Behavior Technician Resume Example

After reading this guide, you'll know what it takes to create a resume that really stands out from other behavior technician applicants. The guide will show you practical examples of how to structure your resume to show off your best and most relevant skills and career achievements. It will also show you how to tailor your resume according to the job description and your unique skill set. Read on to access expert insights from Jobseeker that will help you create a winning behavior technician resume.

Main sections of a behavior technician resume

A successful behavior technician resume will typically include each of the sections listed below, with some optional sections. A resume for candidates with little or no work experience may focus less on the work experience section, and bring sections to the fore that emphasize their skills, such as hobbies and interests, volunteer work, education, projects and skills lists.

While the content and format of your resume may vary depending on your experience levels, it's important to always include the following sections:

Header and Personal Information

Your behavior technician resume header should contain your name and contact details. These include your email address and phone number. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can also add that, to give employers the chance to learn more about your skills and experience. It's not necessary to include a photo or any other personal information. Keep your header clear and concise, with only the most necessary information included. Opt for a stylish, professional design that creates a strong first impression.

Use an email address that's professional and appropriate for professional communication. Typically this would be an email address based on your first and last name, or your initials. If necessary, you could include your profession or another unique identifier. Avoid using old email addresses that could be considered unprofessional or inappropriate. Additionally, always check your contact details before sending your resume to ensure they're up-to-date.

Resume Objective

In your resume summary, write a short paragraph that highlights two or three of your key achievements and skills for behavior technician roles. You could also call this section 'resume objective' or 'personal profile'. A resume summary covers your career experience to date, while a resume objective focuses more on your ambitions for the future. Furthermore, when writing your profile, focus on two or three key skills and achievements that showcase your suitability for behavior technician roles.

Alternatively, use this summary to introduce your personal career ambitions and explain why behavior technician roles are a good fit for you at this stage of your career.

The best resume summaries reflect the job description and focus on qualities that are relevant to working as a behavior technician, while highlighting elements of your personality that make you an ideal candidate. They also quantify the information provided with evidence. You can see some positive examples of a resume summary for behavior technician jobs below.

On the other hand, a resume summary can be ineffective if it lacks specific information about how your skills align with the job description, or fails to paint a picture of your unique qualities and talents. See above for some examples of things to avoid when writing your behavior technician resume summary.

Skills

Listing your key skills can help to prove your suitability for behavior technician jobs. These could be crisis intervention strategies, ABA knowledge or various other relevant skills. Once more, review the job description and pick out any key behavior technician skills listed that match yours. Focus on these skills and any other key transferable skills that make you a strong candidate for the job.

Listing hard skills on your behavior technician resume

Hard skills are specific skills related to the job you're applying for. They include particular abilities, technical skills and industry knowledge that relate directly to jobs as a behavior technician. Furthermore, your list of hard skills provides a strong indication to the reader of your expertise in behavior technician roles, and how well you'll fit into the position. If possible, add four or five hard skills that reflect the requirements of the job description. These will boost your chances of success in your applications.

For an effective resume hard skills section, focus on the technical skills that are most essential in the job description, and that match your specific expertise. Some examples of the best hard skills for a behavior technician resume are listed below.

Listing soft skills on your behavior technician resume

In your soft skills list, include any personal characteristics that make you a good fit for a behavior technician job. Soft skills tend to be more universal than hard skills, but they're no less important. In fact, as technology develops, soft skills are growing in importance for recruiters and employers, so be sure to add several of these to your resume. It's best to aim for four or five soft skills that match the job description and reflect your strongest personal qualities.

A strong soft skills section should play to your strengths, listing skills that reflect your personal qualities while also reflecting the skills listed in the job description. For some examples of good soft skills for a behavior technician resume, see below.

Education and Qualifications

In your education section, include details of your most relevant behavior technician qualifications and educational achievements.

Typically, working as a behavior technician requires a university or college degree, which you'll need to list on your resume. If you're working in this sector, it's usually a good idea to highlight your Bachelor of Science in Psychology degree or other relevant qualifications. Focus on qualifications that showcase your aba therapy techniques or data collection methods.

List every relevant qualification, including the name and level of the course, the name of the school, college or university, its location and your graduation date. You could also add one or two bullet points to draw attention to your grades if they were particularly good, as well as any specialist subjects you studied. This will help the hiring manager understand your knowledge and special skills better.

Additionally, mentioning any leadership roles or any societies and clubs you participated in while studying shows proactivity and initiative.

