To help you out, we have curated this special guide that will cover all the questions and confusions and you will also get some bonus tips to help you make sure you write a job winning lab assistant resume and even increase your chances of getting shortlisted for interview and further hiring process.
So let's dive in!
Research for a good lab assistant resume
Why do you need to research for writing a professional lab assistant resume? There are several reasons for which you should do some research before writing your own professional lab assistant resume.
We always do some internet exploring when we are about to start a task or make a plan such as going for a trip or vacation, going out to eat or buying a new product or service. Because we want to make sure that we know as much of information as possible and make the most of what is available for us in terms of resources.
There are a number of points for which research will help you, let's discuss them here:
Job Market
Researching about the job market is really crucial for a lab assistants, and to create the lab assistant resume. The market is very crowded, and there is no shortage of lab assistants, hence it is crucial to hop on to the internet, understand the requirements of becoming a lab assistant, and you can ask colleagues, or people in associated industries, about this job.
Like market research before investing or buying any service or object in this world, we are researching about the job market which is crucial. Therefore, do not take this lightly and keep gaining knowledge, since having more of it won't bother you but having less of it will definitely not rule in your favor.
Laboratory tests pertain to the medical field, and you will need a degree in a field with respect to biology, technical sciences and experience in this field to become a lab assistant. Therefore, you need to reach out to labs, do first hand research about the market, just understand if there is a scope of employment in the industry, or whether you need to wait for your opportunity.
There will be nuances you will be able to tackle if you go do ground job market research. Since there will be ample of labs your city, state, or even your country, you will know what to expect when you understand the people working there.
Job Description
Job description is the single most important piece of literature that determines what you do after you get the job, although, it is also important before you apply for one too. You will need to scour the internet, you will have to go to different job boards, social media professional networking websites just to understand what the does the market, industry, sector expect of you.
Once you visit these websites you will start to understand the extent to which your scope of work is. Some labs will have extra duties but the others might not have the same type of responsibilities present in them. However, you need to realize one thing that all of them will have a common certain list of requirements, such as:
- Performing lab tests - pre and post analytic phase
- Documenting all the activities
- Preparing samples and specimens
- Be up to date with relevant areas of researches and trending topics of the industry
The aforementioned are going to be necessary for you to get a job and you will be expected to work on them ardently without faults since you are handling some medical equipment and peoples biological specimens.
Moreover, researching about job description will allow you to know what you need to buckle up on before you go into the job. You might have to go back to your books, or even google, or ask your buddies and research about those things you might not be comfortable or abreast with. This will allow you to take control of your educational theory and put it to application when the time comes.
Self Assessment
Self- assessment is no test, if you are wondering. Rest assured it's just an activity you should do in order to evaluate your self and understand what all you have learnt and done in your career. The self assessment phase can be divided primarily in to your education and professional work.
For education, you should know what all you have studied and make a list of what all is pertinent with respect to lab assistants position. You might have to go back on these topics if you are unsure you don't remember them.
Secondly, your professional work which is going to be your life line. If you already have work experience than wherever you have worked you need to prepare and list down any work you have done, your job description for them all, and then you need know what all achievements you had gained, what extra work you did for which you were acknowledged.
Before you start making these lists, you need to introspect thoroughly, you need to look within to know what you are and what have you done. This is what is called self assessment. Do not be scared to do this activity as this is crucial to what will come next, and most importantly crucial to when you really start putting down things on your resume.
Resume outline
Resume outline or format. There are three major types, all of them will be thoroughly covered in a section specifically devoted to formats. However, we would like to provide you with a brief of it. Resume outlines or formats are of three types: Functional format, reverse chronological format, and combination/ hybrid format.
The names are very straight forward although, there are some differences. Functional formats are for those who who do not have a lot of work experience. Reverse chronological format is for those who have experience. Combination or hybrid format is a mix of the the aforementioned formats where you take the chronology of the reverse chronological format one and mix in some elements of the functional format.
Key Words
Key words or action verbs, there are several ways this can be communicated but they are essential for all resumes. For context, your resume will first go ATS (Applicant tracking system), which is the first barrier, before it even reaches human eye. You will have to crack this.
There is no limitation in the amount of key words you can put in your resume, although, you need to be vigilant and follow the below guidelines:
- Research what are the key words/ action verbs are relevant in the role of lab assistant
- List them down for future reference too, and keep a separate document
- Be picky with what you will put in your resume, thus research resumes online to know what are the most common ones
- Shortlist the ones you think will be unique, subtle, and actionable to get through the ATS and then the hiring manager
The first point emphasizes on finding a generic list of key words that can go in any resume and words that a lab assistant resume can also have.
The second point talks about keeping a list for future reference, which means that one day if you decide to switch to another job and you want to work on your resume, you have a dictionary of key words ready to be used for you resume to freshen it up.
The third point mentions researching what key words are being most used in your industry. This means that you need to eliminate those key words as they are mundane, over used and will add no value if it even clears the ATS. Which is why you need to be weary of these words.
