Dietitian Resume: Examples & Tips (Registered + Entry-Level)

Let’s face it—the food and nutrition industry sees a lot of turnover. It’s one of the few that apply to virtually everybody. Who doesn’t want to live longer and healthier?

So, having a dietitian resume that doesn’t score as much as it should is definitely a downer. Especially since some reports predict up to a 15% industry growth from 2016 to 2026.

Whether you’re applying for a position in a fitness center chain, a health clinic, or an elderly home, we got you covered! Keep reading and you’ll see ways how to get results fast with your dietitian resume!

You’re about to learn:

• What to put on your dietitian resume to nearly guarantee yourself a job.
• Which skills you should put front and center to increase your chances.
• How to squeeze the most out of your education section on a dietitian resume.
• Ways to trim off the excess fat from your dietitian resume and achieve your career goals faster.

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Looking to put your skills to use elsewhere? We have guides for that, too! Check out the links below:

• Dietary Aide Resume Examples
• Health Coach Resume Examples
• Barber Resume Examples
• Restaurant Resume Examples
• Travel Nurse Resume Examples
• Yoga Teacher Resume Examples
• Food Service Resume Examples
• Chef Resume Examples
• Baker Resume Examples
• Fast Food Resume Examples
• Line Cook Resume Examples
• Nurse Practitioner Resume Examples
• Sous Chef Resume Examples
• Nursing Resume Examples
• Resume Examples for All Jobs

Dietitian Resume Example

Without further ado, this is how to make a resume for dietitians that gets interviews:

1. Pick the Right Format for Your Dietitian Resume

As a dietitian, your job is to prepare meal plans, and give reliable nutritional advice to people of all ages and levels of physical health. Therefore, you need to make sure your dietitian resume fits that bill and prominently displays your ability to give competent dieting advice.

But it can’t be an entire novel.

Recruiters are the type of people who hop on fad diets—they won’t bother sticking with your application if it doesn’t deliver results fast. Here’s a few pointers to help you get noticed:

• Start off by placing a resume header at the top.
• Pick the reverse-chronological format for your dietitian resume. With it, your most recent job functions as the centerpiece to get the recruiter’s attention.
• Only ever use fonts that are clear and effortless to read, like good ole’ Helvetica.
• Speaking of formatting, be generous with the white space to keep things easy on the eyes.
• Structure your resume concisely and coherently. Divide things like your work experience, education, skills and achievements into their own categories.
• If you’re using a free resume template, make sure it is ATS-compliant (the ones downloadable with that link are).

Lastly, you want to remember to save your registered dietitian resume as PDF. That way, all of the work you put into the formatting will be preserved.

Pro Tip: Put your resume on a diet and keep it trimmed down to just a page. Use a two-page resume only if you’re as experienced as Susan Powter.

2. Write a Dietitian Resume Objective or Resume Summary

A great registered or clinical dietitian resume stands on its own two feet as the shining testimony of your employability.

But it won’t get there unless you put plenty of thought and planning into it, just like a meal plan. Part of that is choosing the right resume profile. 

If you’re an experienced food specialist, prepare a resume summary and include the following:

• State your years of professional experience.
• Whet their appetite with a goal you’re hoping to achieve should they hire you.
• Next, prove you’re capable of reaching that goal by showing off your major accomplishments.

And when you’re still waiting for your first shot in the industry or are en entry-level dietitian, write a resume objective placing more stress on your transferrable skills your potential employer could appreciate by.

Pro Tip: Never be afraid to mention hard numbers in your resume intro. “Adhered to 30+ complex patients’ dietary requirements” sounds way better than “Organized meal plans”.

3. Describe Your Previous Dietitian Work Experience

Imagine you’re preparing a detailed meal plan for a client. Each recommendation is written down as a bullet point.

Now swap “detailed meal plan” for “work experience” and “client” for “recruiter”—it’s largely the same. Think of the list below as the macronutrients of writing a resume job description:

• Supplement each position with your job title, the company name and the time you worked there.
• Sprinkle in some more relevant numbers. They reflect the tangible effects of your hard work.
• Never, ever resort to copy-pasting your work experience each time you apply for a position. Instead, tailor your resume to the job. If they call for a “nutritional expert”, say you’re that. The ad says “dietary consultant”? Then that’s you!
• Include action words such as improved, collaborated, directed. Everybody likes a go-getter.

Read more: How Far Back Should a Resume Go (How Many Years to List) 

4. Get the Most Out of Your Dietitian Resume Education Section

This is where a lot of registered dietitian resumes fall short. For your application, that only spells one thing:

The garbage can.

Here’s some writing tips to prevent that:

• If you have plenty of work experience, restrict yourself to listing only your alma mater, its location, how long you studied there, and degree information (like major and minor).
• Are you a newcomer in the industry or writing an entry-level resume? Enhance your education section by listing relevant achievements, extracurricular activities, and the like. It may seem like helping out in the cafeteria or joining the wellness club isn’t worth much, but every bit helps!

Read more: Writing About Education on Your Resume

5. Amp Up Your Chances by Listing Skills 

Demonstrating your skills is crucial. But, just like with fats, carbs and protein—you need the right mix. Take a look at the list below just for reference: 

Skills to Put on a Dietitian Resume

• Food service
• Food preparation
• Meal planning
• Stocking and ordering
• Assessing nutritional needs
• Knowledge of medical software
• Preparing medical reports

• Communication skills
• Customer service skills
• Time management
• Organizational skills
• Active listening
• Monitoring
• Complex problem solving

Remember: Don’t copy-paste these skills onto your resume. Check what the job ad requires. Plus, if they ask for teamwork, don’t write “team player”. It will be harder for your resume to pass the ATS scan.

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 Dietitian Resume

Recruiters love resourceful people. Don’t fall into the trap of ignoring your miscellaneous achievements. They could be exactly what ends up scoring you the big bucks.

“Other” doesn’t mean “useless”. So—

Remember to include things like for an eye-catching resume:

• certificates on resume
• special projects
• achievements
• foreign languages 
• list of hobbies and personal interests
• volunteering

Pro Tip: Should you list references on your resume? No, it’s a waste of space. Recruiters know they can expect them, anyway. 

7. Include a Cover Letter With Your Dietitian Resume

Cover letters sure are a buzzkill. But they also get results. Around half of recruiters won’t as much as glance at a cover letter-less resume.

Which on the flip side means writing a cover letter raises your chances by a lot.

Use the following tips to sell yourself in a cover letter:

• Pick a visually appealingcover letter format that’s easy on the eyes.
• Get your reader hooked by writing a promising and clever introduction.
• Demonstrate how the company would be doing themselves a favor by hiring you, and state examples of what you bring to the table.
• Finish off not by being needy, but by confidently stating how you know you’re the right person for the job.

Read more: Cover Letter Tips and Advice

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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All done!

A quick and easy fix for writing a fantastic dietitian resume your doctor won’t hate you for!

Got anything to add? Did we not include any other healthy writing tips? Leave your suggestions and personal experiences in the comments below, we’d love to hear them!