Certifications and Training

In your certifications section, list any professional certifications or licenses that are relevant to working as a behavior technician. You could list accreditations for certain professional roles or licenses for certain activities that help to make you a strong candidate. Therefore, add any professional licenses or certifications, along with valid dates that show they're still valid.

Take a look at some example certifications for a behavior technician resume below:

Work Experience

Under your work experience section, add any jobs you've had in the past that are relevant to the position of a behavior technician. Mention only the most appropriate and relevant jobs you've had in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent and working backwards. Add your job title, the name of the employer, the location of the role and your dates of employment.

Also include some bullet points for each job mentioned, showcasing your achievements so the employer can see the impact you made on the company. Pay attention to the job description and make sure each point is relevant to behavior technician roles.

An effective resume work experience section is one that constantly echoes the skills and experience listed in the job description, and shows how you used your skills to positive effect in each job. Each bullet point should be carefully crafted to showcase a particular skill or achievement relevant to behavior technician jobs, with evidence to show the value you added. Review some strong examples of resume work experience sections in the graphic below.

Above, you can see a weaker example of a resume work experience section to best avoid. A bad resume work experience section might fail to address skills and achievements that relate directly to the job description. Falling back on clichés, vague descriptions and basic responsibilities, rather than showing the impact you made, is likely to disengage the reader.

Optional Sections

To provide further information on your suitability for the role, you could add some optional sections to a behavior technician resume. Choose optional sections from the list below, if they help to showcase your relevant skills and experience.

Hobbies and Interests

Adding your hobbies and interests is a legitimate way of showing off your skills and personal qualities. These are particularly useful for your resume if you're short of work experience and need to showcase a particular skill or experience. Just make sure any hobbies and interests you include in your resume add genuine insight into your personality, in ways other sections of the resume can't.

Voluntary Work

Adding voluntary roles can be a useful way of showing relevant experience and skills for behavior technician roles beyond your main employment history. Add your volunteer job title or role, the name of the organization, its location and the dates you were involved.

References

It's not typical to include references in a behavior technician resume, but some employers might ask for them. Don't add references unless requested by the employer. Add two or three professional references, and be sure to approach each referee before you include them.

Best action words for your behavior technician resume

Action words can help illustrate to the hiring manager the difference you made in each of your previous jobs. Choose verbs from the suggestions below that highlight your key skills or those mentioned in the job description.

If you want to create a resume that stands out from the crowd, use Jobseeker's expert-designed resume templates. You can also find cover letter templates that work to get you noticed by employers.

Example resume for behavior technician applications

The behavior technician resume example below includes all the sections above, so you can see how a completed resume looks:

Making an ATS-friendly resume

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) help recruiters and employers to manage their hiring process. They can handle some of the more time-consuming and resource-intensive jobs, such as initial screening of resumes. Employers often receive hundreds of applications per vacancy, and ATS software can quickly and accurately scan and rank resumes based on their likely suitability for any role. When drafting your behavior technician resume, there are a few guidelines to follow to give you the best chance of passing the ATS screening stage and progressing with your application.

Here are a few quick tips for creating an ATS-friendly resume:

• Use a traditional resume layout, such as a reverse-chronological or functional format. This will mean your resume includes all the necessary sections, in the expected order.
• Include keywords throughout your resume that align with the job description. ATS software tends to compare your resume to the job description for points of similarity, so careful, considered use of keywords should help your chances of success.
• Use clear headings that break your resume up into readable, scannable sections that match the standard content employers expect from a resume.
• Utilize a clean, clear resume design that helps make your content more readable. Use simple fonts and subtle color accents and design elements that don't detract from the written content.
• Keep your resume as concise as possible, to make it easier to read, and for ATS software to scan.

Key points for your behavior technician resume

Writing a strong, impactful resume is about using your experience to demonstrate your relevant skills and achievements. You can do this through your work history or other resume sections. Select a resume format that suits your experience levels and the job you're applying for, and make sure you tailor your resume for each application.

Use Jobseeker's resume templates, other tools and resources to create an application that impresses employers. Sign up today to access a wealth of valuable resume and cover letter resources. Whether you're a junior or senior candidate, a professional cover letter can help to grab the attention of the employer. Jobseeker's cover letter examples were created by careers experts to provide useful tips and ideas for your cover letter.

Sources:

(1) Writing a Resume, California Department of Human Resources: https://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/Pages/resume-tips.aspx

(2) Resumes, Cover Letters and Job Applications, New York State Department of Labor: https://dol.ny.gov/resumes-cover-letters-and-job-applications