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Physical Therapists resume skills and keywords

In 280 Physical Therapists job postings from 70 employers analysed on October 23, 2026, the most requested skills are Mentoring (44 %), Patient care (41 %), Communication (40 %), Leadership (38 %) and Rehabilitation (37 %). Of the top 40 skills, 24 are hard skills, tools or certifications and 16 are soft skills.

Download the full list as a CSV or check your own resume against a posting with the free keyword scanner.

Top 40 skills in Physical Therapists job postings

Skills requested in 280 Physical Therapists job postings, by share of postings
SkillShare of postingsType
Mentoring44 %Soft skill
Patient care41 %Hard skill
Communication40 %Soft skill
Leadership38 %Soft skill
Rehabilitation37 %Hard skill
Compassion26 %Soft skill
CPR26 %Certification
EHR25 %Tool
Flexibility21 %Soft skill
Patient-Centered Care19 %Hard skill
Collaboration17 %Soft skill
Driver license16 %Certification
Teamwork15 %Soft skill
BLS15 %Certification
Time Management12 %Soft skill
Therapeutic exercise11 %Hard skill
Pediatric11 %Hard skill
Manual Therapy10 %Hard skill
Sports Medicine9 %Hard skill
Accountability9 %Soft skill
Interpersonal skills8 %Soft skill
Coaching8 %Soft skill
Clinical Judgment7 %Hard skill
Compassionate Care7 %Hard skill
Charting7 %Hard skill
Gait Training7 %Hard skill
State license6 %Certification
Problem Solving6 %Soft skill
Organizational skills6 %Soft skill
Discharge planning6 %Hard skill
Attention to detail5 %Soft skill
Therapeutic Intervention5 %Hard skill
Professionalism5 %Soft skill
Injury Prevention5 %Hard skill
Working independently4 %Hard skill
Treatment planning4 %Hard skill
Tablets4 %Hard skill
Customer service4 %Soft skill
Patient education4 %Hard skill
Telehealth4 %Hard skill

Hard skills vs soft skills vs tools and certifications

Hard skills (19)

Soft skills (16)

Tools and software (1)

Certifications and licenses (4)

Keyword phrases recruiters use

Multi-word phrases that recur across these physical therapists postings, with the share of postings that use each one.

therapy program 36 %develop individualized 23 %treatment plans 21 %structured onboarding 21 %student loan 18 %upstream rehabilitation 17 %individualized treatment 16 %flexible scheduling 15 %patient outcomes 15 %therapy services 15 %educate patients 15 %check out 14 %mileage reimbursement 14 %clinical excellence 13 %reduces documentation 13 %

How to use this on your resume

Treat the table as a checklist, not a script. Put the skills you genuinely have in your skills section, using the same wording as the posting, and back the top ones with a bullet that shows the result.

Each job posting differs from the average, so compare your resume with the actual ad: paste it into the resume keyword scanner to see which terms you already have and which are missing. The ATS keywords guide explains where to place them so applicant tracking systems read them.

Skip any skill you cannot talk about in an interview; a keyword that falls apart under one question costs more than it gains. For a full layout with these skills in context, see the Physical Therapists resume example. Then prepare for the Physical Therapists interview questions that test them.

Build a physical therapists resume with these skills

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Physical Therapists resume skills: FAQ

Which skills matter most for a Physical Therapists resume?

In 280 Physical Therapists job postings analysed on October 23, 2026, the most requested skills were Mentoring (44 %), Patient care (41 %), Communication (40 %), Leadership (38 %) and Rehabilitation (37 %). Lead your skills section with the ones you can back up, and show them in your experience bullets too.

Should I list soft skills on a Physical Therapists resume?

Yes, but prove them rather than list them. 16 of the top 40 skills in these postings are soft skills, led by Mentoring (44 % of postings). Show them through results in your bullets, for example a project you coordinated or a process you explained.

Which tools and certifications do Physical Therapists postings ask for?

The tools and certifications named most often were CPR (26 %), EHR (25 %), Driver license (16 %), BLS (15 %) and State license (6 %). List the ones you have exactly as the posting writes them.

Where does this data come from?

From 280 public Physical Therapists job postings at 70 employers, collected on October 23, 2026 from Greenhouse (165), Lever (71) and Ashby (44). A skill's share is the number of postings that mention it divided by 280. The data is updated quarterly and can be downloaded as a CSV.

Method and data

Source: 280 public job postings for physical therapists roles (titles such as Physical Therapist, Outpatient Physical Therapist, Physical Therapist - Clinic Director and Physical Therapist - Visit Based Earnings) at 70 employers, collected on October 23, 2026 from employer applicant tracking system job boards: Greenhouse 165, Lever 71 and Ashby 44. Employers in the sample include Upstream Rehabilitation, Integrity Rehab Group, Results Physiotherapy, InHome Therapy, SERC Physical Therapy and Benchmark Physical Therapy. A skill's share is the number of postings that mention it divided by 280. Updated quarterly. Download the data: physical-therapists-resume-skills.csv (CC BY 4.0). Browse skills for other roles.