Speech Therapist Jobs Overview
Speech therapists help people develop skills, regain abilities, and improve their quality of life. Therefore, speech therapist jobs give you plenty of opportunities to make a positive impact on the lives of others. A variety of facilities hire speech therapists.
For example, nursing homes and skilled-care facilities need the valuable skills of speech therapists to help elderly people improve their speaking or swallowing abilities. Schools also need speech therapists to evaluate speech disorders, identify social disorders, help children improve their speech, and more.
While most therapists work daytime hours, some may work evening shifts. More than 40% of speech therapy jobs are in the educational services sector. Medical clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes have the majority of other jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a speech therapist job growth rate of 19%. That rate is much higher than the expected rate for all occupations.
Speech Therapist Salaries
The median salary for a speech therapist is $83,484 per year, within a range of Monster's Salary Tool to find out how much speech therapist jobs pay in your area.
Although your skills are useful throughout the country, there are several cities where you’ll be in higher demand. These include: Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Antonio, and San Diego. All median salaries in those cities exceed $80,000.
How To Find the Speech Therapist Job That Suits You
What do you want or need from a job? Identifying your personal preferences helps you to narrow down your search when faced with many job openings. For example, do you need a specific schedule that fits your family obligations? Maybe you have a chronic health condition and want a job with good medical benefits. Is advancement important to you?
Speech therapists often have assistants working under their supervision. If you want more management opportunities, look for jobs in larger facilities, which may promote you to department head or another supervisory position in the long term.
Think about your strengths and weaknesses. Making a list of both helps you choose jobs that emphasize what you’re good at or offer development where you want to grow.
Research the Workplace
Look up the school, medical facility, or other workplace in the job listing. Learn about the company's values and culture to see if they match yours. Values alignment offers greater job satisfaction in the long run.
Also, consider factors like:
- team size
- management structure
- work environment
- workplace incentives
Identify Your Qualifications
As you read a job listing, carefully examine the responsibilities and requirements. For instance, some roles may require a certain amount of experience.
Others may require experience with children, elders, or other demographics. Certain positions require bilingual speech therapists. Additionally, some jobs ask for clinical documentation abilities, computer literacy, or other qualifications.
Look for Growth Opportunities
Speech therapists often gain additional credentials beyond a Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology (CCC-SLP). For example, some therapists earn Board Certified Specialist in Child Language (BCS-CL) certification to work with children. There are special certifications for treating swallowing disorders, fluency disorders, and more, many of which require prior CCC-SLP certification.
Think about your long-term goals for training and advancement. If you want to gain additional certifications, find out if the employer offers assistance. They may pay for training.
How to Apply for Speech Therapist Jobs
As you read through listings for speech therapist jobs, pick out the skills or qualifications you possess. For instance, a job posting may list leadership, functional goal development, and multi-environment evaluations as required skills.
Check to see if the job listing specifies any special requirements. There may be specific instructions about what to include with your application.
Write an Effective Speech Therapist Resume
Try to include as many of the words that apply to you from the job listings as possible on your resume as keywords. These may include, "BLS certification," "pediatric experience," and "develop treatment plans."
It can be challenging to decide which skills to add to your resume. This is especially true since different positions may have varying requirements. If you need inspiration, check out our SLP resume sample for ideas.
Instead of focusing on graphics, prioritize neatness and simplicity in your resume design. Many resumes go through software programs that favor simpler layouts. Be sure to verify the correct contact information for any past employers or references.
Enlisting professional help is the ideal solution for building a powerful resume. With Monster's Professional Resume Writing Service, you can rest easier knowing that you have an optimized document that will help you land more interviews.
Create a Compelling Cover Letter
A cover letter lets you summarize the reasons why you're a good fit. As you plan your cover letter, consider what inspired you to become a speech therapist.
A good cover letter is concise. State your interest in the position. Include a few details about the company that relate to your values. And, of course, add your special skills that make you a great fit.
