Nutritionist resume example & writing guide

Nutrition is a great career for helping people live healthy lives. An effective nutritionist is knowledgeable, empathetic, and a good listener. An effective nutritionist resume is a great way to showcase your ample skills and help you stand out as the most fit candidate for any healthcare organization.

This resume guide, along with our corresponding nutritionist resume example, will cover the following topics:

• What a nutritionist resume should include

• Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education)

• Adding relevant key skills to your resume

• Choosing the right resume template for a nutritionist

What should your nutritionist resume include?

Your nutritionist resume should highlight your communication, knowledge, and patient care skills, especially since this role interacts with people from all different backgrounds and health issues. 

Your employer (and clients) will be looking to you to help improve their patient outcomes. So you need a resume that strategically highlights your nutrition skills, work experience, and education in a way that makes it clear that you’re the best person to meet their needs.

Your nutritionist resume should contain the following elements:

• The resume header with your contact information

• The resume summary

• The employment history section

• The education section

• The resume skills section

How can you create a professional summary?

If you’re looking to help people change their diet, you need to present yourself as an expert: knowledgeable, empathetic, and someone who gets results. Your resume’s professional summary is a two-to-three sentence digest of your professional menu that outlines your relevant skills, work experience, and value you’d bring to the organization. 

This short paragraph blends your core strengths as a nutritionist with your relevant work experience. This could include your meal planning skills, your commitment to positive client outcomes, or your interest in specific dietary requirements.

For extra emphasis, you can also include an “ingredient” list after your professional summary with bullet points that illustrate your unique skill set and qualifications.

See our adaptable nutritionist resume summary below:

How should you describe your work experience as a nutritionist?

The work experience section is where you demonstrate to the hiring manager why you’re the nutritionist they want to have on staff. The job description is your guide, as it will help you tailor your work experience in a way that aligns with the skills and clinical experience that the hiring manager is looking for.

For a nutritionist resume, list your work experience in reverse chronological order—meaning your most current position first—and include your job title, how long you worked there, and your core job responsibilities. 

Below each, list your achievements in bullet points, using quantifiable data (e.g., patient improvements, healthcare campaign results) when possible. Incorporating your accomplishments shows that you’re a nutritionist who truly helps people, not someone who takes a one-size-fits-all approach.

For example, if you have a track record of helping people manage their diabetes, you could phrase it this way:

• "Strong history of helping clients improve their health and reach their diabetic management goals with a 93% success rate."

Take a look at the adaptable nutritionist resume employment history section below:

How to include a fitting nutritionist resume education and certifications section?

Your education is a solid foundation on which to support your skills and knowledge as a nutritionist, so make sure you're highlighting it effectively. 

When crafting your resume education section, consider the following:

• Keep it simple. Create a concise list of degrees and certifications, with only relevant details listed under each, such as name of the school, the degree, and any honors you were awarded.

• List your education in reverse order with the highest degree first.

• List any certifications you’ve completed or are working towards, such as Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS), Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CCN), American Fitness Professionals & Associates (AFPA) Certifications, or Certified Nutritional Professional (CNP). Not only are they often required for employment, but they also demonstrate your commitment to the field and your professional growth. Make sure to include the name of the issuing body and the issue date.

Which key skills are relevant for a nutritionist resume?

Besides your education and experience, hiring managers will be looking for other key skills and attributes when hiring a nutritionist. You’ll want to tailor your resume to highlight the skills and proficiencies that the organization is looking for. 

Start by closely examining the job description, which will usually include keywords and skills that are required for the position. Your resume might also be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) that searches resumes for certain keywords and ranks them by how closely they match the job description. (To learn more about ATS-proofing your resume, check out our article on resume ATS optimization.)

Even if you’re applying to a private practice or clinic that doesn’t use an ATS, it’s still important to include these keywords from the job description, as the person reading your resume will be looking for them.

Our career.io resume templates include a handy key skills list with common skills for a nutritionist. Don’t limit these skills to your professional summary; like spices, you want to sprinkle them throughout your resume, including your work history and education sections. 

For a nutritionist resume, a few important skills might include:

• Diet planning

• Research and analysis

• Data interpretation

• Nutritional knowledge

• Communication

• Teaching and education

• Adaptability

• Organization

How to select the most impactful nutritionist resume template

A good resume is like an effective nutrition plan. It should be professional, easy to follow, and full of relevant information.

Your nutritionist resume should use a clean, modern, and uncluttered layout. Avoid cutesy graphics or fonts. A dash of color is fine to include, but don’t don’t overdo it! 

A nutritionist resume should also be limited to one page—perhaps two pages if you have 10 or more years of experience, but no more than that.

When exploring our many resume templates in our career.io resume builder, start by selecting the resume layout that best fits your situation. You can also find inspiration with our over 100 available resume examples.

Copyable nutritionist resume example

Key takeaways for writing a nutritionist resume

1. An effective nutritionist resume is a great way to showcase your ample skills and help you stand out from the crowd.

2. Your professional summary blends your core strengths as a nutritionist with your relevant work experience.

3. Use the job description to tailor your work experience to the key skills and clinical experience that the hiring manager is looking for.

4. Get stuck? Use our online resume builder to create your nutritionist resume with adaptable, eye-catching templates and AI powered content.