Experienced and dedicated Pharmacist with experience and success in pharmaceutical services. Bringing forth a strong background in clinical pharmacology and medication management. Extensive knowledge of pharmacy operations, pharmacy management, and medications. Proven track record of proper customer advisement and an empathetic attitude towards customers. Superior technical and communication skills needed to excel in fast paced working environments.
10/2014 - 08/2019, Pharmacy Floater, Rite Aid, Danbury
- Worked on an as-needed basis, covering for absent pharmacists and assisting on heavy traffic work days.
- Treated patients with sensitivity and respect for their privacy.
- Filled and verified prescriptions.
- Counseled patients on product safety and administration.
- Collaborated with physicians to best support patients.
- Identified and reported any potential illegal or dangerous activity.
07/2012 - 09/2014, Pharmacist, CVS, New York
- Worked to promote an error free and productive Pharmacy department.
- Reviewed prescriptions and practiced safe quality assurance control for patients.
- Maintained computer records of dispensed medications.
- Provided accurate screenings to avoid health complications including allergic reactions, and negative medication interactions.
- Effectively counseled patients on medication use.
08/2012 - 08/2014, Master of Molecular Pharmacology , NYU, New York
- Graduated with Distinction
- Clinical rotations at St. Vincent's Medical Center.
08/2008 - 05/2012, Bachelor of Biology, St. John's University, New York
- Graduated magna cum laude.
- Pharmaceutical Operations
- Clinical Applications
- Patient Counseling
- Product Safety
- Team Management
- Excellent Customer Service Skills
A roadmap to writing a winning resume for professional pharmacists. Pharmacists have a huge responsibility — filling prescriptions for life-saving medication, guarding against adverse reactions, dispensing flu shots and other vaccinations, and advising patients on how to recover from illness and stay healthy. Pharmacists are also acutely aware that in their profession there’s virtually no room for error, as serious mistakes in pharmaceutical practices can be a matter of life and death.
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Good pharmacists are consummate professionals who go to great lengths to verify that the proper medication is being dispensed to the correct patient at the right dosage. They diligently inquire about drug allergies, other medicines the patient is taking, or any other indication that a patient could have a bad reaction to a prescribed medication. But tragically, 7,000 to 9,000 patients die every year in the United States alone as a result of medication errors, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. While 50% of these mistakes can be traced to the doctor who prescribed the drug, these errors can also result from a simple mistake in spelling a patient’s name, or from confusing medications with similar names.
Even a dropped hyphen can be a critical error. Consider the difference between a medication label that says “Take 2-3 caplets per day” and one that says “Take 23 caplets per day.” Source. As a pharmacist, you must have a perfectionist’s attention to detail. The Hippocratic oath says “First, do no harm” — and this is not a bad starting principle for anyone in the medical field who is crafting a resume. One of the most common and devastating resume errors in all fields is making simple mistakes in spelling or grammar. A 2018 survey by the Harris Poll of more than 1,100 hiring managers found that typos and bad grammar were by far the top reason for rejecting job applicants — accounting for 77% of deal-breaking resume mistakes. Source.
At best, your resume is a showcase of your unfailing eye for accuracy. At worst, it’s an instant disqualifier. And there are few second chances. Never fear, however, as our field-tested templates and resume builder, along with this expert guide, will take you to the next level of resume creation. The goals here are: to arm you with knowledge on the industry and recruitment practices, help you avoid hidden pitfalls (both basic and complex) and provide tools to stay ahead of the competition in a busy job market.
Recruiters often spend just a few seconds glancing at a resume, looking for critical job qualifications. These include employment history, education and licensing, and special skills relevant to the job, all of which we will discuss below. Here’s some of what we’ll cover in this guide:
- Explain how to build a perfect resume that highlights your experience and education in the best light possible
- Offer a step-by-step guide to showcasing the background and skills that make you the right candidate for the job
- Tell you how to pass the tests of the automated computer systems that can reject your resume before a human being even looks at it.
Take 15 minutes to read this guide, plug your own information into one of our HR-tested templates, and you’ll have a big advantage over a great many candidates for a limited number of jobs.
