5 Dietitian Resume Mistakes to Avoid
Written By: Kelan Sarnoff, MS, RDN
Your resume is doing more heavy lifting than you think. It’s not just a list of your credentials. It’s your marketing tool, your first impression, and often the only chance you get to show a hiring manager why you’re the right fit for the role.
After reviewing hundreds of dietitian resumes as a hiring manager and working with countless RDs in career transitions, I’ve noticed the same mistakes coming up again and again. The good news? They’re completely fixable. Here are the top five resume mistakes I see dietitians make and exactly how to avoid them.
1. Failing to Tailor Your Resume:
Sending the same generic resume to every job posting is a waste of your time. Your resume needs to speak directly to the role you’re applying for, showcasing the skills and experiences that matter most for that specific position.
This doesn’t mean starting from scratch every time. Instead, adjust your bullet points and keywords to mirror the job description. Swap out a few words here, reorder your accomplishments there.
At a minimum, I recommend changing up your professional summary and making sure that any core skills/responsibilities in the job description are directly addressed in your resume.
Why does this matter?
If you’re a clinical dietitian and planning to apply for an operations role or an informatics role, your accomplishments like “provided medical nutrition therapy” aren’t going to be as relevant. Sure, they matter, but other minor projects might more directly show that you have what it takes to succeed in an informatics role.
2. Being Too Vague
“Responsible for patient nutrition education” tells me almost nothing. What did you actually accomplish? How many patients? What were the outcomes?
Get specific. Use numbers. Show impact.
Instead of: “Led social media campaign and created social media content”
Try: “Directed social media campaign that increased following by 250% in one year”
If you’re in food service management:
Instead of: “Managed food waste reduction initiatives”
Try: “Developed food waste management system that reduced waste by 300% and saved $1 million annually”
Don’t have concrete numbers yet? That’s okay. Focus on making each bullet point highlight a different strength and align it closely with what the job description is asking for.
3. Ignoring keywords in the job description.
Many large employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to scan resumes for relevant keywords. Other organizations might use recruiters who are unfamiliar with the various backgrounds and experiences that dietitians might have. For this reason, it’s really important to use keywords in your resume. Keywords are found within the job description and job responsibilities.
For example, the job description might list:
- Assess, diagnose, and treat medical conditions, diseases, or injuries by administering and monitoring diets and providing nutritional counseling.
- Teach individuals about diet and nutrition.
You might have these accomplishments worded slightly differently in your resume, but you should reword some of these bullet points to match at least a portion of the bullet points in the job description. You don’t need to do this word for word, but you could include “taught and counseled over 600 patients about diet and nutrition using motivational interviewing”.
4. Overlooking Typos & Errors.
This one seems obvious, but typos are resume killers. One misspelled word can make a hiring manager question your attention to detail.
Proofread your resume multiple times. Then have someone else review it. I recommend Grammarly Premium (it’s worth every penny), but don’t rely on it completely.
Also, pick a punctuation style and stick with it. Either use periods after every bullet point or don’t use them at all. I personally prefer periods, but the key is consistency.
Pro tip: Read your resume out loud, bullet point by bullet point. You’ll catch errors that spellcheck misses, like “word” instead of “work.”
5. Forgetting to update LinkedIn and Social Media Profiles.
Your LinkedIn account is more than just a resume; it is a digital profile that allows you to showcase yourself and your expertise in more depth than a resume. If you’re a second-career dietitian, your resume will also allow you more space to expand on your accomplishments.
LinkedIn also allows recruiters and managers to view your connections. Did you know that you’re more likely to get offered an interview if you have a mutual connection in your network?
Stay tuned for a future blog post with tips on how to maximize your LinkedIn Profile to make it stand out.
While I do recommend including your LinkedIn information on your resume, I don’t recommend including your other social media accounts. In fact, before you start your job search, make sure that you have those accounts set to private. And while you’re at it, do a quick Google Search on your name and make sure that there isn’t anything you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see.
Creating a standout resume doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Now that you know these five common mistakes, you’re already ahead of most applicants. If you want hands-on support to design and refine your resume, let’s work together in a Resume Reimagined session.
About The Author
Kelan Sarnoff, MS, RDN is a Registered Dietitian with over 12 years of experience in the nutrition realm. She has experience in hiring and recruitment in both the clinical and academic settings. Kelan is passionate about helping dietitians land a job that aligns with their passion, values, and skills. She also believes in raising the pay for all dietitians and empowering dietitians to negotiate for desired compensation.