Note important requirements in the job description. For instance, a job may require a certain special certification. However, you may have three additional certifications that relate to the position, and you may include that information in your cover letter.
Need more help? Check out this cover letter sample for an occupational therapist, a similar position.
Submit Your Application
When you're ready to apply for speech therapist jobs, simply sign up for a free Monster account. You can access a complimentary resume review, and opt in for customized speech therapist job notifications.
To give yourself more peace of mind, review your application information twice before submitting it. When everything looks great, send it in and move on to the next step in your job search journey.
How To Follow Up
An employer may contact you promptly in some cases. Since others may not, you can show your ambition by following up. However, wait about a week to allow ample time for the hiring manager to review all applications.
Tips for Following Up
Look over the job description once more to see if the person who posted it lists a preferred contact method, day, or time. Once you’ve found the right person to contact, address them formally and respectfully. If you can't determine who to contact, check the entity's website. You may also ask the employer's receptionist for the name of the person to contact.
Craft your follow-up message in advance. If you call, write down notes or an outline of what to say. Your written or oral message should be short.
How to Interview for Speech Therapist Jobs
It's exciting to see your hard work pay off when you get a call from an employer. When you set up an interview, start preparing for it as soon as possible.
Get Ready to Ace Your Interview
Has it been a while since you interviewed for a job? If so, you may wonder what questions the interviewer will ask. There are many common questions to consider.
The interviewer may present you with behavioral questions about scenarios that relate to the position. For example, imagine that you apply for a job at a preschool facility. The interviewer may ask you how you would respond to multiple needs simultaneously in a group setting.
For any behavioral questions, try using the STAR method. This helps you communicate clearly by stating the situation, task, action, and result.
Interviewers may also ask competency-based questions to test your knowledge. For instance, the interviewer may ask how you would use a certain assistive technology to improve your efficiency.
Familiarize Yourself With the Interview Process
Many speech therapist job interviews take place at a physical location. However, some may take place online. Department heads, school administrators, and HR managers often conduct interviews.
Although some employers conduct only one interview, you may encounter multiple interviews in certain places. For instance, hospitals and some schools often have two or three interview rounds. During your interview, maintain your confidence, use positive language, and be authentic.
Following Up After an Interview
After your interview, reach out within a day to thank the interviewer for their time. This is a polite gesture that shows your gratitude. Make your follow-up email or call short.
When it comes to following up after your thank-you message, wait at least a week. This gives the interviewer time to review other applications and conduct additional interviews. If the interviewer stated a preferred contact method, use that.
Many companies send emails or make calls to let applicants know about their decisions. If you don't hear back after you follow up, keep applying for other speech therapist jobs that interest you.
How To Respond to a Job Offer
Congratulations! Getting a job offer is an exciting reward for all your hard work. Do you have any reservations about accepting it? Whether you wait or accept, thank the person who made you the offer.
Go ahead and ask questions if you're unsure about something. Tell the contact person how much time you need to consider the offer and when you’ll get back to them. You may also have other offers to consider.
Salary, benefits, duties, and scheduling are four important factors to consider. Does the salary align with those of similar roles and your speech therapy experience? Are the benefits and duties reasonable? Does the schedule suit your needs for family obligations or other issues?
Negotiating can help resolve any issues. For example, you may require a higher salary and a certain day of the week off. Employers often expect candidates to negotiate and may be willing to make adjustments.
Speech Therapist Career Paths
Some speech therapists seek pediatric jobs to help children. Others may narrow their area of interest to special education or something else. You may prefer working with seniors or in a setting that serves a variety of groups.
Although many speech therapists express high job satisfaction, others may continue studying and become physicians. For example, you may choose to study to become an otolaryngologist.
Think about your own goals and skills if you want to advance or take a similar career path. Many larger facilities offer tuition assistance or training. Take advantage of any programs that can foster your development goals.
Be sure to network with other professionals in your industry and facility. They may have ways to help you advance to higher speech therapist jobs or reach other goals.
Similar Occupations
These are some roles that are similar to speech therapist jobs: