Professional Profile: Presenting your best professional image
A professional profile is a concise yet impactful paragraph that summarises a pharmacist's skills, experience, and career goals. As a pharmacist, in this section you would highlight your key qualifications, such as your educational background, any relevant certifications, and years of experience in the field. Before you start crafting this section, it’s important to tailor your professional profile to each job you apply for, emphasising the skills and attributes that are most relevant to the specific position. This enables potential employers to quickly assess if you have the capabilities they're seeking. A well-crafted professional profile not only grabs attention but also sets the tone for the rest of your CV, inviting employers to delve deeper into the details of your qualifications and experience as a pharmacist.
A well-structured pharmacist profile should highlight both your qualifications and your passion for the field. You can start by outlining your experience, such as the number of years you've been practicing, any specialised areas of focus, and any key achievements or accolades. Remember to keep this section brief: a professional profile should only be 3-5 sentences – it’s an introduction to your professional potential, not a thesis!
Professional and experienced pharmacist with over five years experience delivering outstanding patient care. Dedicated to ensuring the safety of patients and promoting the health and wellbeing of the community. Proficient in a range of skills, including pharmaceutical operations, patient counselling and medication preparation. Focused on advancing health outcomes of the community and providing exceptional customer service at all times.
Employment History: Your career track record
A great employment history section should clearly demonstrate to potential employers why you're an ideal candidate for the job role you're applying for. In the employment history section, it is crucial to include specific details about your previous jobs. This includes providing the names of the institutions or organisations you worked for, along with the corresponding cities where they were located. It's important to specify the duration of your employment at each place, as well as your job title and the key responsibilities you held during your time there. By including these key details, you provide a comprehensive overview of your professional background and showcase your experience to potential employers.
Here’s a great example of an employment history section:
Pharmacist at Molloy's Pharmacy, Dublin
March 2015 - Present
- Prepared and dispensed medications for patients and interpreted prescriptions, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality at all times
- Consulted patients over safe and responsible dosage, risks and side effects and answered questions pertaining to medication and treatments
- Complied with all Irish regulations and protocols for controlled substances
- Collaborated with other pharmacists and healthcare professionals, including doctors, specialists and nurses
- Maintained up-to-date pharmacy inventory to ensure that medications were not expired, damaged, or low in stock
Pharmacist at O'Leary Street Pharmacy, Dublin
January 2010 - January 2015
- Administered medication to patients as prescribed by doctors and physicians
- Monitored inventory and ordered new medications when stocks got low, ensuring all medication was stored appropriately and inventory was not expired and damaged
- Greeted and assisted patients upon arrival, answering questions and concerns
- Managed cash and card payments securely
Education: Showcase your scholastic superpowers
When crafting the education section of your CV, it's important to emphasise any formal qualifications you possess, especially those that are relevant to your role as a pharmacist. This section should highlight the educational achievements and degrees that have equipped you with the necessary knowledge and skills for a pharmaceutical position. For example, if you completed a Bachelor of Pharmacy at University at Dublin City University, you’ll want to include details about these qualifications in this section.
Depending on the role you’re applying for, it can also be useful to include certifications, licenses, examination results and outstanding academic achievements in this section. These additional details provide further evidence of your expertise and dedication to employers. Including examples of scholastic achievements can showcase your commitment to professional development and highlight your unique qualifications that set you apart from other candidates – so don’t be shy!
Stuck? No worries! Check out our customisable example below:
Bachelor of Science at Trinity College Dublin, Dublin
September 2006 - June 2010
CV Skills: List your professional strengths
Finally, when crafting the skills section of your CV, it's important to highlight any skills you possess that allow you to add value to the job role you're applying for. Your skills play a significant role in helping employers determine if you are the right fit for the job. To create a compelling skills section, it's important to tailor it to the specific job you're applying for. Start by thoroughly reading the job description multiple times to gain a clear understanding of what the employers are looking for. By doing so, you can identify the skills they prioritise and make sure to highlight those skills in your CV.
It's important to include a variety of both hard and soft skills. Hard skills are the technical abilities relevant to the job, such as specialised knowledge of medication or pharmaceutical software. On the other hand, soft skills encompass your interpersonal and communication abilities, which are equally important in a pharmacist role. By showcasing a mix of both hard and soft skills, you demonstrate your versatility and showcase that you can excel in different aspects of the job.
Take some time to consider what skills you possess and skills that may be helpful to the role you’re applying for. We’ve got a great, customisable example below to help you out:
- Pharmaceutical Operations
- Communication Skills
- Medication Preparation
- Clinical Applications
- Patient Counseling
- Product Safety
- Customer Service