Resume Advice for Non-Trad Switching Careers?

[CareerSwitcheroo]

Hi all - I'll be applying to PT school this fall and would like to start preparing my application soon. With that said, I'm looking for some tips on how to prepare my resume in such a way that highlights my career and gives me a competitive edge, despite my work being totally unrelated to PT. I've been an IT consultant for about 7 years now, made it through the management track, and have good experience to show my professionalism, leadership, etc.

The admissions committee probably won't care about the specifics of my previous work in IT - in fact, it might bore them or go over their heads a bit. Do I need to go as far as describing my duties for every job I've had, or should I provide a short summary for each? At the moment I also have technical skills in there - should I even leave that in? Is there any way to tie in the observation/volunteering experience I've accumulated?

Thanks in advance for any pointers you can give!

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[jblil]

I'm also a non-trad who switched to PT, from engineering + software. Do you have to submit a resume with your applications? Usually you can use the personal statement to describe your past experience.
You may want to peruse this thread: For Non-Trads: Things I Wished I Knew

 

[CareerSwitcheroo]

I'm also a non-trad who switched to PT, from engineering + software. Do you have to submit a resume with your applications? Usually you can use the personal statement to describe your past experience.
You may want to peruse this thread: For Non-Trads: Things I Wished I Knew

Thanks! Yeah, it's required for U. of St. Augustine. Anyway, I'm in this lousy situation of having to make up for my atrocious undergrad cGPA so I'd probably submit one even if I didn't have to. I'm wondering if I should focus more on speaking to my experience or speaking to the reason I did so poorly in undergrad (or both).

P.S. I've read your thread before - awesome stuff

 

[jblil]

I think you should focus more on your recent experience, and on what you can bring to the table as someone who has worked in different fields. One or two sentences about your undergrad time should be fine, there is no point in dwelling about it since it can't be changed. Talking too much about it may convey the impression that you're trying to find excuses for the grades.

As a non-trad to another: many of the folks I currently work with have never seen or used an Excel pivot table before. I was showing them how to use that feature to get data out of a big spreadsheet, and they were absolutely amazed... Our non-PT skills will come in very handy, believe me.

 

[jk2020]

Hi all - I'll be applying to PT school this fall and would like to start preparing my application soon. With that said, I'm looking for some tips on how to prepare my resume in such a way that highlights my career and gives me a competitive edge, despite my work being totally unrelated to PT. I've been an IT consultant for about 7 years now, made it through the management track, and have good experience to show my professionalism, leadership, etc.

The admissions committee probably won't care about the specifics of my previous work in IT - in fact, it might bore them or go over their heads a bit. Do I need to go as far as describing my duties for every job I've had, or should I provide a short summary for each? At the moment I also have technical skills in there - should I even leave that in? Is there any way to tie in the observation/volunteering experience I've accumulated?

Thanks in advance for any pointers you can give!

Firstly, good luck!!

I am a non-trad switching from Civil Engineering. When I wrote up my resume, instead of focusing on the specifics of my CivE jobs, I picked out a few of my proudest moments to highlight and descriptions of my job that would carry over into any working environment. (Example: Coordinated with team of 16 engineers in a dynamic environment to align grade establishment, water and sewer, and storm drain and paving plans for a new residential development - shows team work, ability to see large systems, etc while also giving brief description of my job.) I left out my technical skills and made an entire section for Physical Therapy Observation hours. I just listed the locations and type of experience (Inpatient, Outpatient, Ortho, Geriatrics, etc).

Once you get into the thick of application/interview season, you will see that your non-trad background will be a huge advantage for you.

 

[CareerSwitcheroo]

Firstly, good luck!!

I am a non-trad switching from Civil Engineering. When I wrote up my resume, instead of focusing on the specifics of my CivE jobs, I picked out a few of my proudest moments to highlight and descriptions of my job that would carry over into any working environment. (Example: Coordinated with team of 16 engineers in a dynamic environment to align grade establishment, water and sewer, and storm drain and paving plans for a new residential development - shows team work, ability to see large systems, etc while also giving brief description of my job.) I left out my technical skills and made an entire section for Physical Therapy Observation hours. I just listed the locations and type of experience (Inpatient, Outpatient, Ortho, Geriatrics, etc).

Once you get into the thick of application/interview season, you will see that your non-trad background will be a huge advantage for you.

Thanks so much - that's great advice and I will definitely keep it in mind. Out of curiosity, did you have any sort of volunteer experience that you listed on there?

 

[jk2020]

Thanks so much - that's great advice and I will definitely keep it in mind. Out of curiosity, did you have any sort of volunteer experience that you listed on there?

Yep. The sections on my resume were work experience, education, observation hours, and volunteer work. Basically, I tried to put the "greatest hits" from what PTCAS asked of me onto my resume.

 

[scrawnyguy]

I worked in logistics for years before making the switch so none of my experience was directly applicable. I did my best to play up my leadership experience as well as the problem solving skills I used in my old job.