How-To Guide: Writing an Optometrist Resume

There are hundreds of templates available but templates don’t cut it and it certainly does not know your experiences as well as you do. 

It’s not enough that you’re good, you have to be able to let others know that you are to land that job you want and a great optometrist resume can help you with that.

How exactly do you write it? How should it be formatted? And what skills needs to find a spot on the resume? 

Let’s cover the basics.

The general rule of thumb for an optometrist resume

I doubt you’ll be reading a resume that has 15-20 pages. Other than the fact it’s too long, it just doesn’t help to highlight what needs to be emphasized. 

A resume only needs to have 1-2 pages. 

So, what are the must-haves on your resume?

First page

1. Contact Information: Include your full name, professional title (Optometrist), phone number, email address, and LinkedIn profile (if applicable). Make it easy for employers to reach out to you.
2. Professional Summary: Craft a compelling paragraph highlighting your expertise, years of experience, and key skills. This section serves as a snapshot of your qualifications and grabs the reader’s attention.
3. Licenses and Certifications: Include details about your optometry license, certifications, and any specialized training you have obtained. This demonstrates your commitment to professional development.
4. Work Experience: Provide a detailed overview of your work history in reverse chronological order. Include the name of each practice or organization, your job title, and the dates of employment. Describe your responsibilities, achievements, and notable contributions to each role.
5. Clinical Experience: Highlight your clinical experience, including any internships, externships, or residencies. Specify the name of the institution, location, and the duration of your training.
6. Skills: List your technical skills, such as clinical assessment, diagnostic techniques, treatment planning, patient care, record keeping, and proficiency in relevant software or equipment. Include both technical and soft skills that are crucial for optometry.

Second page,

1. Education: List your educational background, including your optometry degree, the name of the institution, and the year of completion. Mention any honors or relevant coursework that showcases your knowledge.
2. Research and Publications: If applicable, mention any research projects you have been involved in or publications you have contributed to. This demonstrates your commitment to advancing the field of optometry.
3. Professional Affiliations: Mention any memberships in professional organizations, such as the American Optometric Association (AOA) or state optometric associations. This shows your active involvement in the optometry community.
4. References: Optionally, include a list of professional references who can vouch for your skills and work ethic. Ensure you have obtained permission from each reference before including their contact information.

Now, how should you structure your resume?

Since we already know what should be included in an optometrist resume, the next question is how to structure it. What are the best practices you should keep in mind?

Structuring your optometrist resume effectively is crucial as it guarantees your resume is easy to read, skimmable and understandable. We don’t want to give employers a hard time understanding why you’re the right candidate. 

• Start with a clean and professional design. Choose a clean and easily readable font, such as Arial or Calibri, and use a font size between 10 and 12 points. 
• Maintain consistent spacing and formatting throughout the document, ensuring that it is visually appealing and easy to navigate.
• Use clear headings and subheadings: Organize your resume using clear and descriptive headings for each section, such as “Professional Summary,” “Education,” “Work Experience,” and so on.
• Place your compelling professional summary at the beginning of your resume, right after your contact information. Keep it concise and impactful, summarizing your key skills, experience, and achievements in a compelling manner.
• Review the overall structure and formatting to ensure consistency and clarity. Consider seeking feedback from a trusted colleague or mentor to get a fresh perspective and ensure your resume is polished and error-free.
• Use personal pronouns
• Download your resume as a PDF unless noted otherwise.

We have a format, next is highlighting which skills

Adding skills in your optometrist resume can be quite tricky since you won’t need just soft skills but also professional skills and clinical skills to write down. You only got a few space in page 1 to sell yourself as the “best” candidate. 

Here are top 15 optometrist skills to put on your resume:

1. Clinical Assessment
2. Patient Care
3. Diagnostic Techniques
4. Treatment Planning
5. Record Keeping
6. Communication
7. Refraction
8. Contact Lens Fitting
9. Ocular Disease Management
10. Low Vision Rehabilitation
11. Patient Education
12. Multidisciplinary Collaboration
13. Time Management
14. Problem Solving
15. Interpersonal Skills

Related Article: Top Skills to Look for in OD and MD Candidates for Your Practice

Lastly, don’t forget to use this checklist as a reference.  

To make sure you’ve created an effective and powerful optometrist resume, tick all the boxes and you’re good to go.

• Am I easily reachable by my employers e.g. Name, Address and Contact Number
• Have I included all my key skills and snapshot of my qualification in my professional summary for this job position?
• Did I show all the important qualifications needed for the job role I’m applying for?
• Is my work history in reverse chronological order with included responsibilities, achievements and notable contributions in each role?
• Do I need to include clinical experience in my resume, if yes. What clinical experiences align to the job ad’s description?
• What hard skills and soft skills are important to write in my first five? And what other skills can I add to support the current skills I’ve written?
• Did I make sure to include relevant coursework in my education? Will including this strengthen my value as a candidate?
• Do I really need to add research projects I’ve been involved in? Will this help employers decide why I am the better candidate?
• Should I mention active participation to any optometric associations? Does the role require me to be?
• Who are the people who can vouch for my skills and I can rely to represent me better as an employee?
• Lastly, did I make sure to tailor my resume depending on the job setting and industry? (e.g. clinically based, business oriented or retail oriented)
• Did I use proper headings, bold, italics or CAPS and spacing for my resume?
• Is my resume easy to read and skimmable?
• Am I repeating words or sentences? What sentences are not adding to my value as a candidate?

Get feedback on your Optometrist resume

If you’ve gotten your resume proofread by friends or a clinical mentor but still not yet confident, get it reviewed by our industry recruiters who know the ins and outs of the eye care space for free. 

Yes, you read that right. For free. Simply schedule a call with us.

Or better yet, try your odds and apply to 400+ job opportunities we have on our website.