Bear in mind that whether it is a personnel agency, an individual physician or a hospital's Human Resources Dept., we all see hundreds of resumes from prospective medical office personnel in a year.  In order to even be considered for an interview, your resume has to say something about you that sets you apart from other candidates.

There are some key points to keep in mind.

1. Basic Information: start off with your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. Sounds pretty simple but remember to include your postal code and another contact number if you’re difficult to reach, perhaps a cell number. Don’t give birthdate, SIN number or the status of your health or your marital status.

2.  Skip the career objective.  If you're sending a prospective employer a resume, then you're looking for a job in the medical field.  Don't waste their time by stating the obvious.  It can actually work to your detriment.

3.  Start off with “Highlights of Qualifications” or “Highlights of Skills”. The reader of your resume very quickly wants to determine if you have the basics of what he or she is looking for in an employee. Using bullets, in point form, give just a few highlights. For example: ten years of medical office experience  proficient in computer medical billing using Smart Series and Osler, experienced in medical transcription keyboard speed 80 w.p.m.

4.  Employment History should be next. Detail the dates and places that you have worked. List your position. Always start off with the most recent date and work backward.  You should always include a brief summary of your duties for each position.

For example:

June 1990 to May 1992
Dr. John Bloggs, G.P.
Victoria, B.C.

M.O.A. : Duties included: phones, reception, computerized billing using Smart Series, filing, ordering, payroll, supervision of ten other staff, stocking examining rooms, etc.,etc.

5.  Education should include the date, course and institution beginning with the most recent. Remember to include night school programmes (unless they are recreation type courses), first aid courses and certificates, also any continuing education courses that you have taken with previous employers.

6.  Volunteer work including community activities such as being a Brownie leader or swim coach can be listed but avoid detailing your hobbies.  Prospective employers don’t care whether you like to garden or not. If you have a hobby such as flying and you hold a private pilot’s license, then that is significant.

7.  “References upon request” should be the last entry. Why on request?  You may not want to use the same references for each position. Also, many prospective employers will phone all of a candidate’s referees before an interview and decide not to bother meeting with you.  Referees can understandably get upset if they are inundated with phone calls.  Your  references should primarily be employers unless you are specifically asked for personal references. Always ask a reference if you may use them.