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Joining the dentistry industry requires extensive training to meet the qualifications of your desired role. This guide will illustrate how to display your skills and preparation effectively on your resume. We’ll help you write a resume that increases your odds of getting a callback, whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned professional, through dentistry resume examples for different roles and downloadable templates.
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The way your career credentials appear on a resume varies depending on your level and the role’s requirements. Most resumes use these three popular formats: chronological, combination and functional. Each of these formats leverages a section’s structure to highlight your work history or skills.
Below are some dentistry resume examples for each of these formats to help you understand which type will be the most beneficial for your career profile. We will guide you through these formats and explain how they work.
The functional resume emphasizes your skills. Instead of detailing your work history, its central section breaks down the top three skills you’ve acquired through education, practice, volunteering, internships or previous roles. Per listed skill, you’ll mention three to four tasks and accomplishments in which you have applied the skill in question to demonstrate your competence. Since this format deemphasizes work experience, it’s especially beneficial for candidates with little to no relevant work experience, like recent graduates or those changing careers.
A note of caution: some recruiters don’t approve of using this format, so use it only if it’s the one that shines the best light on your professional profile. Below are some examples of candidates in various roles in the field for your reference.
As the name implies, a combination resume combines the best features of both a functional resume and a chronological resume. It provides flexibility to highlight both your work history and your skills, making it ideal if you’re at the mid level of your career. This format includes a professional summary at the top to introduce yourself and explain why you’re the best fit for the role — except for career changers who benefit from a resume objective.
A combination resume allows you to display your core skills first, followed by detailed work history. Due to its flexible structure, this resume type favors candidates with relevant experience — whether students, career changers, or new and mid-level career professionals. We suggest that you use this resume to show a balanced distribution of your skills and professional and educational qualifications for the following job openings:
In a chronological resume, the work history is front and center, making this format ideal for seasoned professionals with 10 or more years of relevant experience. The chronological resume gives ample space to go into depth on the duties and achievements you’ve had in each of your previous roles and then list six to eight of your top skills.
When applying for senior roles or jobs in which experience is the determining factor, this format is the one to use to fulfill the recruiter’s requirements. However, if you believe you have the skills and education for the job you’re applying for but not the experience, opting for a combination resume like shown above is better.
These are some of the dentistry roles who consistently use chronological resumes:
If you wish to embark on a career as a dentistry professional, it’s a good plan to find out how much you can earn. Your experience, specialization and job location could significantly impact your earnings; however, there are general benchmarks you can expect.
As per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the median annual wages for the following dentistry careers as of May 2020:
Skills are becoming more important than other credentials in the job market, so ensuring to display your best skills throughout your resume is essential. Your professional dentistry skills have great value in deciding whether you get to the interview phase or not, so the usual six to eight listed skills in combination and chronological resumes will not be enough. It is essential to highlight a well rounded mix of soft, hard and technical skills throughout your resume. These are some of the sections where you can include your skills::
We have compiled a list of diverse dentistry-related skills to help you correctly display your qualifications and skills:
Soft skills refer to your social and communication skills that help you perform well at work and work as a team. For a dentistry professional, the following soft skills are required:
Hard skills are job-specific skills. These skills are learned through education and extensive training. Below are a few hard skills that relate to the dentistry industry:
Technical skills are the skills or knowledge used to perform specialized tasks using medical/dental equipment and technologies. As a dentistry professional, it is good to have the following technical skills:
Dentists have to undergo rigorous education and practical training, which often takes years to complete. However, some additional short-term certification courses can also benefit the candidates. For example, a few ones you may want to consider depending on your career goals and current level include:
You can build a first-class resume using our specialized Resume Builder with built-in templates, job-specific suggestions and writing tips for each section. It also offers unlimited online storage to accommodate each customized resume you create. You will find this feature very helpful for making your resume and cover letter efficiently and swiftly.
This simple layout features a traditional font and the clever use of section borders to help each section of your resume stand out.
This distinctive two-column resume template identifies your name and professional experience in a bold color and clean presentation.
A clever design that breaks each of your professional accomplishments into distinct sections while following a format that will pass applicant tracking systems.
The elegant initials, simple header and strategic use of bullet points in this template help keep your professional accomplishments well-organized.
The bold use of a colorblocked heading paired with an elegant resume layout helps your name and contact information stand out.
This structured design combines a two-column approach with bullet points to highlight your key accomplishments and professional history.
A traditional template uses a crisp combination of dark text and thin borders to radiate professionalism. Your name sits prominently above your professional history.
This template’s design features plenty of whitespace neatly divided by gray bars to make the information on your resume easy to read for employers.
This two-column resume conveys a very clear breakdown of its sections that allows a hiring manager to quickly scan your resume.
The subtle color accents in this template add visual pizzazz in a classy way, a great option for most traditional industries.
This resume’s modern design and bold use of color make it pop. Its uniqueness is well-suited to those seeking jobs in creative industries.
Everything about this template is assertive from the boxy layout to its all-caps heading text that gives the impression that you’re all about business.
The understated contact information at the top puts attention front and center on your professional summary, skills, work experience and education sections.
The subtle use of red alongside black gives this template a bold feel while still featuring plenty of white space to make it easy to read.
The top three skills in dentistry vary primarily on the professional’s specialization. However, most dental workers deal with patients directly and need strong communication abilities. Additionally, the following three skills are essential when working with oral health:
The professional summary statement for someone in dentistry needs to focus on the length of their work experience — or educational background in the case of having no work experience — and one to three key skills found mentioned in the job description. Additionally, you should share examples of your tasks and responsibilities directly related to the role.
In short, the professional summary’s purpose is to give a quick, three-to-four-sentence long introduction of why you’re the best-qualified candidate for the job.
If you are keen to pursue a dentistry career, you need to know your potential responsibilities. Most dentistry duties include one or more of the following:
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