How to Craft Superb Medical Billing Resumes

Not sure how to write great medical billing resumes? Here are some tips to make your resume sparkle...

Medical providers and personnel in the medical field are generally very busy and can't waste their time with a poorly drafted resume.

Your resume is the key to opening the door and getting employers to notice you.

Prepare your medical billing resume with great care. There is no room for error in the medical profession. Doctors demand deeper professionalism, expertise, dedication and commitment than other types of employers.

They receive floods of resumes. In order to catch their eye, you need to make yours stand out...

...but how do you do this?

A Standout Resume

You've heard the saying that first impressions are the most important. It's the same with resumes.

When you draft your medical billing resume, you want to capture attention at first glance. This will either entice the employer to keep reading, or bore them enough to put it aside.

But we don't want the latter! Open with a well thought-out objective, polished to deliver the most information with the least amount of words.

Explain your desire to obtain a rewarding career in the medical billing field. Match your experience and qualifications to the requirements requested by the employer in the medical billing job description.

If you're qualified for the position, explain how (if you're not, definitely consider taking medical billing courses).

Your resume should be easy and simple to read. Ask yourself: what does the employer want? If possible, use the exact same words and phrases in the job description.

Include any other skills that you have, apart from your qualifications and experience. Especially highlight character traits that qualify you for a highly detailed, fast-paced work environment.

Also make sure to include any and all general office, front desk and computer skills you might have learned.

Mention the different programs your can work with efficiently (Microsoft Office Word, Excel, etc.), and any knowledge of medical billing software.

This can make the difference between getting the job or not.

If you have experience in the medical field, emphasize this on your resume. If you don't have experience, emphasize your skills.

Your medical billing resume should also be physically attractive, indicating professionalism. See the box to the right for guidelines.

Put the most important information in the top third of the page (the area which most readers will look at). This should be in short, single sentences, which highlight how you fit the job description.

Try your hardest to keep your resume under two pages. One page resumes are easier to read and more likely to be reviewed than two or three-page resumes.

Employer Concerns

If an employer is interested in hiring you, they may perform
extensive background checks based on your resume.

It's important that you don't exaggerate your experience. Any discrepancies between what you have on your resume and what your background check shows will bring up red flags for the potential employer, and could cost you the job.

At the bottom of the resume list your past work experience chronologically, with the most recent first. Be prepared to explain any gaps in employment, especially those that look unusual.

Some employers will be suspicious of certain patterns in your past work history.

For example, if you have never stayed at the same job for more than two years, it might indicate that you are unsuitable for a long term position. Be sure to have an explanation on hand for each job you have listed on your resume.

Whether or not you have formal training in communication skills, you should clearly mention them on your resume. They are essential for a successful relationship with medical practitioners, office staff, patients, and insurance companies.

Final Advice

We cannot stress enough how important it is to match your medical billing resume as closely as possible to the description of the open job position. Learn how to do this here: medical billing job description matching.

If you simply send in a general resume and hope that the employer will search for something appropriate for you, it's very unlikely anything will happen. Employers have neither the time nor inclination to do this (we don't blame them!).

Most importantly, proof read your resume! Use a spell-checking program, ask a friend to read the resume for you, and read it out loud to yourself. Make sure there are no typos, grammatical errors, or omissions.

A clean, easy-to-read resume makes the difference between getting the interview or not. Make sure you get it right!

For more help see the sample medical coding resume.

You can find general advice on writing a great resume here.

When your resume gets you an interview be sure to see our medical billing interview tips.

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