The fourth point discusses about finally creating a list of words that will add value to your resume and will also be subtle enough to be good substitutes to mundane and over used key words.
Resume Length
Resumes unlike Curriculum vitae or CV are one page long. They aren't longer then one page as they are enough for knowing the professional history of nay working professional. Any more is just extra and even the person reading multiple lab assistant resumes in a day will not flip the page. Therefore, we suggest to keep you resume a one pager only.
Fitting the content in one page in legible font and font size is crucial so you will have to be vigilant with the experiences you list down, and the key words/ action verbs you use, and the filler words used. Since no one can really manage to fit everything in one page, there will be some cuts, however, you can always bring them back when you are giving your interview if you feel they are important enough and will add value to you candidature of a lab assistant.
Please bear in mind that there are several sections i.e., hobbies; which might not be required, education; list only the the words needed, and use the space wisely, resume header, use the space wisely as well.
Tailoring
Tailoring is very crucial in how you approach multiple labs at once. You will have applied to several since you will not want to take chance with your career. Each of these lab's will have their own fundamentals and dynamics of running the business i.e., cultural values, mission statement, vision statement and even the hiring manager will be different. If you know all of this before hand then you can learn and implement how to customize your resume to beat the competition.
Tailoring is not actual sewing and cutting of fabric, its how you weave your narrative in the one piece of paper that show cases your professional prowess. Once you have embedded the language of the lab companies, or how the hiring manager communicates, you will have a piece of resume that is like chameleon.
This in no way means that you should be lying or cheating. You are using the knowledge available in the the system that enables you to maximize how you are putting forth your personality to the the hiring manager that will enable you to get the job.
Proofreading
Proof reading is the most essential thing you will have to do after you have written your resume. Proof reading is important as you might find spelling, grammar, or syntax, semantics mistakes which might cost you your chance at the job if the hiring manager is not very forgiving.
However, you should also be very careful about this, since this is the most important thing when ever you are writing a piece of literature. Doing the research will provide you with many resources where you can have your content proofread. You will also understand how to proofread when you do your research.
Online Resources
Accessing online resources has never been easier now. The internet is full of everything, its just one search away. To know what type of resumes are out there and what people put in their resumes, everything will be available on resource website like the LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Monster.com, Indeed, CareerJet.
Online resources will let you research about all of aforementioned topics that need attention to detail. The resources mentioned above should be used to guide yourself with respect to what format to pick, what key words to use, how to frame sentences and points for your work experience.
Lab assistant resume sample outline
Here is an outline of what a professional lab assistant resume should look like:
Resume header
The resume header of your lab assistant resume should include your contact information section. The details provided in this section should be accurate and written in professional format so that it is easy for the hiring managers to find the details they are looking for and connect with you easily.
These details should be included in your contact information section:
- Your first name and your last name
- Your contact number with country code and area code
- Your professional email ID that is formal
- Your LinkedIn profile link
- Your brief home address (not mandatory)
- Your professional headshot in formal attire (not mandatory)
Professional Summary
Professional summary is also known as the personal statement or personal objective. The personal statement is usually 3-5 sentences long, and 4 to 5 lines long on a resume depending on the font and font size chosen. Moving on to what a personal statement will entail, it is a shorter version of a cover letter, if you are familiar with them.
The professional statement is a piece of literature that the hiring manager or the person reading your lab assistant resume will read and create an image of you basis your initial words, and then might proceed to check the whole lab assistant resume out and see a detailed version of what you wrote in your professional summary.
The professional summary can include your educational background, your key professional experience, and work achievements, if you have some bandwidth then your hobby, however, it should be enough till the achievement/s. There is no rigid guideline to a professional summary but it will be the first paragraph your resume reader will read so you need to be cautious with the language and the words, and even the choice of experience you put there.
Professional experience
Your professional experience should include below mentioned information:
Job title & Company & Dates of Employment
Your role/job title or the designation along with the full name of your employer company or organization. You should also mention the dates or the employment period for which you worked with the company. You should only mention the month and the year, not the exact dates of joining and leaving.
Job Description
Next up should be your job description that includes all of your job duties as a lab assistant and also any other responsibilities that you may have handled that was outside of your job duties and not done by lab assistants usually, this can add more value to your professional experience on your lab assistant resume.
Key Achievements
Along with the above mentioned information, you should mention your key skills and relevant skills for the role of lab assistant that you displayed at your past roles. You should also note every key achievement that you may have had during your jobs. Make sure you do not undersell yourself as a professional lab assistant.
Education section
Your education section should mention all your educational exposures such as diploma, degrees and any courses that may be online or offline, certificate courses or such. You should mention your degree or course along with the educational institute or the platform from where you acquired the same. If you are a fresher, you should avoid mentioning the graduation years as it can lead to bias in the hiring managers' mind. However, if you are a n well experienced professional, you may mention the year of graduation as it will reflect the many years of professional experience you have accumulated.
Skills section
The skills section on your lab assistant resume should include all kinds of skills such as your soft skills, your hard skills, your technical skills for operating lab equipment, your all the key skills that are important and relevant for the role of lab assistants.