Know your job market
For various reasons, the number of pharmacist jobs in the U.S. is expected to remain virtually unchanged between 2018 and 2028, at just over 314,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The good news is that demand for pharmacists at hospitals and medical clinics is expected to increase. As the baby boomer generation ages, chronic disease is expected to rise, and along with it the demand for prescription medicines to treat it. Medical clinics and hospitals will need more pharmacists to meet this demand and to assist in patient care, for example by testing blood sugar and cholesterol. Also, advances in medicine will continue to introduce new drugs to the market, creating a need for specialists who understand the applications and limitations of these drugs.
Top employers of pharmacists, according to the BLS:
- Pharmacies and drug stores: 43%
- Hospitals; state, local and private: 26%
- Food and beverage stores: 8%
- General merchandise stores: 6%
However, employment at independent retail pharmacies is expected to decline as more people obtain medicines online or by mail order. Also, more tasks once performed by pharmacists will be entrusted to pharmacy technicians, who are less educated and lower-paid. Learn more about pharmacy technicians at this resume guide from resume.io.
Pharmacists are responsible for ensuring that patients receive the right medication, with no foreseeable adverse reactions, and they often speak directly to prescribing doctors. But technicians who assist pharmacists perform a growing number of administrative tasks in a pharmacy — collecting patient information, processing payments, packaging and labeling prescriptions, keeping track of inventory, etc. Source. Finally, the number of pharmacy schools is on the rise, creating more grads competing for jobs. Source. Some of the job opportunities for pharmacists include the following:
- Community pharmacists work at independent pharmacies or drug-store chains, interacting with the public to fill prescriptions and advise patients.
- Clinical pharmacists work in hospitals or clinics and are more involved in direct patient care — sometimes making rounds with doctors and providing pharmaceutical solution to medical issues.
- Consultant pharmacists provide expert advice to health facilities, insurers and patients on pharmaceutical solutions.
- Pharmaceutical industry pharmacists work in R&D, clinical drug trials, quality control, and sales and marketing.
Varying salaries
U.S. pharmacists earned a median wage of $126,120 in 2018, meaning half of all pharmacists earned less and half earned more. The lowest-paid 10% made under $87,790 and the highest-paid 10% earned over $161,250. Source.
Earning power is not as high, however, in many other countries. According to 2015 data cited by pharmacytimes.com, average pharmacist salaries ranged from $44,800 in Germany to $83,600 in Switzerland (with the United Kingdom and Canada in between), while the U.S. had average pharmacist salaries between $107,000 and $118,000.
These were the median annual wages for U.S. pharmacists in top industries in 2018, according to the BLS:
- General merchandise stores: $131,460
- Food and beverage stores: $130,140
- Hospitals; state, local and private: $127,330
- Pharmacies and drug stores: $124,760
To beat the odds in this job market, pharmacists with more advanced degrees and special certifications will have a leg up. We’ll get to that below. For now, suffice it to say that candidates for pharmacist jobs cannot afford to make mistakes in the content and formatting of the resumes used in their job search. That’s why resume.io offers a resume builder and resume templates that have been proven effective in this field and others. Here is one example of a resume for pharmacists. You can also review general tips for resume building here.
Profile: A professional introduction
Use the resume profile to tell us about yourself, your passions and your skills. The first thing hiring managers will see on your resume after your contact information is your profile, also known as a summary. It’s a critical first impression, and it’s your opportunity to introduce yourself on your own terms. The profile should present your candidacy in the best light possible, showcasing your professional skills and passions. Do not be too modest — stay confident in your achievements, contributions, qualities and productivity. If you don’t promote yourself as a strong job candidate, nobody else will.
Code of Ethics for Pharmacists
Pharmacists must abide by a strict code of ethics, as specified by the American Pharmacists Association:
- A pharmacist respects the covenantal relationship between the patient and pharmacist.
- A pharmacist promotes the good of every patient in a caring, compassionate, and confidential manner.
- A pharmacist respects the autonomy and dignity of each patient.
- A pharmacist acts with honesty and integrity in professional relationships.
- A pharmacist maintains professional competence.
- A pharmacist respects the values and abilities of colleagues and other health professionals.
- A pharmacist serves individual, community, and societal needs.
- A pharmacist seeks justice in the distribution of health resources.
