Five tips to write your new graduate resume

As I approached graduation from my Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program, I wanted to begin writing my resume so that I could submit it to employers as soon as possible. As a student, I was unsure about what information to include and how to make my resume stand out. I spent hours editing to make sure it looked professional and polished, and I shared it with professors and peers for feedback. Eventually, I was even able to obtain feedback from employers!

Throughout the resume creation and evaluation process, I realized that this document is not only a reflection of one’s achievements but also of professionalism and passion for occupational therapy. I wanted my resume to provide employers with the best possible picture of myself. To do this, I began by researching “how to write a resume,” followed by “how to write a new Occupational Therapist (OT) graduate resume.” While those searches provided adequate information, I wanted more specifics and concrete examples. To bridge that gap, I am sharing with you my five tips on how to write a resume as a new graduate (with an example resume attached).

Use Clear, Simple, and Grammatically Correct Formatting

The most important tip and piece of advice I have learned when it comes to writing a resume is to keep the formatting simple and clear. Consider the following tips:

• Use black font on a white background with a size 10.5-12 (14-18 for heading), and Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman font style
• Remove any pictures of yourself
• Label each section
• Maintain chronological order of events (most recent to oldest or vice versa)
  • If my field work experiences are organized from most recent to oldest, then my extracurriculars, academic achievements, etc., should also be organized in the same manner.
• Double-check for spelling and grammatical errors
• Choose the present or past tense based on when the experience occurred
  • If you are currently in your capstone, every detail/bullet should be in the present tense. If you have completed your capstone, every detail should be in the past tense.

Above all, remain consistent with your formatting across all sections. Keeping this information in mind should make your resume easily readable to any employer!

Try Text Boxes Instead of Typing into Bullets

A good rule to live by is to keep your resume to only one page. One strategy I like to use to fit all my information onto one page is to type it into text boxes versus free typing in paragraphs/bullets. This method of organization means I did not have to sacrifice details or information that I wanted to share and made the presentation more visually appealing. That being said, it is important to remember that less is more. Don’t overload your text boxes simply because you can!

Write About Both Level II Experiences, and Capstone, Regardless of the Job Setting

In my first resume draft, I excluded my level IIB fieldwork because it was in a pediatric, school-based setting, and I knew I would only be applying to acute/inpatient positions. However, a professor of mine recommended including my pediatric experience on my resume despite the difference in setting/population. This is because an employer wants to know the extent of your experiences, especially as a new graduate, regardless of whether it directly applies to that setting or not.

Highlight the Unique Details of your Fieldwork and Capstone

It can be easy to get carried away with adding mundane or obvious details to your resume experiences. A piece of advice shared during my resume writing was to remove some of those details and add something unique. For example, an acute care OT knows that you completed chart reviews, documented patient care, managed lines and drains, etc. What they may not know is the project you created or presented to the staff, the type of electronic medical record system you utilized, or your assigned units and populations. Reflect on your experience and try to identify the details that made your fieldwork or capstone unique. Adding those pieces to your resume, in addition to the basic information, can make you stand out and allow you future opportunities to talk about something fun or exciting in your interview.

Identify a Variety of Professional References

This may seem like a no-brainer, but having a variety of professional references can help to round out your image and presentation. Choose your professional references strategically, ensure they are aware of their presence on your resume, and give them a heads up if an employer is planning to send a reference check. The four references listed on my resume are my program chair, capstone mentor, level IIA fieldwork clinical instructor, and the dean of students. Each of these professionals worked with me at the student level, but in varying capacities. I formed strong working relationships with all of them and felt more than comfortable reaching out when it came time to ask for a reference. Ultimately, these are individuals who believed in my abilities and shaped me into the practitioner I am today.

As I reflect on my summer 2025 job search and the months I spent refining my resume, I am proud to say that the hard work has paid off. My first OT position is exactly what I had hoped for and more. By applying these tips and learning from my experiences, I hope you can create a strong resume and land that dream OT job too!

Please refer to the redacted sample of my new graduate resume below to see these tips in action.

Mikenzie Hiler, OTD, OTR/L, currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the OT Student Pulse and works as an occupational therapist in the acute care setting. She completed her OTD in May 2025 from Carlow University in Pittsburgh, PA. Mikenzie enjoys reading books and spending time with family and friends.