If you’re working towards or have recently completed a massage therapy course and are ready to secure a job in massage therapy – great! Now it’s time to craft your resume.
Just like any other job, you’ll need a resume for a job in massage therapy. This will detail your past education and relative courses in massage, as well as any related skill sets and work experience.
Having a well-crafted resume will open up your job opportunities and help you land your dream massage therapy role!
If you’re ready to apply for a job in massage, then try these tips to help you perfect your massage therapist resume!
Your duties and responsibilities
It’s important to understand what you will be doing and what you’ll be responsible for in your new job so that you can tailor your resume accordingly.
Massage therapy is an important field in healthcare, and while it has a more accessible barrier for entry compared to other jobs within the industry, you still need to be able to perform specialised duties and responsibilities.
When drafting your resume, consider including these common duties and responsibilities in a massage therapy role:
- Collaborating with clients and creating customised treatment plans
- Coaching clients on specific exercises, stretches and relaxation techniques
- Maintaining treatment records
- Recognising health issues that need a referral to another healthcare provider
- Documenting all treatments
- Exercising care when dealing with patients with injuries
- Maintaining confidentiality and sensitivity regarding a client’s medical history
- Knowing which parts of the muscles to target
- Maintaining massage room cleanliness and following proper hygiene
As a massage therapist, you need to highlight your ability to choose the right massage modality for each client and to clearly communicate to your client the treatment they need and why.
What education or training do you need to include?
There are many different types of massage to be qualified in, but generally, you will need to be trained in a number of massage modalities. In fact, the more types of massage you can perform, the more likely you’ll receive better job opportunities.
To demonstrate your ability to perform massage, you should include your past education and training on your resume.
Having industry-recognised massage courses and provider training listed on your resume will show potential employers that you have the relevant experience to work as a massage therapist.
For example, if you’ve completed a massage course with Discover Massage Australia, you should include your relevant training by including this on your resume. For example, the Certificate in Whole Body Massage, a fully industry-based approved massage course, your training in a comprehensive massage system including full relaxation body massage can gain you employment in health care clinics, massage clinics, day spas, multidisciplinary health and wellness facilities, aged care facilities, sports clubs and resorts.
What skills should you include?
Massage therapy is a unique role that requires a combination of soft skills and physical skills.
Some massage therapy skills that employers look favourably on, include:
- Customer service: the ability to interact with and build rapport with clients, as well as demonstrating a high degree of empathy and professionalism.
- High attention to detail: Being careful about detail when performing tasks or maintaining massage rooms.
- Organisation skills and the ability to maintain a clean and usable workspace
- Time management: Always being prompt for client appointments and returning calls/emails. Ability to map out your day in a realistic and achievable timeline and stick to it.
- Physiology: An understanding of the function of organs and tissues inside the body and how related diseases or injuries can affect parts of the body.
- Kinesiology: A knowledge of how parts of the body move and interact and being able to advise clients on how to properly stretch or adjust their form to improve injuries or pain.
- Physical stamina: The ability to work long hours on your feet and perform hours of massage without fatigue.
You can also translate experience into skills to make you a desirable massage therapy candidate. For example, if your past work experience was in an unrelated field, you may still include important skills such as working as an intern at a massage clinic, customer relationship skills that you developed in a retail role, or inventory management skills gained in a warehouse or supermarket role.
Gain a massage therapy job with confidence!
A massage therapist’s resume is often brief; highlighting relevant skills and courses in massage therapy. When writing your resume, be sure to reference any relevant training or education as well as transferable skills that you can apply in your new role.
Discover Massage Australia is here to help you on your journey to becoming a successful massage therapist. To build your resume and experience, check out our full range of massage courses on offer to keep your career moving in the right direction.