Source: American Pharmacists Association
First test: the ATS
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are software applications that allow employers to automatically filter resumes based on the keywords they contain (or don’t contain). For example, employers seeking to hire a pharmacist may have no interest in looking at resumes from candidates who don’t have a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (Pharm.D.). So they can instruct their ATS to reject any resume that doesn’t mention this degree, saving recruiters the trouble of even reading them. Obviously, you don’t want your resume to be rejected by a computer bot. To avoid this, study job listings to see what employers are seeking, and include these job requirements in your resume.
Pay close attention to exact wording and terminology used in job postings. Abbreviations, names and professional terms may vary from country to country, from state to state and even city to city. By using the exact wording for certificates, licenses and skills used in the job application by the employer - you give yourself an advantage in passing the ATS test. Don’t just automatically write your preferred professional lingo out of habit, analyze the job listing first and foremost.
Also, remember that your resume is not carved in stone. A resume should be a dynamic document that can and should be tailored to each job application. The growing prevalence of ATS filtering has led to the practice of resume optimization, in which job applicants abandon a one-size-fits-all approach and create custom CVs for each potential employer.
Most profiles do not use first person pronouns (“I” or “me”) — your reader knows who you’re talking about. Nor are complete sentences even necessary.
Experienced and dedicated Pharmacist with experience and success in pharmaceutical services. Bringing forth a strong background in clinical pharmacology and medication management. Extensive knowledge of pharmacy operations, pharmacy management, and medications. Proven track record of proper customer advisement and an empathetic attitude towards customers. Superior technical and communication skills needed to excel in fast-paced working environments.
Job history: Your experience at a glance
Tell us not just where you’ve worked, but what you achieved. As a candidate for a pharmacist job, hopefully you have a track record of employment in this field. Regardless of the breadth of your experience, however, it’s important to capture the hiring manager’s attention quickly. List past employers in Reverse Chronological order (last job first), as it’s vital to deliver the most relevant and impressive information at the top of this section. But in addition to listing your employers, you should add bullet points under each one highlighting your achievements, contributions, projects, facts and figures, etc. Avoid saying what you were “responsible for” and say instead what you actually achieved. For example, “Accurately filled approximately 12,000 patient prescriptions” is far more powerful than “Responsible for filling patient prescriptions.”
Note that if you are just now completing your education and obtaining your doctorate, it may be best to list your education before your job history. But you should still include a job history mentioning any internships or related experience. In some cases, even job experience in a totally unrelated field may help build a case for your reliability, breadth of experience and/or people skills.
According to PharmacyTimes.com, these are the top 7 resume mistakes that sabotage a pharmacists’ job search:
- Recycling your resume for multiple positions
- Failing to demonstrate relevant experience
- Writing an uninspiring professional summary
- Overlooking action verbs (words that convey action, energy, achievement and productivity)
- Emphasizing duties instead of accomplishments
- Including an unprofessional email address
- Including typos and grammatical errors
- Reviewed prescriptions and practiced safe quality assurance control for patients.
- Worked to promote an error-free and productive Pharmacy department.
- Maintained computer records of dispensed medications.
- Provided accurate screenings to avoid health complications including allergic reactions and negative medication interactions.
- Effectively counseled patients on medication use.
- Trained incoming pharmacy technicians and per-diem pharmacists.
Education and licensing
Present the schooling and credentials that equip you for this job. Pharmacists must have a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree, and they must be licensed to practice pharmacy. Pharmacists study chemistry, biology, physics, pharmacology and medical ethics. As a prerequisite, pharmacy programs require at least two years of undergraduate study, though some require a four-year bachelor’s degree. Applicants to U.S. pharmacy programs generally must pass the Pharmacy College Admissions Test, and pharmacy programs generally take four years to complete.
