Pharmacist Resume Example

Key sections to include in resume

A pharmacist's resume needs to showcase your skills and abilities but still remain concise. While your pharmacist resume should be unique to the job posting you are applying for, there are a few standardized sections every resume needs, including the following:

If you’ve reviewed any pharmacist resume templates, you’ll notice that they all start with a header. This section should include your full name, the title of “Pharmacist,” and your contact details. At a minimum, provide your phone number and email address. You can also provide your LinkedIn profile, but that is optional. Here’s a pharmacist resume sample header:

John Smith
Pharmacist
Phone Number: (123) 456-7890
Email: johnsmith@example.com

Some pharmacist resume examples may include information for the recipient, too. However, this information is typically featured on your cover letter rather than the resume itself.

Resume objective or summary

The resume objective or summary is a brief statement that highlights your career goals and most notable accomplishments. Generally, it will be the only segment of your pharmacist resume that is in sentence format. Almost every other section will consist of bullet points. Here’s an example of a CB objective:

“Experienced clinical pharmacist with a strong background in pediatric medication therapy seeking a challenging position in a hospital setting to further develop my clinical skills.”

There are a few different ways to structure your resume objective or summary. We suggest comparing a few different pharmacist resume examples so you can get a feel for the different options out there. That said, keep your summary to a few sentences and maintain a professional tone.

Work experience

List your professional experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your current job. Each entry should include your job title, place of employment, dates of employment, and a description of your responsibilities and achievements. For instance, one entry in your work experience section may read as follows:

Pharmacist, RiteAid
June 2020 - Present
Managed medication therapy for over 1,000 customers in a busy community pharmacy, with a focus on diabetic and hypertensive care.

The reverse chronological approach emphasizes your most relevant (and recent) experience. While some employers care about your cumulative body of work, others are most concerned with what you have done over the last five years.

Education

Next, share details about your educational background, beginning with your most recent degree. Add the name of the institution you graduated from, the degree you attained, and the year of your graduation. Highlight any specializations or honors you received. For example:

Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm. D.)
University of California, San Francisco
September 2014 - May 2019

Graduated with honors, GPA: 3.8
Completed a comprehensive course in Pharmaceutical Care and Ethics
Conducted a year-long research project on Medication Therapy Management

Use the same format for any other educational experiences, including previous degrees and high school experience. If you are pressed for space, you can omit your high school information from the educational section and only include college experience.

Hard skills

Hard skills are any abilities that pertain directly to your role as a pharmacist. List technical skills like knowledge of medication dispensing systems, a drug utilization review, and pharmaceutical compounding.

Don’t get lost in the weeds here. Keep the section short and to the point by using a bulleted list format. Generally, you should include between three and six hard skills. However, if you need to give your pharmacist resume more substance, you can bump up the list of hard skills to between eight and ten.

Soft skills

Soft skills are any abilities that aren’t specific to the pharmacist profession but are still essential to your success. Some examples include attention to detail, communication skills, and the ability to work under pressure.

Again, keep the section short and use a list format. The three-to-six limit applies here, but you can throw in a few extra skills if you need to fill out the page.

Optional sections

You can also add a few optional sections to your pharmacist resume. These sections humanize your application and provide hiring managers with a glimpse into who you are. Some sections you may want to add to your resume include:

Certifications, such as the Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS) or Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE)
Languages spoken fluently
Hobbies and Interests
Volunteer Work, especially if it relates to community service or healthcare

If adding any of these sections will push your resume over the one-page limit, omit them. That said, try to make room for at least one or two optional sections, as these can go a long way toward making you stand out.

Tips for writing the role-specific resume

The most effective format for a pharmacist resume is in reverse chronological order, as it highlights your most recent and relevant professional experiences. However, if you’re a new graduate or are changing specialties, a functional or combination format may better showcase your skills and training.

Additionally, it’s vital that you customize your resume for each job application. Carefully read the job description and include relevant keywords to optimize your resume for application tracking systems (ATS). These systems will scan for certain terms and can remove your application if it is lacking in relevant keywords or phrasing.

Are you unsure which keywords to target? The job description is generally a good guide, as it provides a glimpse into what the hiring team is looking for in an application.

When giving a rundown of your achievements, use quantifiable information whenever possible. Instead of saying something general like “I helped countless patients by providing personalized medication counseling,” use phrasing such as “Provided medication counseling to approximately 30 patients daily, resulting in improved medication adherence and patient satisfaction.”

In the second example, the reader understands what tasks you performed and what impacts they had on the patient's journey. It outlines an action and tangible results, demonstrating the potential impacts you could have on the organization you are applying for.

Lastly, explore cover letter templates and use them to your advantage. A pharmacist cover letter template helps you determine what to include in your document and differentiate yourself from other applicants. When relying on cover letter templates, ensure that they match the style and layout of your pharmacist resume.

Most importantly, remember that your pharmacist resume and cover letter are complementary documents. Your resume should not simply be a list version of your cover letter or vice versa. Each document needs to provide unique value to the reader.

Perfect your pharmacist resume with templates and examples

An effective pharmacist resume should have a clear header, a compelling objective or summary, detailed work experience, and educational background. It also needs to include a list of your hard and soft skills.

Remember to personalize your resume for each position, use keywords from the job description, and quantify your professional achievements. This approach will help you create a resume that not only demonstrates your expertise and experience but also positions you as a standout candidate in the field of pharmacy.

Make sure to check out our cover letter examples, pharmacist resume templates, and other free resources. By leveraging Jobseeker’s resources, you can build a stronger application and differentiate yourself from other applicants.