An ideal lab assistant resume includes the relevant skills throughout the resume in each section. One may wonder, I already included my skills in the different sections on my lab assistant resume than why do I need a separate section for my skills? The answer is- to ensure your skills are highlighted properly. Other sections include your skills as part of other information but this section will include your skills as a stand alone information, in addition, the skills included in this section will be your top strengths that are most important for your role of lab assistant.
We have curated a list of relevant skills for you below, for your own lab assistant resume you can use this list. You can also look at various job postings and note the key skills required, to include in your lab assistant resume because those are the skills that the hiring managers are looking for, to be exact.
📌List of relevant skills for your lab assistant resume:
- phone calls
- patient care
- animal care
- clerical and technical functions
- clerical functions
- providing test results
- supply costs management
- other duties
- client services
- capillary collections
- DNA extraction
- specimen collection
- in depth knowledge
- equipment failure resolution
- quality control
- correct data
- administrative tasks
- quality assurance
- computer database management
- interpersonal skills
- collecting specimen samples
- medical terminology
- working with health professionals
- equipment maintenance
- transporting specimens
- prepared specimens
- process specimens
- urine specimens
- laboratory support
- venous or capillary collections
- lab specimens
- preparing specimen samples
- lab tests
- laboratory equipment
- laboratory specimens
- laboratory experiments
- completing lab reports
- laboratory specimen log book
- lab test data
- lab test data entry
- laboratory information systems
- blood samples
- lab equipment
- lab equipment maintenance
- lab reports
- laboratory assistant duties
Bonus Tips
Now it's time for some bonus tips to improve your lab assistant resume!
Keywords
Key words are important as mentioned before in the beginning of this article. While you are researching about what key words to use, we have curated a list of key words/ phrases, some action verbs that will give contour to your resume. Please refer to the list of words below for your resume so that your resume stands out, creates an impact and leaves an image of more than an idealistic employee for the company you will be applying to.
📌List of relevant keywords for your lab assistant resume:
- lab assistant
- lab assistants
- laboratory assistant
- lab reports
- lab equipment maintenance
- lab equipment failure
- lab equipment
- blood samples
- laboratory information systems
- completing lab reports
- laboratory experiments
- laboratory specimens
- laboratory equipment
- key skills
- preparing specimen samples
- lab manager
- lab supervisor
- lab specimens
- prepared specimens
- data entry
- health professionals
- medical terminology
- specimen samples
- logged specimens
- off site collection areas
- interpersonal skills
- academic projects
- in depth knowledge
- quality assurance
- professional association
- quality control
- sample collection
- equipment failure
- education section
- specimen collection
- bachelor's degree
- supply costs
- test results
- lab
- patient care
- animal care
- appropriate areas
- worked closely
Cover letters
Cover letter for a lab assistant can be a deciding factor. A cover letter is another way of telling your professional story in a narrative. The narrative has to be weaved in a manner that hooks the reader and in this case the reader has to be the hiring manager.
The cover letter allows creative freedom, and you can express your personality in a more jovial sense. The reason why cover letters are better than a resume is because you are not bound by pointers.
Here you can introduce yourself, explain your educational background, throw in some favorite concepts or subjects, of anything that interested you, then you can put in your key professional experiences, and explain to the audience about how you were able to complete what was given to you, how you went over and beyond your job description to make people’s lives easier.
A cover letter is between 500-800 words long, and is a mini essay in its own. Try not to focus on your personal life. However, you can mention some hobbies that may catch the attention of the hiring manager.
There are ways in which a cover letter sells you better than a resume. Resume is very structured and formal, while on the other hand a cover letter is formal too but has room to expand on how it can be written, and how good you are at explaining the audience about yourself.
References
References are crucial in this line of work. If you have previously worked somewhere else and you have had a positive influence on the ream there, then you have nothing to worry about naturally also. The references should know that they are there to support your candidacy in the employment for the company and the position you are applying to.
You should not have more than 3 references, and have at least 2 reference in your pocket. The references add value to your characteristic by explaining the hiring manager how diligent you were at your past job.
The reason why it is good to have references in your backpack is because they carry weightage in terms of a way to understand if you will be a fit for the new company you are applying to. Whether the skills and achievements you may have mentioned in you’re resume are real or not. Sometimes although very rarely the references will go against what you had envisioned, however, that is not a case that you should be worried. You should always train the references in a mild manner.
Conclusion
In conclusion, you should always make sure that you keep in mind the tips we have discussed in this article. We also suggest you to use this guide as your own checklist for writing your own lab assistant resume. If you are looking for a lab assistant resume sample, we have a sample collection for all kinds of professions and jobs and you can check it out as it includes resume examples, resume templates and resume writing guides.
In addition, you can also take advantage of our resume builder option that allows you to write your resume in few minutes by providing you with AI generated prompts like ChatGPT. You should make sure that your resume meets the industry and professional resume standards discussed in this article. That's all! Good luck with the job search!
