Resume Guide

Whether you're transitioning from working in academia to another psychology-related field or this is your first foray into the workforce, you'll need a resume to start your job hunt in psychology.

With more than 115,000 graduates of psychology degrees per year – just accounting for bachelor's degrees awarded in the U.S. – you're probably wondering how to write a resume that sets you apart from other applicants. Read on to learn some valuable tips to impress recruiters and help your resume stand out.

What Should I Include on a Psychology Resume?

While academic and clinical psychology jobs often require a curriculum vitae (CV) to apply, other psychology-related roles may ask for a resume. CVs allow you to expand on your academic accomplishments and experiences, while resumes serve as a condensed version of your career.

When building your resume, you should include the following sections. Put the headers in bold or slightly large font, no larger than 14 point font, to differentiate them from the rest of the text:

• Experience
• Education
• Skills

You may also include the following optional sections if you have relevant experiences to list:

• Licensure and Certifications
• Awards and Accomplishments
• Volunteer Work
• Affiliations

Beneath each header, list your experiences in order of most recent to least recent (chronological order). Also, make sure to include the range of time you spent on each experience. Separating each listing with a bullet point makes the document easier for recruiters to read quickly.

What Should I Put on My Psychology Resume if I Don't Have Any Experience?

If you're a recent graduate or in the process of changing your career path, you might struggle to fill up space on your resume with relevant experience. But work history isn't the only factor recruiters consider when looking for candidates.

Here are some other items you can list to demonstrate your skills and interests:

Resume Writing Tips for Psychologists

When building out your resume, keep the following best practices in mind.

• Customizing Your Resume

  Customizing your resume for each job you apply for increases your chances of landing an interview. Altering your personal summary slightly to align more with the job can pique a recruiter's interest. This means emphasizing projects you've worked on and skills you have that relate to each job. You may also want to de-emphasize experiences that relate less to a job.

  For example, if the job requires experience with a specific software you have used, include a sentence or two in one of your job descriptions explaining how you used this software. If a job doesn't require use of this kind of software, you may want to save space for expanding on a different area that relates more closely to the job description.

• Highlighting Accomplishments

  You should include accomplishments that showcase your skills, especially those that relate directly to the job you're applying for, in descriptions of your previous roles. Sentences that include a metric or quantifiable piece of information are ideal. You should also start with an action verb.

  Here are two examples of how a candidate who works in industrial-organizational psychology might describe previous job experiences.

  Needs Improvement

  "I was in charge of improving employee satisfaction and the overall work environment. I also performed administrative duties, like answering phone calls and keeping the office organized."

  Better Example

  "Analyzed and optimized workflow data using MS Excel. Surveyed employees using Kazoo and consulted with human resources about my findings. Improved productivity by 18%, increased employee satisfaction by 20%, and reduced turnover by 15% in a six-month period."

  The first example gives a vague description of what the role entailed, but it doesn't provide any specifics or quantitative data. It also includes extra information that isn't relevant.

  The second example gives the reader a clearer idea of how the candidate spent their time in the role by using action verbs, such as "analyze," "optimize," "survey," and "consult." It also names some of the specific software tools used, which could be of interest to recruiters. And importantly, it demonstrates how the candidate impacted the organization in a quantifiable way.

• Making It Through an Applicant Tracking System

  Many human resources (HR) departments use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to organize and filter through job candidates.

  When writing your resume, remember that a software reader is often the first to see your resume – not a human. If your resume's layout is unintuitive – e.g., includes too many columns and graphics – it could confuse the ATS program and eliminate you as a candidate.

  ATS software also places importance on keywords. Some enable HR teams to favor candidates that use a primary keyword many times. For example, if an HR worker tells the ATS software to prioritize a keyword like "CBT" or "DBT," a resume that lists these keywords 2-3 times will rank higher than one that only includes it once.

  However, avoid "keyword stuffing," which describes overusing keywords in an obvious way. This could backfire and cause the software to rank you lower.

Common Mistakes Psychologists Make on Their Resumes

Below are the most common mistakes to avoid when writing a psychology resume.

Reviewed by:

Sarah Holliday, MS

Sarah Holliday has years of experience working with nontraditional and traditional-aged students in areas related to career coaching, training, and development. Holliday holds a BA in English from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and an MS in instructional design and technology rom Walden University. Holliday is currently working on her doctorate.

Sarah Holliday is a paid member of the Red Ventures Education freelance review network.

SOURCES

State, provincial, and territorial psychological association directory. (2022.)
• https://www.apa.org/about/apa/organizations/associations

Page last reviewed March 30, 2022