Some pharmacists go on to complete a 1- to 2-year residency to receive additional training. And many take continuing education courses to keep up with advances in pharmacology. To practice in the U.S., holders of pharmacy doctorates must pass a couple of tests to become licensed. One of these is the North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam, and another is the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam. (The latter requirement is sometimes satisfied by an individual state exam.) Certifications in a number of specialties are also available from a variety of instructors. You can review some of the certifications available, including in pharmacokinetics, medication safety, emergency medicine and nutrition support, at the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists website. List your education, licensing and any certifications in reverse order on your resume, as follows:
- 2012 Licensed Pharmacist
- 2008-2011 NYU, Master of Science in Molecular Pharmacology NY, NY
- 2004-2008 NYU, Bachelor of Biology NY, NY
Skills: What makes you great
Showcase both your technical knowledge and your soft skills in dealing with people. Some critical skills for a pharmacist may not fit well into any of the resume components mentioned previously. This is where the skills section comes in. Do you speak a foreign language, enabling you to cater to patients from other countries with limited English? Do you have expertise in business management that would be useful in managing pharmacy operations? Do you have computer skills to help you navigate electronic health record systems? All of these bear mentioning.
According to payscale.com, the following are some of most important skills for pharmacists, along with their effect on salaries:
- Operations management: +8%
- Long-term care: +4%
- Clinical education: +4%
- Patient counseling: +3%
- Oral/verbal communication: +3%
- Oncology: +3%
- Retail pharmacy: +2%
- Hospital education: +2%
- Pharmacotherapy: +2%
- Mail-order pharmacy: +2%
Also, don’t overlook your “soft skills” in dealing with patients and colleagues, such as communication skills. Pharmacists must interact well with patients, identifying any allergies, explaining how and when to take their medicines, and advising them on what to do about any side effects. Not unlike the profile section, the skills section of your resume allows you to boast a bit about what you’re good at. It’s generally among the smallest, most laconic sections of your resume, but what you list here may be what puts you over the top.
Brainstorm a Master List of all the skills you may even remotely possess (don’t be too critical of yourself too, if you tend to be a modest person). Then, when you have this separate document with all your professional qualities, skills and practical capabilities, cherry-pick those that are the most appropriate for this specific job application. Remember that this is a laconic bullet-point list, so make sure every word has the most impact.
These are some of the most important qualities in pharmacists, according to the BLS:
- Analytical skills
- Communication skills
- Computer skills
- Detail oriented
- Managerial skills
- Pharmaceutical Operations
- Patient Counseling
- Team Management
- Product Safety
- Clinical Applications
Resume design: Keep it clean
A concise, clear, bug-free resume design is essential. A pharmacy needs to be immaculate, organized and efficient, and so it is with a pharmacist’s resume. It must be clean, clear and devoid of any mistakes. The aforementioned ATS systems that filter resumes are also sensitive to design bugs in your resume, which can lead to automatic rejection. If you’re constructing a resume yourself, in non-professional software, make sure to avoid hidden pitfalls like providing information in headers/footers (which are often unreadable by ATS systems). Imagine your potential employer not even having your contact info as a result of automated hiring practices.
The PDF file format is also widely accepted as the golden standard when sending resumes via email, as it’s guaranteed to preserve your style and formatting. Files created in text editors and saved in various non-PDF formats have a tendency to become a visual mess on another person’s computer (due to software versions, operating systems and so on). Take no chances by using the field-tested resumes at resume.io, designed by experts to bypass any minefields.
Key takeaways
- Pharmacists fulfill a critical role in the health-care system, but no increase is expected in pharmacist jobs.
- This means that advanced education and certifications are increasingly important, and that a flawless resume is a must.
- Pharmacist resumes should be individually tailored to each employer, highlighting the job qualifications that employers are seeking.
- Resumes must pass the crucial ATS test by including the keywords that describe needed job skills and avoiding any design bugs that could lead to automatic rejection.
For the best results and the least regrets, take the quick, safe path by using the proven builder tool and templates at resume.io. Get started!
Get inspired by our other medical resume examples:
- Healthcare
- Endodontist
- CNA
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- Epidemiologist
- Marriage and Family Therapist
- Health Care Administration
- Dental Receptionist
- Nursing Student
- Nursing Home
- Occupational Therapist
- Behavioral Therapist
- Psychologist
- Art Therapist
- Audiologist
- Respiratory Therapist
- Child Psychologist
- Medical Support Assistant
- Medical Social Worker
- Pharmacy Technician
- Physician Assistant
- Clinic Coordinator
- Medical Receptionist
- Optometrist
- Physical Therapist
- Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
- Dentist
- Sonographer
- Nurse
- Psychotherapist
- Medical Science Liaison
- Dental Assistant
- Paramedic
