A professional cover letter may make all the difference when it comes to separating yourself from other qualified candidates as you apply to physical therapy jobs. Cover letters are still important for many positions, including healthcare occupations where a cover letter can not only help you speak to your excitement for the job, but also give you an extra opportunity to speak to your experience and credentials for the physical therapy position.
Upstream Rehabilitation and our nationwide family of brands are actively hiring for physical therapy positions. Whether you’re a seasoned physical therapist or you’re a new grad looking to secure your entry-level physical therapy role, we’ve got some of the best tips and tricks to create a cover letter that will help you in your physical therapy job search.
Once you’ve crafted your physical therapy cover letter, browse and apply to physical therapy positions with Upstream Rehabilitation. We’re actively hiring for clinical and non-clinical physical therapy positions across the nation.
Why is a Physical Therapy Cover Letter Important?
Physical therapy cover letters have been an important aspect of any job search for years. Many individuals think that they’re not as important as they once were, but they still play an important role in consideration for many positions, including the physical therapy industry. Cover letters present a unique opportunity to speak to and provide additional information on many of the things you’ve included on your physical therapy resume and application.
Cover letters help you expand and directly connect your previous experience and skills to the physical therapy position that you’re applying to. Whether the PT position you’re applying to is clinical or non-clinical, you can highlight how your previous roles, accomplishments, and expertise align well with the job. A cover letter also gives you the opportunity to elaborate on certain sections of your resume that might not have fit as you tried to keep your resume to one or two pages. A cover letter can be a useful tool in helping you separate yourself from other candidates who elected not to write a cover letter.
8 Physical Therapy Cover Letter Tips
Do Your Research
Part of writing an effective physical therapy cover letter is doing your research before you start writing it. Take a look at the physical therapy job description and ask yourself, “What are they looking for in this position?” In doing so, you can place yourself in the shoes of physical therapy employers like Upstream Rehabilitation. At Upstream Rehabilitation, we’re always on the lookout for qualified professionals who are passionate about helping our patients get back to doing the things they love most through physical therapy treatments.
From there, you want to take a look at the individual responsibilities, skills, and education required. Are there any specific callouts to requirements that you need to clearly demonstrate you have and/or wish to speak to in your cover letter? Take some notes as you’re doing your research about the job description and employer, so you can mention them in your cover letter as you begin to craft it.
Begin Writing Your Cover Letter and Use Those Notes
Once you’ve written down some notes on the job description, it’s time to begin writing your cover letter. This is where that research will come into effect, as you can begin writing directly to the job description and detailing how your expertise, experience, and desire for the position should make you a good fit for the role. Use the research that you’ve conducted to specifically call out a few important details from the job description. As you highlight some of those important details you wrote down, make sure that you reiterate the point from the job description, iterate your previous experience, and speak to an accomplishment related to that point.
As an example, if the physical therapy job description mentions serving patients with high-quality care, speak to your ability to provide superior clinical outcomes in a previous role or during your education. In doing so, you can work towards demonstrating why you would be a good fit for the physical therapy role.
Let Your Accomplishments Speak For You
Another important consideration to make as you’re crafting your physical therapy cover letter is to let your accomplishments speak for you. In the same way that your physical therapy resume should highlight your accomplishments in your previous roles, your cover letter should do the same. Your cover letter provides a unique opportunity for you to separate yourself from other candidates, and one of the best ways to do that is to showcase how you’ve gone above and beyond through your accomplishments.
Your cover letter should speak to your previous accomplishments and demonstrate how you can provide value for employers like Upstream Rehabilitation.
Tailor Your Cover Letter
The next tip to improve your physical therapy cover letter is to make sure that you tailor each cover letter for individual jobs. During a job search, it may seem more efficient to create a one-size-fits-all cover letter that has a few minor interchangeable details here and there to help you speed up the application process, but it can set you back in the long run. A copy-and-paste cover letter can seem impersonal and isn’t as helpful as a tailored cover letter may be.
Tailoring your cover letter will allow you to more accurately speak to your accomplishments and detail how they specifically relate to the physical therapy job you’re applying for. It will also allow you to set yourself apart by demonstrating you’ve done your research and you can showcase how your unique skills and experience would make a good fit for the employer based on the unique challenges they’re currently facing.
Stick with a Tried and True Format
You don’t need to get all fancy when you’re building your cover letter. While they may look impressive from a design perspective, it doesn’t guarantee that they will be readable or parsed properly in applicant tracking systems. Instead, you should stick with a tried and true format.
Take a look below at the cover letter format example we’ve included to give you an idea of the structure your cover letter should resemble.
For the header, you should make it clear who it’s from and how they can best reach you. Include your contact information and name in the header so that it doesn’t take up valuable space in the rest of the document. Do your best to write for the recruiter or hiring manager who is overseeing the position. If you’re unsure, you can always ask or reach out on LinkedIn to see who you should address on the cover letter. Make sure you have all of the important details which include your name, phone number, location, and professional email address. For the recipient, you want to include the name, title, company name, and company address.
For the greeting and opening paragraph, you want to start with a professional business greeting and smoothly transition to detailing which job you’re applying for while showcasing that you’ve done your research about the job and employer. The opening paragraph should convey how excited you are about possibly being considered for the role based on your previous experience and accomplishments.
In the second paragraph, you really want to focus on emphasizing the connection between your expertise, previous experience, and showcase how you would be able to provide value in the role by sharing your accomplishments.
For the third and final paragraph of your cover letter, you want to once again reiterate your excitement for the role and thank the reviewer for their time and consideration. Include another brief call to action for the reviewer to take a look at your resume to review your expertise and achievements and express your desire to hear back from them in the future regarding the role. Thank them and then close the cover letter with your name.
Physical Therapy Cover Letter Example
Simple mistakes can make the world of difference when it comes to your resume, cover letter, and physical therapy job application. All it takes is a few seconds to avoid a few careless errors. Make sure you proofread, spell-check, and double-check for grammatical errors before hitting submit. You can also always ask a friend or family member to read through your physical therapy cover letter to see if there are any suggestions they might have.
New Grad Physical Therapy Cover Letter Tips
As a recent physical therapy graduate, your cover letter might look a tad bit different than physical therapists with years of experience. One of the best things you can do in your cover letter as you begin to apply to new physical therapy positions post-graduation is to emphasize your coursework, clinical rotations, and highlight things you’re looking for in a future employer.
At Upstream Rehabilitation, we’re passionate about providing the tools and support needed for a successful career. New graduate clinicians spend a full year of personal development, mentorship, and a gradual caseload build-up to prepare for managing their caseload and providing superior clinical outcomes.
Experienced Physical Therapist Cover Letter Tips
For experienced physical therapists, some things to consider including in your physical therapy cover letter can be your demonstrated ability to provide superior clinical outcomes, highlights about your previous work experience, and additional certifications you’ve acquired throughout your career.
If you’re looking to take the next step in your career, Upstream Rehabilitation has career pathways for those physical therapists who are seeking to pursue areas of leadership, business, teaching, research, clinical excellence, and advocacy.
Elevate Your Physical Therapy Career with Upstream Rehabilitation
Upstream Rehabilitation and our family of brands are expanding nationwide and we’re actively hiring physical therapists. As the largest pure-play provider of outpatient physical therapy in the United States, we’re seeking passionate individuals who are looking to make a difference in our patients’ lives and help them get back to doing the things they love most pain-free!
