A resume is a summary of your skills and employment background. A resume has one purpose and that is to get you a job interview. It is important to state only the facts in a resume. Creative job titles, dates, or experiences will not impress an employer. With the Internet, hiring personnel receive thousands of resumes and may take only ten to fifteen seconds to glance at one. Do not be too modest. Employers are looking for the skills and qualities that make an employee a good match for their massage therapist positions.

There are several types of resumes. Which resume type you use depends on your situation and needs. A chronological resume is good for experienced workers, but it is hard to use for a first-time job seeker who would be better served by a skill- and qualifications-based resume. Resumes may vary in presentation, but they all have some common elements. Employers need ways to contact you so you should provide your name, phone number, address, email, and alternative methods of contact if you are in the process of moving. Past work experiences should be given in short descriptions that highlight what you did for the employer or company. Accomplishments and affiliations should be listed as well. Your education, skills acquired, licenses, and certifications need to be listed.

Check with your massage therapy school training program if resume writing is provided as part of your school package. Resume writing and formats have changed since the coming of the Internet. If it has been some time since you have written a resume, researching at a local library or hiring a professional resume writer may be the route for you. If you write your own, be aware it has to be a good resume. Bad resumes do not get more than a two-second glance no matter how great the qualifications are. Good resumes have a consistent format, obvious titles and headings, and easy to find education and work experience. The resume should be appropriate to your situation. Good resumes have appropriate grammar, capitalization, and spelling. People who read thousands of resumes for a living will become distracted by a mistake and focus on that instead of your qualifications. It’s a good idea to find a resume sample in a book or on a website and use it as a guide when writing your own.

Once you have a good basic resume be prepared to tweak it for any job. Massage therapy is a broad field and occurs in a variety of environments. Different environments highlight different aspects of massage therapy. Read job descriptions carefully. Your resume should reflect the language of the job description.