Unemployment figures affect everyone, but even more so for careers that produce a large number of graduates every year. This is the case in the world of psychology which although it has many professional opportunities that are increasingly varied, it is not particularly easy when it comes to generating the jobs necessary to absorb graduates.
Furthermore, and although it may sound ironic, as much as psychology deals with the actions and ways of perceiving the world of human beings, people trained in this field They do not always know how to make their candidacy attractive to the recruiters of personal.
Fortunately, there are always ways to maximize our options to make our application stand out in the form of a paper or digital CV.
Some of these rules on how to make a resume are practically universal and work for any profession, while others are more specific. In fact, you can learn about the most general ones in this other article: “The 10 tips to improve your Curriculum Vitae.”
As for the tips for making a resume in the field of psychology these are the keys to keep in mind:
1. A clear and coherent structure
A resume cannot be simply accumulated information about oneself, even if that information is well filtered and is totally relevant to the purpose we have set for ourselves.
That is why its structure must be clear, showing the data of each type together and in its own section and creating hierarchies within each category, placing the most relevant information at the beginning.
Thus, the contact information should be all together and very close to the name, since these are the elements that allow us to identify and contact us, while the academic and work experience should be separated and go in reverse chronological order, of the most recent times to those most distant in time.
2. Includes the courses
Psychology is a very young discipline, and between that and the fact that there is a lot of research done annually in this field, Constant training is very necessary to avoid becoming outdated
When writing a resume to apply for a position in psychology or related fields, this means that there is no need to have any qualms about adding the courses and workshops that we have taken. They not only inform about our skills and knowledge, but also indicate the constant training philosophy we have. And yes, free courses are also welcome: many of them are of very good quality.
However, Should all these complementary courses be included in the CV? It depends, if they are few (less than 3, for example), we can put them in without problems. But if there are more, it is better that we filter and include only those that we believe are most related to the job for which one is applying, because a long list of workshops and courses can give the impression that one only wants to inflate one’s resume without further.
3. Choose what to prioritize: training or work experience
If the parts closest to the top of the CV do not convince the Human Resources staff or the recruitment technicians, it is very likely that they will not read further. That is why it is important to put what we highlight most at the beginning.
This, applied to the structure of a psychologist’s resume, means that when establishing the order in which work and academic experience appear, it is always We have to put first that section in which we shine the most
In the case of a student looking for an internship, for example, putting first the university training and the courses she has taken is a good option, since her working life in the field of work she opts for is probably very brief or directly null.
4. Indicate as soon as possible what we focus on
Psychology has many branches, and there is little relationship between some of them. Therefore, it is good to “sharpen” as much as possible the profile we want to give, eliminating ambiguities and making it clear from the beginning what we dedicate ourselves to or want to dedicate ourselves to.
To do this, first of all We must indicate whether we are dedicated to research or intervention about individuals or groups. This means that if in recent times we have collaborated with research even though we are primarily dedicated to psychotherapy, it is worth including that collaboration in a separate section located below our experience in the intervention.
Once this is done, we do the same with the field we have chosen, writing in a clearly visible place the specialization that we have carried out and placing mentions of specific collaborations that are not very representative of our career in a more discreet place than the rest of the functions performed, below them.
Almost all psychologists are clear that it is good (and sometimes essential) to include the name of the publications in which one has participated, whether they are magazine articles or books. However, it is not so common to take mentions into account.
This last point is important, because those people who have a small website or personal blog may be surprised that They have been mentioned in some digital and paper media using information we have published.
In fact, these situations are not uncommon: many journalists seek to base the topics discussed in their texts with the points of view of professionals in that field, and sometimes, instead of agreeing to interviews, they simply quote without warning.
6. Include a specific place for certain technical capabilities
There are certain technical skills that, although they are mentioned in the description of the workshops and jobs held, also deserve to appear in a place where they are highlighted. That’s what it’s good for create a module or differentiated section of work or professional experience and include them there.
For research positions, this text, in list format, must emphasize the data collection methods that are mastered, both qualitative and quantitative: structured, semi-structured or in-depth interviews, psychological tests, etc.
It is also necessary to mention skills related to data analysis: experience with statistical programs such as SPSS, mastery of programming languages ​​or programs such as R or ATLAS.ti, etc.
For positions related to intervention, you must also indicate the data collection methods with which you have experience, as well as the types of individual or group treatment or intervention with which you have worked.
