Public Health Resume Sample [+Objective & Skills]

So, you want to make the world (or at least your community) a healthier place. But how do you actually get a public health job? After all, you’re just one out of hundreds of candidates with similar qualifications. And given the fact that public health is so underrated and underfunded, good job openings tend to be scarce.

Do you need a vast network of people in the right places? Or maybe a PhD? Well, first of all, you need a public health resume that clearly sets you apart from everyone else and shows how valuable you are.

This guide will show you:

• A public health resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a public health resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a public health resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a public health officer to get any job you want.

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Need a more specific resume for public health jobs? See our other guides:

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• New Grad Nursing Resume
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• Charge Nurse Resume
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Public Health Resume Sample

Here’s how to write a public health resume that gets jobs:

1. Start With the Best Public Health Resume Format

Public Health Officers and educators develop policies and plans that ensure health and wellness in the populace. They identify and analyze public health issues and provide outreach to spread understanding. A public health resume should prove you have the skills to guide constituents toward well-being.

Your resume for public health jobs must distinguish you.

To do that, use the best format for a resume—the reverse chronological resume.

Why is that the best of the resume layouts? Because it shows who you are today.

Follow these steps:

• Use the best font size for resumes—that’s in the 10–12 point range.
• Write resume headers that stand out by making your name big and “Public Health Officer” (or educator or analyst) a bit smaller.
• The only address information in a resume that matters is your phone, social media, and email. Don’t sweat the street address, but add your city.
• Use the standard parts of a resume: experience and education. But add bonus sections (I’ll show how soon).
• How long should a resume be? One page is best unless you’re a leader in the field.

Pro Tip: What’s the best job resume format? PDF. It beats Word because PDF formatting stays locked. But obey the job posting if it insists on MS Word resumes.

2. Write a Public Health Resume Objective or Resume Summary

You’ve got to impress the director off the bat with your public health resume in order for it not to be thrown to the reject pile.

So—

Here’s how to write a resume profile that saves your bacon:

Got 2+ years’ experience in public health? Write a professional summary. Include:

• “Public health officer” (or public health nurse, analyst, or educator)
• Your years of experience
• One adjective like “passionate” or “hard-working”
• Two key skills
• Your two biggest moments in public health where you really had an effect.

Got less than 2 years of public health experience? Write a resume objective. It’s the same thing as a summary, with more focus on transferable skills.

Pro Tip: Your summary is a summing-up of your resume for public health positions. That means you can’t make it the first thing you do. Save this chore for last.

3. Customize Your Resume to the Public Health Job Description

You’ll get more interviews if—

You work on tailoring your resume for public health jobs.

Here’s how to add experience in a resume to prove you’re a fit:

• Add job titles to every past position, plus dates and company names.
• List public health accomplishments that prove your skills.
• Include measurements like, “12” or “25%” to show your human capital.

Pro Tip: Use public health resume phrases that generate interest, like worked, created, or developed.

4. Prep Your Public Health Resume Education Section

To stand out:

When showing college or high school education on a resume for public health jobs—

• List school name, dates, and degree.
• Add achievements that show qualities like leadership or critical thinking skills.
• For instance, if you did a public education project, mention it.

Pro Tip: Wondering how to write a resume with no experience? In an entry-level public health resume, stretch your education section into projects and sections with their own bullet points.

5. Show Public Health Skills in Your Resume

Show key skills in a resume for public health jobs.

Public Health Resume Skills

Technical Skills for Resumes:

• Developing and/or implementing wellness programs
• Public health education
• Working with at-risk populations
• PowerPoint
• Computer skills
• Monitoring public health programs
• Working with policymakers
• Collaborating with health service providers
• Public health knowledge
• Mathematics
• Handling public health crises
• Providing care
• Infectious disease knowledge
• Infection control

Soft Skills:

• Interpersonal skills
• Leadership
• Organization
• Networking
• Critical thinking
• Self confidence
• Time management
• Adaptability
• Problem solving
• Stamina
• Active listening
• Written and oral communication
• Perceptiveness
• Collaboration
• Detail-oriented
• Nursing skills

What are technical skills? They’re the specific abilities you need to do the job. Soft skills are transferable to all jobs.

But—

Don’t list every technical skill in the book. A public health resume should give preference to the ones in the job description.

Pro Tip: Want more help with listing soft skills in a resume for public health jobs? See our guide to the top 10 hard skills employers love.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add Other Sections to Your Public Health Resume

Convince them to hire you.

How?

With extra sections in your public health resume.

You can add:

• Resume volunteer experience
• Activities
• Associations like NBPHE
• Awards
• Honors
• Media appearances
• Conferences (esp. if you were a speaker)
• Publications
• Sports
• Hobbies and interests

If you have specialized public health credentials such as CPH, your certifications on a resume should go in their own section, below “Education.”

Pro Tip: Here’s how to put languages on a resume for public health jobs: If they’re vital to the role, put them in a special section. If not, list them as skills.

7. Send a Cover Letter With Your Public Health Resume

Should i write a cover letter for a public health resume?

Yes.

A public health cover letter can make all the difference.

Follow these tips for writing a cover letter that works:

• When formatting a cover letter, use the 3-paragraph approach.
• Great cover letter openings start with hooks. Tell about your best achievement (reached 3.5 million residents) or why you’re so passionate about the role.
• Use the middle to weld yourself to the job. Show your knowledge of the position, and achievements that prove you fit.
• When ending a cover letter, offer what they want. “I’d love to explain how I engaged with 7,000 people in each of 15 Twitter posts” works well.
• Most cover letters are two pages in length, but they should be half a page at most.

Send job application status emails in a few days, a week, and two weeks. Each one grants you another chance.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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That’s it!

That’s how to write a public health resume.

But—are you afraid your healthcare resume will hit a wall? What’s nagging you about your resume for public health jobs? Give us a shout in the comments. We’d love to talk!