Clinic Owner Thoughts on the Perfect Resume and Cover Letter December 2012 A focus group of 6 clinic owners reviewed a dozen CVs students submitted for critiquing. Here are their tips. Cover Letter The cover letter must be short and to the point. You need to introduce yourself and explain why you are applying, but it should not highlight everything on your resume. Review the prospective employer’s vision statement so that you can mirror them in your introduction. -‐ Keep it into one page. You want the employer interested/captivated throughout the cover letter. -‐ condense each attribute into one or two concise sentences. -‐ Some key attributes that we look for are: self-‐motivated, takes initiative, team player, etc. -‐ One of the most important things is to see that the applicant has researched my clinic and feels that he/she would be a good match for the clinic (ie; they share our values, commitments, treatment approach, etc). -‐ Include a short section to your knowledge of the workplace and your fit tailored it for each employer. -‐ Include involvement in activities/clubs during the program, but also include would what you’ve learned/gained from this involvement (in addition to time management) that would be attractive to an employer -‐ Make the last paragraph memorable; show the employer that you have put some thought into why you really want this particular position (ie; passionate/excited about our clinic’s vision, approach, etc). Be honest – you want to show your personality to the employer knows you are a potential “fit” but you also want to be sure they are a fit for you. Resume -‐ Include profile section, such as this example which makes you stand out in any way you can A current Masters of Science student of the University of British Columbia (graduating in October 2012) with over one year in clinical practice and over seven years of volunteering in healthcare and therapy-‐related positions. An energetic team player with proven time management, interpersonal, leadership, and problem-‐solving skills. Fluent in English and Cantonese with conversational Mandarin
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Condense the education section so that each degree just takes one line. We don’t need too many details about this.
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Under each clinical work experience be sure to cite what skills you’ve gained as opposed to just the populations you’ve worked with or the duties you’ve had.
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Include a continuing education section to show that you are highly motivated professionally (e.g. PABC lectures and courses during student years)
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Include your volunteer involvement – it shows that you take the time and initiative to get connected to the physio community and to potential clients, while honing your new skills. But don’t list one-‐day events under separate points – put them all together to show a sustained involvement in a particular type of activity. Better yet is to have one long-‐term volunteer involvement
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We look for CPA/PABC members; be sure to include that -‐ it tells us you are connected to your profession and have a commitment to keeping current in your practice
-‐ Include hobbies, passions and interests to convey your values and personality Sample attached Strengths: -‐ Their favorite in terms of layout and organization (liked the touch of colour too) -‐ A very strong resume overall and definitely held their attention Weaknesses -‐ Should include a profile section at the beginning to highlight her unique attributes and experience (drawing together her pilates, dance and kinesiology experiences-‐ these are things that will help her stand out above other new grads) -‐ Should change the point under each clinical education section so that it is more oriented towards what she learned or what skills she gained