Top Tips for a Cover Letter & Resume for Speech-Language Pathologists

Job hunting can be stressful. Searching for the right fit, writing applications, and submitting resumes and cover letters can get exhausting. And, you can easily feel like your hard work won’t be seen, lost in an endless sea of applicants.

Yet, there is hope! It’s possible to make your application stand out. Tailoring your cover letter and resume for speech-language pathologist positions can get your application seen and give you a leg up in your interview since you’ve already matched your skills and experience to the position. Whether you’re applying for your first job after graduation or it’s just been a while since you’ve been on the job hunt, these tips can help you craft a winning resume and cover letter for speech-language pathologist applications.

Better yet, find open job opportunities with Nyman Associates. If you live in Greater Philadelphia, the experts at Nyman Associates will do all the heavy lifting to match you with the ideal job opportunity.

The Basics: A Resume for Speech-Language Pathologist Positions

To start, here are some basic elements to keep in mind when writing (or re-writing) your resume for your job search.

Start your resume with a quick snapshot of who you are, writing a sentence or two about your experience and what you’re interested in. Follow this up with your contact information, then jump right into your skills. This section should be a bulleted list of abilities that directly connect with the position requirements. 

Next, add your last three to five work experiences, highlighting what you did in each position that connects with the role you’re applying for. If this is your first full-time position, include your volunteer or school work experience. Remember this is a resume for speech-language pathologist roles – only include experience that directly relates to this field. Finally, include your educational experience. This section should include your undergraduate and graduate degree and any additional professional development training. After listing your education, you can include any honors or awards you’ve received that are relevant to the speech-language pathologist field.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to fine-tune your resume for each speech-language pathologist position, targeting it for the specifics of that role by moving certain skills up or adjusting wording to match the job requirements.

The Basics: Cover Letters for Speech-Language Pathologist Positions

Cover letters are your space to shine. It’s your chance to explain your resume, matching your experiences to the position requirements, while also letting your personality come through. Your resume is more dry and focuses on what you’ve done in the past. Your cover letter for speech-language pathologist roles should focus on what’s ahead — what you see yourself doing at the organization and why you’re the best fit for the role. Talk about how the role matches your interests and show enthusiasm for the work. 

There are lots of opportunities out there, and you need to tailor your cover letter for each speech-language pathologist position. Adjust your tone based on the company’s or organization’s online presence (website and social media) and address their mission and goals directly in your writing. 

Specific Tips for A Resume and Cover Letterfor Speech-Language Pathologist Roles

After you’ve focused on the above general guidelines, you can infuse some specific language for a cover letter or resume for speech-language pathologist roles. Overall, you want to convey that you have the education and skills needed to execute your role as a Speech-Language Pathologist. Some specific skills to show off include:

• Interpersonal skills: Highlight your ability to work with others as you’ll work with professionals to create and enact treatment plans
• Analytical skills: Each patient or student requires a unique treatment plan and you need to analyze them to understand what they need.
• Communication: You’ll need to effectively convey treatment plans and progress to your patients or students, teachers or doctors, and parents or caregivers.
• Organizational skills: You need to keep a lot of documentation, including recording and sharing data on meeting benchmarks.
• Knowledge of Legal Restrictions: You must be aware of HIPPA regulations in medical settings and any other privacy restrictions related to sharing information, among other legal requirements (i.e. serving as a Mandatory Reporter in a school setting).
• Expertise in Administering Assessments: You need experience in administering various assessments including swallow evaluations, ethnographic interviewing, Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test, and Goldman-Fristoe Test of Articulation among others.

Get Started Today with Nyman Associates

If you’re still stuck on finding the right match or need help fine-tuning your resume as a speech-language pathologist, it may be time to get some help. The expert team at Nyman Associates hasbeen helping job seekers in Greater Philadelphia find their ideal job setting since 1978. Our candidates get the support they need to stay in their roles longer, feeling valued and fulfilled in their meaningful careers.

Get the support you need today. Contact us to get started!