
50+ Best Job Interview Tips & Tricks That Get Jobs
The best job interview tips to turn any interview into a success. Last minutes before the meeting? Preparing well in advance? We've got it all.
You help people overcome their biggest hurdles and become their best selves. But the school or clinic won’t know that. Show them with this professional psychology resume sample.
You need a psychology resume sample that stops the job search silence. Why? Because getting a good psychologist position is Harvard-level hard. There are 181,700 psychology jobs in the US. But most are filled. Plus—you’re up against 6,000 new psychology PhD graduates each year. That’s daunting!
Also, you want a psychologist job you’ll fall in love with. You want a boss who hires good people, then lets them work. And while we’re at it, can you have flex time, high pay, and fun research? That’s the goal. But to get your phone to ring, you’ll need a psychologist resume worthy of Dan Ariely.
You’re about to see a psychology resume example you can change to fit any psychology position. You’ll also get simple steps to write a resume for psychologist jobs that’ll bring down 10x more interviews than any other.
Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.
Sample psychology resume—See more templates and create your resume here.
Not quite ready for a psychologist resume? See these guides:
Tim Handalss
Clinical Psychologist
210-654-5999
timhandalss@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/timhandalss
twitter.com/timhandalss
Licensed Clinical Psychologist with 3 years of experience counseling at-risk students. Seeking to improve patient care at Pediatric Psychological Services. At LCISD, developed mentoring program linking 30+ students per year with career professionals.
License
Board Certified Clinical Psychologist, State of Texas
Experience
School Psychologist
Lamar County Independent School District
January 2017–February 2020
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievement:
Summer Camp Counselor
Hanover Recreation Center
May 2016–September 2016
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Men’s Basketball Coach
YMCA Atlanta
June 2013 to April 2016
Education
PhD in Psychology
Harvard University
2012–2016
BS in Psychology
Emory University
2008–2012
Skills
Volunteer, YMCA
Lamar County Volunteer Youth Advocate
Now let’s break down that credible psychology resume sample, step-by-step.
Format matters in a psychology resume. Why? In Blink, Malcolm Gladwell explored the power of instantaneous evaluations. That same power can work for OR against you in your resume. With the right formatting choices and layout, your winning moments will shortcut into the employer’s hippocampus.
So—
Here’s how to format a psychologist resume template:
Here are the key parts of a resume to use:
Not feeling the chronological resume format? See our guide: How to Pick the Best Resume Format
Adding experience to a psychology resume is a key step in developing your job search. So many do it wrong, with a job description that stops at their duties. You don’t want to do that if your goal is to get hired. The best plan? Customize your psychologist resume with things you did that moved the needle.
See these school psychology resume samples:
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Experience
School Psychologist Lamar County Independent School District January 2017–February 2020 Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievement:
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Wrong |
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School Psychologist Lamar County Independent School District
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What a difference! Yet this is the same psychologist in both cases. It’s just that in one example, she described her job duties. In the other, she added how well she succeeded. You can’t do that without numbers, so add them to almost every bullet point.
To list work history in an entry-level psychologist resume, add achievements from non-psychologist jobs. The trick? Pair them with the duties and job requirements from the job ad. So if one of the job duties is coaching and you’ve done that in a summer job, show it proudly in your work experience.
See these entry-level psychology resume examples:
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Men’s Basketball Coach YMCA Atlanta June 2013 to April 2016
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Wrong |
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Men’s Basketball Coach YMCA Atlanta
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That first undergraduate psychology resume sample is Aaron-Beck-level. It shows skills in training, program development, and coaching. Yet this candidate has never been a psychologist. But look example #2. It’s the same job applicant, but she tells the wrong story about her coaching gig.
Pro Tip: There are 6,000+ new psychology doctorates each year. That’s a lot of competition. But only 50 are in developmental psychology, and 110 in experimental psych. The biggest field? Clinical psychology, with 2,480 new grads annually.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
Don’t sedate the hiring manager with so-so words. See our guide: 240 Resume Action Words & Power Words to Make Your Resume Shine
There are two ways to list education in a resume for psychology jobs. One way shows your PhD, your BS, the school names, and start and end dates. That’s fine. But nobody hires “fine.” They want the best applicant, and that means adding school accomplishments that prove Yale-worthy skills.
The next of our psychology resume examples shows how:
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Education PhD in Psychology Harvard University 2012–2016
BS in Psychology Emory University 2008–2012 |
That’s a resume degree listing Lisa Feldman Barrett would be proud of. But what if you graduated Infima Cum Nulla? In that case, just find a different educational success. The key is to find one that makes the hiring manager slow her roll and start to notice you.
Pro Tip: Did you graduate before B.F. Skinner? In that case, don’t sweat the accomplishments. Make your education short, and save the resume space for your work history.
Want your psychology research assistant resume education section to break through? See our guide: How to Put Your Education on a Resume
Adding psychology skills to a resume is tricky. Any psychologist can copy-paste a list of skills. But that won’t impress the hiring manager for that job with great co-workers. The key? Learn what skills the job actually wants. Then do the head-scratching to figure out if you can prove you have them.
Here’s a starter list of skills for psychology resumes:
But any of those might make the director shrug.
