How to Write a Stand-Out Speech-Language Pathologist Resume

Whether you’re just starting your career as a speech-language pathologist or are looking for your next role, standing out to job recruiters in a competitive job market can be a difficult task—especially without a stellar resume.

In this guide we’ll take a look at everything you should include on your SLP resume, including skills, relevant experience, and certifications, to help set you apart from other candidates when applying to SLP jobs.

SLP Resume Outline

While it’s important to make sure your resume feels unique to you and your experiences, there are certain key sections every SLP resume should include. Here are several components you should always have on your SLP resume:

• Objective Statement
  Your resume should include a clear and well-defined objective statement—a short description that tells the hiring manager the goal of your resume. Ideally, your objective statement should be tailored to the individual job to which you are applying.
  
• Skills
  Your skills are the component that can set you apart from other candidates. This tells hiring managers what you’re capable of doing, ensuring you are a good match for a position. You should include a mix of both hard and soft skills. Hard skills include duties that are specific to being an SLP, such as creating individual education plans (IEPs). Soft skills are general skills, such as teamwork or leadership, that are transferable to different jobs, regardless of industry.
  
• Relevant Experience
  Beginning with your most recent position, list your professional experience chronologically, along with the start and end dates. Include bullet-pointed lists of duties performed in each position that clearly explain your role while making it easy for hiring managers to read.
  
• Certifications
  This section of your resume should include all relevant certifications or other credentials that you’ve received. This is especially important when applying for specialist positions that require certain skill sets or training.
  
• Education
  List your educational background, including your college degree, major, and the dates you were enrolled in school. You should also include any advanced degrees, such as a master’s degree or doctorate, that can set you apart from other candidates.

SLP Resume Objective Statement

Your objective statement should be concise and tailored to the job to which you are applying. It should highlight your qualifications, skills, and career goals, giving the hiring manager a sense of who you are. An example of an objective statement for an SLP resume would be:

Objective: Compassionate and results-driven Speech-Language Pathologist with over [X] years of experience providing comprehensive speech, language, and communication interventions for diverse populations. Seeking to leverage expertise in patient-centered therapy, assessment, and evidence-based practice to improve communication outcomes at [Name of institution to which you are applying].

Ultimately, you should try to highlight your key characteristics, which will be explained further down the page.

SLP Resume Skills

The skills section of your resume is one of the most important, as this tells recruiters and hiring managers whether or not you’re suitable for a role. Additionally, many hiring managers sort through resumes using software that looks for keywords based on the position that needs to be filled. Without these keywords present on your resume, you could be overlooked.

Some hard and soft skills that successful SLPs possess include:

Hard Skills Examples

• Speech and language therapy techniques: Proficiency in methods like articulation, fluency, voice therapy, and language intervention.
• Assessment and diagnosis: Expertise in evaluating speech, language, cognitive communication, and swallowing disorders using standardized tools.
• Charting and documentation: Strong skills in maintaining accurate patient records, progress notes, and treatment plans.
• Teletherapy Skills: Proficiency in providing virtual therapy using online platforms and tools.

Soft Skills Examples

• Compassion and empathy: Ability to understand and be sensitive to the emotional and psychological needs of patients and their families.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills for interacting with patients, families, and other healthcare providers.
• Patience: Ability to stay calm and provide continuous support, especially with patients who may progress slowly.
• Collaboration and teamwork: Ability to work alongside other healthcare professionals, such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, and educators, in multidisciplinary teams.

These are just a handful of the types of skills that can help your resume stand out. The key is to identify your specific skill sets to demonstrate to hiring managers what your individual strengths are.

SLP Resume Certifications

While relevant experience and skills are integral to any SLP resume, you also need to make sure you possess all required certifications for the job to which you are applying. Keep in mind that some states have different requirements, so it is important to know what the requirements are where you live.

Requirements you should have on your resume include:

• Master’s degree: A master’s degree is a common minimum requirement to be considered for SLP roles.
• Relevant licensure: Which licenses you need depends on the state in which you live, but typically, you will need, in addition to your master’s degree, a license and supervised clinical hours.
• CCC-SLP: The Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology is similar to a license (and can count as a license in certain states). However, it includes continuing education.
• Teaching credentials: If you are looking for school-based SLP roles, you may be required to obtain a specialized teaching credential.
• Specialty certifications: If you are applying for a specialist role or have obtained certification in areas like child language or fluency, these can help you stand out from other candidates.
• Board-certified specialist: Candidates who achieve board certification are often considered over those who haven’t.

Applying to SLP Jobs

Once you’ve created your stand-out resume, you can begin applying to SLP jobs with a new sense of confidence. If you’re looking for telehealth SLP jobs, we have a wide selection of roles all over the country. Explore our SLP jobs today to find options that meet your needs and get started on the next step in your SLP career.