New mothers may feel emotions ranging from joy to anxiety, so in your job as a lactation consultant you must be empathetic as well as professional. Your lactation consultant resume must reflect both of those qualities, while demonstrating why you are the best candidate for the job.
This is no easy task, but Resume.io has got you covered. A good place to start is by browsing our collection of over 350 occupation-specific writing guides and corresponding resume examples.
Then, by following this writing guide, alongside a lactation consultant resume example, you’ll be well on your way. Read on and learn how to:
- Consider the job role and outlook for lactation consultants
- Structure your lactation consultant resume and optimize the impact of each section: header, summary, employment history, education and skills
- Show your expertise in lactation education
- Develop a resume summary that illustrates your patient care style
- Create a story based on your work experience
- Highlight skills that will get you past applicant tracking systems (ATS)
- Choose a resume layout and design that makes a great first visual impression.
Take your first steps to landing the lactation consultant job of your dreams now!
What does a lactation consultant do?
Lactation consultants are trained healthcare professionals who guide new mothers through childcare and breastfeeding processes. They may teach breastfeeding classes, educate new patients on how to correctly breastfeed babies, and answer any questions or concerns they may have. Lactation consultants teach mothers various breastfeeding positions and techniques to ensure optimal nutrition and comfort is achieved. They also help women build and manage their milk supplies, choose a breast pump if they plan to use one, and mentor them during their breastfeeding journey. They are often an important source of emotional support when challenges are encountered.
According to Salary.com, the median salary for lactation consultants in 2021 was $42 per hour, or $86,525 annually. Although the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has no separate income or job outlook category for lactation consultants, it projects an employment growth rate of 9% for registered nurses between 2020 and 2030, somewhat faster than the occupational average.
For additional ideas and inspiration, check out these resume examples and writing guides in our related medical category.
How to write a lactation consultant resume
With very few exceptions, and then only in specific circumstances, all resumes should be concise enough to fit on a single page. This can be easier than you think by following this structure of resume components:
- Header
- Summary
- Employment history
- Education
- Skills
Choosing the best resume format for a lactation consultant
Has your career experience been acquired mostly as an employee of one organization at a time? If so, the most commonly used chronological resume format — also preferred by recruiters — will be suitable. Your work history highlights are listed under employer/workplace headings in reverse order, from most recent to earliest dates.
But if you’ve worked primarily as a self-employed consultant, perhaps in more than one contract position simultaneously, then a different resume format might work better. This also applies to job seekers who are new to the workforce, changing careers, or have a mixed occupational background. You might want to consider a functional resume format, centered on your transferable skills and/or specialized training. A hybrid (combination) resume format offers the most flexibility, with both chronological and functional elements.
Now, let’s look at each section of your lactation consultant resume, one at a time.
Resume header
You will never regret putting some extra thought and effort into an eye-pleasing resume header. At a glance, your application will stand out from the rest by prominently displaying your name and contact information, separated by white space from the text-dense sections. This not only makes your resume look inviting to read for the first time, but also easily retrieved when hiring managers are ready for the next step and want to get in touch with you.
The best strategy is to make your lactation consultant resume and cover letter look like a matching pair, because they are. This will be immediately noticeable in their identical headers. Prospective employers are likely to be impressed by your attention to visual detail in demonstrating communication finesse.
Lactation consultant resume summary
Your resume should lead off with a summary — sometimes called profile or personal statement — that effectively highlights your skills, abilities and expertise in providing breastfeeding support and childcare. This section should be no more than five sentences, but compelling and rich in content.
This is your opportunity to inject some personality into your lactation consultant resume. Highlight a unique situation or a case in which your problem-solving skills came into play. Think about the following questions as you write this section:
- What achievement am I most proud of?
- How would new parents describe me?
- How would nursing staff and other healthcare professionals describe me?
- What strong action verbs can I use as I describe my clinical experience?
By the way, we recommend completing this section last, when you already will have reviewed your entire career and thought about all your skills. Then, you can treat this section as an overview that meshes with the rest of your resume. The exception would be if you already have a solid professional "sales pitch" in mind.
Below is a lactation consultant resume example summary you can customize.
Passionate and experienced lactation consultant with over 10 years of experience helping women succeed on their breastfeeding journeys. Dedicated to promoting awareness about the importance of breastfeeding, and committed to providing clients with the necessary education and resources to reach their breastfeeding goals. Adept in coordinating lactation services in maternity settings while serving as a consultant for medical professionals and patients.
Employment history sample
In your employment history, you need to think beyond what you do day-to-day and tell prospective employers what you will add to their lactation support service department. That means telling the story of your growth and achievements. Make sure you show how you use the skills you learned in other areas to be a great lactation consultant.
Your achievements are important here. If you led successful support groups or created a breastfeeding dyad curriculum others could use, this is the place to list that. Of course, you provided lactation support services, so try to be more specific than simply stating that. Be as detailed as possible to show off your accomplishments!