Here’s how to choose the right psychology skills:
The next psychology resume example does it right:
Say the job wants clinical services, developmental psychology, and evaluation.
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See that?
You must prove your psychology skills with real-world successes. That’s where interviews come from.
Pro Tip: You won’t always see all the right skills in the online posting. You may have to do a couple quick informational interviews on LinkedIn or by phone.
Looking for more skills for your psychologist resume? See our guide: +30 Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume
What sections belong in a psychology resume? Well—some new hires are just punching the clock, and others have bandwidth to spare. The employer desperately wants personality type #2. Show you’re in the ISTJ-zone by adding a few non-work achievements to your resume for psychology jobs.
Choose from:
This isn’t really a “bonus,” since your resume for psychology jobs won’t float without it. But aside from your state license, do you have a cert that fits the job? Here are a few that work:
Pro bono psychology work is the cream of the crop. But even helping with blood drives or bringing meals to the disadvantaged can show you don’t just crush microbrews when you’re off the clock.
Spanish, French, Chinese, and other languages can get a psychologist resume noticed. The trick? Note whether the clinic or school has clientele or students who speak your second language too.
Speaking at conferences—on panels or as a lecturer—shows Stanford-level dedication. Even just attending AMEPA or ISPA proves you dig into your work.
Have you received educational honors or awards? Did you land a Troland Research Award? List them on your psychology resume in their own section.
If you’ve published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, Psychological Medicine, or other publications, say so. Citations are especially important for academic and research jobs.
See these psychologist resume samples:
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Volunteer, YMCA
Lamar County Volunteer Youth Advocate
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Wrong |
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We’re in good shape with that first example. Those two volunteer positions show valuable psychology skills.
Pro Tip: How long should you make a resume for psychologist jobs? Make it two pages or longer if you’ve got lots of Aaron-Beck-style achievements from work or school. If not, don’t be ashamed to send a one-page resume.
Even hobbies work in a too-short psychology student resume. See our guide: List of Hobbies & Interests for a Resume or CV
A psychology resume summary or resume objective is the icing on your job search cake. It’s where you give the bored, hurried hiring manager a reason to keep reading. It’s your resume in micro, and it includes your job title, years of experience, and other info.
But should you write a psychologist resume objective or a resume summary? And what’s the difference? Career coaches used to say to write an objective if you were inexperienced. You were supposed to put your personal career goals in it. That’s not true any more.
Here’s how to write a resume summary or objective:
These two career summary examples show the plan:
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Licensed Clinical Psychologist with 3 years of experience counseling at-risk students. Seeking to improve patient care at Pediatric Psychological Services. At LCISD, developed mentoring program linking 30+ students per year with career professionals. |
Wrong |
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Hard-working, compassionate psychologist, skilled in evaluation, assessment, therapy, and coaching. A behavioral psychology expert who specializes in developmental and school psychology. A team player who guides young minds to meet personal goals. |
The difference should be obvious! That first school psychology resume sample is classic. It tells the hiring manager you’re licensed. You’ve got three years of experience with students. You’ve had some real successes. But that second one falls flat. It’s just a list of skills. You won't make an eye-catching resume without showing proof.
But what if you need an undergraduate psychology resume? Use the same approach. The key point is—you won’t have that golden clinical experience. But you will have school accomplishments from your doctorate and achievements from jobs you had while getting your degree. Use those! These entry-level psychologist resume examples show how:
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Licensed psychologist skilled in student counseling and psychotherapy. Seeking to improve quality of care at Life and Wellness Strategies, Inc. Graduated Summa Cum Laude with a PhD in Psychology from Harvard. As youth advocate volunteer, trained 30+ teachers in anti-bullying initiatives. |
Wrong |
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Entry-level psychologist skilled in psychotherapy and student counseling. An exceptional communicator, adept in evidence-based therapy and behavior modification techniques. Can train students and teachers in best practices. Knowledgeable in anti-bullying methods. |
Assessment? The first of those career objective examples stands out. It has that magic word “licensed.” It says what you want to do and who for. It lists your biggest educational success. It shows real-world work history—even if it’s not as a psychologist. The other is an empty skills list.
Writing resume objectives doesn’t have to be hard. See our guide: How to Start a Resume
Do psychology resumes need cover letters? Absolutely. You may have heard that most hiring managers don’t read those letters. But according to 2021 HR statistics, over 40% require them. Unless you’re sure this manager won’t want one, write it. But don’t boilerplate it. Cookie-cutter cover letters get skipped. Yours needs passion.
Write your cover letter like this:
Pro Tip: Did you win the Early Graduate Student Research Award? Get a big compliment from a past employer? Big wins make great cover letter ice-breakers.
Want your psychology resume and cover letter to stand out? See our guides: How To Write A Cover Letter in 8 Simple Steps and How to Make a Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide
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:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Here’s a recap of how to write a psychology resume:
That’s it! Now, we’d love to hear from you: what’s the toughest part about writing your psychologist resume? Is it too hard to prove you can handle the job duties? Are you struggling with how to list your publications?
Let’s chat below in the comments, and thanks for reading!
The best job interview tips to turn any interview into a success. Last minutes before the meeting? Preparing well in advance? We've got it all.
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