent positions at the top. This is the most common use format for public health resumes in general.

This format emphasizes skills over experience in your public health resume. This type of format is often used by career changers or people who have gaps in their work history.

This format is a mix between a functional format and a chronological format. It highlights both skills and experience in your public health resume.

After picking the right format, you start your public health resume with the most essential information - your contact info.

What should you include and what should you leave out for the first section of your public health resume?

The first section of your public health resume is your contact information. Every resume shall display the following three elements.

• Full Name
• Email Address
• Phone Number

Employers need to know your name and have a way to reach out to you via email or phone number.

These are not mandatory to include, but it is advisable to share them so that employers can know more about you.

• Address or Location
• LinkedIn URL
• Personal Website

Avoid including any of these details in your public health resume as they are personal and not helpful for your job search:

• Date of Birth
• Sexual Orientation
• Religion or Belief
• Marital Status/Dependency
• Expected/Current Salary

A public health resume headline is a sentence where you show a key highlight from your career you deem the most important. It is vital to craft it carefully because it is one of the first things readers will see in your public health resume that shows your value as a candidate.

Here are 3 elements to consider when writing a good public health resume headline:

A resume summary statement is a paragraph outlining your professional career based on past work experience and other relevant qualifications you possess. This section is suitable for public health specialists making a resume with solid experience.

Besides a resume summary, job seekers can opt for a public health resume objective. A career objective is a paragraph talking about current skills you have, your career aspirations, and how you can help the organization.

Here are 3 crucial elements to consider when making your resume summary:

There is a wide range of public health skills for a resume. Regarding the resume skills section, there are four types of skills listing formats.

For a public health resume, it is advisable to choose between one of these two formats.

This format is the simplest way to list down skills in your public health resume.

Here’s an example:

This format is concise and easy to read for employers scanning your public health skills on the resume. The downside is it lacks details so you may have to further elaborate on your relevant skills in your public health cover letter or during the interview.

This format provides more details and context for the relevant public health skills listed in your resume. The advantage is that it gives further information on the relevant skills you possess; however, it also takes up more space in your public health resume.

Here’s an example:

Example list of public health skills for a resume:

Your work experience section in a public health resume is one of the most important sections employers would want to take a look to see if you're familiar and capable of the job.

Tips for making a great work experience section:

✅ Tailor to the job description

Job descriptions usually mention the roles and responsibilities the applicant will need to oversee. Make sure you modify your public health resume so that your work experience section aligns with the duties for the job.

✅ Add quantifiable results

Numbers and percentages that show your contribution and performance will give you an edge in your public health resume.

✅ Use action verbs

Verbs such as “managed,” “developed,” and “analyzed” show strong command and confidence. Try using action verbs at the start of each bullet point in the work section of your public health resume.

This section details your academic background in your public health resume.

🔎 Where to put the education section on a public health resume?

For university students or job freshers with no experience, your education section shall be right after your objective or summary section. Since you lack experience, your academic background would be your strongest qualifications.

For experienced public health professionals, you can put their education section right after the work experience section.

🔎 How to write resume education section in specific situations?

You can considering adding:

1. Hobbies and interests

This can help employers know more about you and your personalities. Employers are also interested in what you do when you are not at work.

2. Volunteer work or projects

Any type of volunteering, directly involved in the public sector or not, can help in your public health resume if you currently lack experience.

3. Certifications and awards

Any relevant training or accolades show the result of your endeavors and determination as a public health professional, so include them in your public health resume.

An impressive public health cover letter should include the following parts:

Now that you have read everything you need to know, let us sum up the important aspects in writing a public health resume:

A public health resume is composed of many important sections. Since the space is limited, choose wisely on what to include in you public health resume.

Furthermore, make sure you check your resume & cover letter thoroughly. If you still have no idea where to start, consider using public health resume templates available online to give you a better idea, especially for those who are making a resume for the first job.