RESUME MISTAKES
Transform Your Psychiatrist Resume from Flawed to Flawless
Identify critical errors, apply proven fixes, and pass any ATS with confidence.
How This Page Helps
Help psychiatrists create a compelling, error‑free resume that showcases clinical expertise and passes applicant tracking systems.
Spot hidden ATS blockers
Learn concise, outcome‑focused phrasing
Apply medical‑specific formatting standards
Boost interview callbacks
Leverage Resumly’s AI‑powered suggestions
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Chances
Each mistake includes why it hurts, how to fix it, and before/after examples
Using generic objective statementsMEDIUM
Why it hurts
- Fails to demonstrate specialty focus
- Gets filtered by ATS keywords
- Wastes recruiter time
How to fix
- Replace with a targeted professional summary
- Highlight board certification and subspecialties
- Include 2–3 quantifiable achievements
❌ Before
Objective: Seeking a rewarding position in healthcare.
✓ After
Board‑Certified Psychiatrist with 8 years of inpatient and outpatient experience, specializing in mood disorders, seeking a senior role at a leading academic medical center.
ATS Tip
Include keywords like 'board certified', 'psychiatry', 'clinical research' early in the summary.
Detection Rules
Contains the word 'objective'
Less than 30 words
Lacks specialty keywords
Resumly Tip
Resumly suggests swapping the objective for a concise, keyword‑rich summary.
Listing duties instead of achievementsHIGH
Why it hurts
- Provides no evidence of impact
- Makes resume look bland
- ATS prefers action verbs and metrics
How to fix
- Start bullet points with strong verbs
- Quantify patient load, program growth, research outcomes
- Show results like reduced readmission rates
❌ Before
• Conducted patient evaluations and prescribed medication.
✓ After
• Evaluated 25+ patients weekly, prescribing evidence‑based treatments that reduced relapse rates by 15%.
ATS Tip
Begin each bullet with a verb and include numbers.
Detection Rules
Bullets start with 'Conducted','Performed','Managed' without metrics
No percentages or numbers
Resumly Tip
Resumly auto‑adds metrics based on your input data.
Omitting board certification and licensure detailsHIGH
Why it hurts
- Missing essential credential for credibility
- ATS may filter out unlicensed candidates
- Recruiters look for certifications first
How to fix
- Create a dedicated 'Licensure & Certifications' section
- List board certification, state license numbers, and expiration dates
- Include any fellowship or subspecialty training
❌ Before
Licenses: Medical License
✓ After
Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), 2015 – Active Medical License: California, #123456 (expires 2027)
ATS Tip
Place certifications near the top of the resume for maximum visibility.
Detection Rules
No 'certification' keyword
Licensure section missing or empty
Resumly Tip
Resumly flags missing certification fields and prompts you to add them.
Using inconsistent date formats and location detailsLOW
Why it hurts
- Confuses ATS parsers
- Looks unprofessional
- Makes timeline hard to read
How to fix
- Standardize dates as 'MMM YYYY' (e.g., Jan 2020 – Present)
- List city, state for each position
- Align dates to the right margin
❌ Before
2018 – 2020: Psychiatrist, XYZ Hospital, New York
✓ After
Psychiatrist, XYZ Hospital — New York, NY Jan 2018 – Dec 2020
ATS Tip
Consistent formatting improves parsing accuracy.
Detection Rules
Date formats vary
Location missing state abbreviation
Resumly Tip
Resumly highlights date inconsistencies and offers one‑click reformatting.
Formatting Guidelines
File Types: PDF, DOCX
Sections: Contact Information, Professional Summary, Board Certification & Licensure, Clinical Experience, Research & Publications, Education, Professional Affiliations, Skills
Naming: FirstName_LastName_Psychiatrist_Resume
Consistency
Length: 2 pages for early‑career, up to 3 pages for senior psychiatrists with extensive research
Date Format: MMM YYYY
Location Format: City, State (abbr.)
Resume Quality Checklist
- Include board certification and license numbers
- Use a professional summary with targeted keywords
- Show achievements with metrics
- Standardize dates to MMM YYYY
- List research publications in proper citation style
- Proofread for medical terminology accuracy
- Save as PDF with searchable text
ATS Alignment Guide
Common ATS Systems: iCIMS, Taleo, Greenhouse, Workday, Lever
Keyword Strategy: board certified, psychiatry, mood disorders, clinical research, patient outcomes, EMR, CBT, psychopharmacology
Heading Format: Use standard headings like 'Professional Summary', 'Clinical Experience', 'Education', 'Licensure & Certifications'
Quick Fix Workshop
Paste your current psychiatrist resume text
- Convert objective to summary
- Add quantifiable outcomes
- Insert missing certification section
- Standardize dates and locations
- Optimize keywords for ATS
Ready to perfect your psychiatrist resume? Get our free fix guide now!
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