Medical Technologist Resume Example and Guide

Medical technologists are critical to the health care industry and help diagnose some of the most serious illnesses, so you’ll need a well-organized resume to show you can do this. In a medical technologist resume, you need to show off: 

• Any work experiences that show you have knowledge in handling and operating lab equipment 
• Specialist skills that demonstrate knowledge of analysis procedures 
• The right medical qualifications and certifications

There are three resume formats from which to choose. The chronological resume format is the most popular and highlights your work experience. If you’re a recent graduate, you can use a functional resume format to focus on your skills. The combination resume format is a great choice if you have gaps in your work history or are changing careers.

 

Once you decide on the best resume format that fits your professional profile, you can move forward with writing your resume sections.

 

Your resume header is simple and contains your contact information. This is a very important section that ensures the hiring manager can contact you if they need to. Include your full name, location, phone number and email address in this section. You can also include professional portfolio links in this section to give the hiring manager or recruiter more information about your experience.

 

Depending on your years of experience, you might choose either a resume summary or a resume objective. A resume summary summarizes your experience and skills to catch the hiring manager’s attention; this includes special certifications or previous medical promotions. 

 

If you don’t have a lot of experience because you’re a recent graduate or you’re changing careers, you can use a resume objective. This is similar to a resume summary but focuses on your career intentions. You should explain in more detail why you think you have the right industry knowledge and the goals you wish to accomplish in the role.

 

The skills section is very important to a resume. This section proves that you have the right qualities for a medical technologist. You’ll mainly need to focus on the skills mentioned in the job description to create the best resume skills section. This will help the hiring manager match you to the role. 

 

A great skills section will have a mixture of hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are specific to a health care role like medical technology (e.g., urinalysis). Soft skills transfer to lots of different industries and don’t need specific training or experience, such as communication skills. 

 

The following bullet point list includes some skills you can add to your resume: 

• Technology calibration 
• Clinical laboratory instrumentation 
• Quality control 
• Bacteriology 
• Complex testing
• Sterilizing laboratory equipment 
• Quality assurance 
• Knowledge of testing procedures 
• Troubleshooting issues with test results and equipment 
• Communication skills 
• Collaborating with laboratory technicians and medical center personnel
• Interpersonal skills
• Prevention of disease 
• Patient care 
• Histology reporting
• Communicating with blood banks
• Analyzing body fluids (serology)
• Assay procedures

Work history

Hiring managers and recruiters use a work experience section to prove your skills and knowledge. You should list your previous jobs in reverse-chronological order, starting from the most recent job and working backward. Include 3-5 bullet points that outline your duties under each job to provide more detail. Include the company name with each job title and your employment dates. 

 

Medical technologists usually need a bachelor’s degree in medical technology to qualify. Be sure to include any coursework you have taken related to a medical technologist role, such as hematology, microbiology, immunology and phlebotomy. 

 

Depending on your state, a special license to be a medical technologist might be needed, so it’s important to research these requirements before you apply. You might also need certification from the National Accreditation Agency for Clinical Lab Sciences (NAACL). 

Here are some do’s and don’ts for a medical technologist resume: 

 

Do:

• Use a medical technologist resume sample to give your resume a professional structure. You can also use a medical technologist resume template to help you format your resume sections. 
• Use the right keywords from the job description to get through applicant tracking systems (ATS).
• Include key accomplishments in your resume summary. 

Don’t:

• Forget to use a professional font for your resume. Times New Roman or Arial are suitable font choices. 
• Write very long paragraphs. This could make your resume too long. Instead, use succinct bullet points to make your resume easy to read.
• Include irrelevant experience from unrelated industries. This will clutter your resume.