As you begin to develop each job description, think about what you learned while in the position. Also keep in mind that you may have worked in different environments such as hospitals, community groups, special care nurseries, and birthing centers. Focus your resume depending on the setting of each job listing.
Make sure you highlight your knowledge of postpartum care and lactation support by giving detailed examples of how you work with new parents as well as the health care team. Include new skills and responsibilities you acquired as you gained work experience.
List your relevant positions in reverse chronological order. However, keep in mind there are other options for organizing your resume, particularly the employment history section. These are touched on in the previous section of this guide entitled “Choosing the best resume format for a lactation consultant.”
Below is a lactation consultant resume employment history sample you can modify.
Lactation Consultant at Radcliffe Medical Center, Radcliffe
May 2015 - October 2021
- Worked with pregnant women and new mothers to educate them about breastfeeding and mother and infant nutrition.
- Daily lactation visits providing instruction and support to new mothers earned 93% “very helpful” satisfaction survey scores.
- Served as an important resource to medical staff in the 32-bed maternity ward, consistently recognized in favorable performance appraisals.
- Developed well-received individualized breastfeeding plans for patients.
- Assisted mothers dealing with lactation related problems due to cesarean deliveries, NICU assignments, mastitis, and breast engorgement.
- Monthly breastfeeding workshops drew 50+ participants on average.
- Provided new mothers and families with resources and follow-up support regarding their progress, improving six-month success rate by 7%,.
- Created and distributed quarterly breastfeeding newsletters containing pertinent information and lists of resources for mothers and families.
Lactation Consultant at Auburn Midwives Center, Auburn
June 2010 - April 2015
- Served as a consultant and mentor for expectant and new mothers choosing to breastfeed their infants.
- Provided patients with knowledge regarding the benefits of breastfeeding, and the fundamental aspects of it as well.
- Worked one-on-one with patients as needed to address any breastfeeding concerns, reducing first-month attrition rate by 17%.
- Home-visits to new mothers experiencing feeding difficulties, and solutions offered, were a further success factor.
Lactation consultant education example
Lactation consultants may come from a variety of backgrounds. Many have nursing and preceptor experience, but they may also be physicians, dietitians, midwives, or other healthcare professionals.
You may also be a certified lactation consultant (CLC), earned an advanced certificate through the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice, or even have become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) through the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners. Be sure to list those accomplishments here, or in a separate certification section. Any academic or professional honors or distinctions should be noted here as well.
No matter what types of education and training programs you have completed, you should list all your degrees in this resume section. If you hold a bachelor's degree or higher, there's no need to provide high school information.
Below is the education section from a lactation consultant resume example.
Master of Science in Nursing, Frontier Nursing University, Hyden
August 2007 - May 2010
Bachelor of Biology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston
August 2003 - May 2007
CV skills example
The skills section of your resume is a carefully curated list of your top attributes as a lactation consultant. Because many human resources departments use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to triage resumes, be sure to carefully analyze job listings and include matching keywords and phrases in your resume. This is a perfect section to switch out your skills to target specific jobs.
Instead of listing breastfeeding education as a skill, try to be more specific. What level of expertise do you have in lactation education? Do you specialize in one area of lactation support?
As you gather your list of skills, consider the position you seek. Lactation management education looks different in different environments. Tailor your skills section to each job. Use a mix of interpersonal skills and the hard skills, reflecting your direct knowledge of lactation service.
Check out a lactation consultant CV sample for the skills section below.
- Advanced Breastfeeding Knowledge
- Lactation Nutrition
- Prenetal and Postpartum Care
- Excellent Communication Skills
Resume layout and design
The look of your resume says a lot about you! You want the first visual impression of you to be professional and neat. Even more importantly, you want the hiring manager to keep reading with ease, rather than get frustrated and bored.
In keeping with that, your resume design goes hand-in-hand with its content. In fact, the design may drive the content to some degree. The first rule of design here is to keep it legible. No fancy fonts or bright colors! You will have to work within a layout to ensure that you are not creating big blocks of text, which will make your resume difficult to digest.
Here are a few other pointers:
- Make your section headings easy to find and use obvious names for them
- Do not put personal data in headers and footers that the ATS may not read
- Instead of changing margins to stuff more information in, think about adding that tidbit to your cover letter
- Always, always have someone else proofread your resume.
We recommend using one of our Professional Resume.io’s resume templates, perhaps in the professional style category. Using one of these field-tested layout templates, along with our resume builder tool, could find you well on your way to your next amazing job interview!
Key takeaways
- Among the many key qualifications you possess as a lactation consultant, empathy and professionalism should be consistent themes in your resume.
- To effectively showcase your highly specialized skills and experience, be selective in adapting each version of your lactation consultant resume to the target position and employer, emphasizing the most relevant and relatable qualifications.
- Customizing your resume with keywords matching the posted job application can also be a safeguard to prevent ATS rejection.
- Be sure your resume’s education section includes all of your specialized training, certifications and other continued learning and professional development, in addition to college degrees.
