Phlebotomist Resume : Comprehensive Guide to Get that Job

Phlebotomist's job is tricky and crucial. One mistake could cause bad consequences, not to forget, pain for the patient as well. So when you are looking for a job, you need to convince the hiring managers that you are skilled.

You can do that with a good phlebotomist resume. A good resume can get you a good job. However, if your goals are above average, a good resume may not get you the extra ordinary job you are eyeing. So how to do that?

By reading this article and then using the tips described here! You may be an expert of drawing blood and handling blood samples, but you need some guidance with the resume like anybody else. And we are here for you. Let's start then!

What does an ideal phlebotomist resume have?

When you read a job description, you might wonder what exactly does a good candidate is in the eyes of the recruiter, it's definitely going to be someone who has something more to offer than demanded in the job description because everyone is going to see that job description and apply only if they fulfill all requirements but not everyone will get hired.

The routine blood drawing procedures that you are so good at may seem easier than writing a resume that doesn't involve a needle and blood. Because these days, competition is fierce in every area and the majority of job seekers are well qualified, making it very difficult to land a job you want.

But no worries, if there is a problem, the solution is just around the corner. Along with reading this article carefully, you can also check phlebotomist resume examples on the internet.

📌An ideal resume has these:

• A format
• Header
• Summary
• Experience
• Education
• Skills
• Certifications
• Extra

Now, let's cover them all in detail.

Format

Your phlebotomist resume needs a professional and formal format to make sure that the presentation of your profile is visually appealing and easily readable for the recruiter. When we make a powerpoint presentation, we make sure to make the slides attractive and engaging so the presentation has the desired impact.

Phlebotomist resume examples also have a format that optimizes the presentation of the details of the job seeker's profile. There are various kinds of formats such as modern, traditional, contemporary, minimalist, visual, creative and so on.

A professional resume has a format that is suitable to the profession area of the role (that you are applying for), candidate's details of profile and the industry. The right format for your phlebotomist resume will be professional and balanced. You may want to avoid visual elements to reflect sincerity and professionalism because the medical field is not to be taken lightly.

Header

The header of your phlebotomist resume will have your professional headshot in formal attire (optional), your name, contact number and email address.

Make sure your spellings are correct. Your name should be clearly visible in slightly larger fonts, without any spelling mistakes. Your contact number should be noted properly with signs (+, ()) and spaces. Your email address should be professional with your name.

The header is important because without these details even if you are shortlisted, the recruiters will fail to contact you. So make sure everything is properly noted down.

Summary

The sales pitch of you! That's what the summary is in your phlebotomist resume. It helps you convince the recruiter that your resume is worth taking a look over and considering. It is crisp, concise and short (only 3 to 5 bullet points or 3-4 sentences).

The first detail that you should mention is your job title. Followed by the first bullet point covering your total years of experience and little detail of the broad area of your experience or the employer organization name.

The next bullet points should talk about your key accomplishments and skills. Reflect your passion in these points. Also, quantify the details as much as possible with numbers.

At last add a bullet point about how you are determined to contribute with all your skills and knowledge at your next opportunity. You can also say that you are looking for a challenging role to leverage your skills.

Experience

Your professional experiences will be included in this professional experience section in your phlebotomist resume.

The order of your experiences should be reverse-chronological, meaning you should begin with the latest experience and then walk back to your first experience. When you mention your experiences, note your job title, followed by the name of the organization and the period of time you worked there.

Describe the details of the experience in bullet points. Try not to focus on the usual responsibilities that may be obvious, rather emphasize how you faced new challenges and overcame them with your skills.

You can mention how good you are when interacting with the patient, how well do you handle the blood samples and so on. Try to reflect how your soft skills make you a pleasant presence and your hard skills make you a competent professional to have around.

You can also mention how you have worked with pediatric patients as well as geriatric patients and provided them with quality patient care. You can also showcase your ability to handle medical equipment.

Note any responsibilities you had that made you an exceptional professional because how well you did them i.e. your knowledge and skills of infection control procedures, positive patient identification, lab procedures, interpersonal skills, patient relations, performing venipuncture and capillary technique, safety procedures, patient education, taking vital signs, blood collection, storing blood samples, data entry, blood transfusions, patient preparation, quality control, ensuring proper documentation and so on.

Try to quantify your performance and responsibilities wherever possible, use numbers to create an impression of credible experience and skills.

If yours is an entry level phlebotomist resume and you don't have many(or any) experiences, don't worry. You can describe your experiences of assisting a phlebotomist, having been to blood donation centers, training and such.

Reflect how your knowledge and theoretical skills are strong and with the strong foundation you are more than ready to start working.

Education

Your education is important because it confirms your theoretical knowledge and skills' foundation. When you mention your education, begin with the name of the education institution from where you graduated. Next, mention the degree.

With education, you can mention any relevant coursework and subjects, especially if you don't have any prior experience, be sure to focus well on the education section.

You can also mention any outstanding performances, extra curricular activities, internships and such that are relevant.

Skills

The skills section holds a significant weight in phlebotomist resume because without skills you cannot be hired like other jobs where they can provide training when you don't have skills i.e. Content writer, engineers and so on.

You can note soft skills as well as your hard skills as they are both important in your profession because you deal with patients who need special care.

📌Your soft skills can include:

• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Organizational skills
• Being patient and kind
• High quality patient care skills

and any more that you may find useful as a phlebotomist. In addition you also need hard skills that are a must for a phlebotomist.

📌Your hard skills can include:

• Draw blood
• Handle blood specimens
• Handle lab computer system
• Handle blood collecting equipment
• Blood collection
• Venipuncture procedures
• Follow infection control protocols
• Handle electronic medical records
• Prepare blood collecting equipment

apart from these you can include skills such patient relations, patient care, storing blood samples, taking blood pressure, knowledge of medical terminology, various phlebotomy procedures, phlebotomy services, knowledge of safety procedures, taking vital signs, handling collected blood, ensuring patient satisfaction, assisting lead phlebotomist or senior phlebotomist, handling specimen samples and anything else that you can think of.

You can mention your skills in your experience section, summary section and throughout your phlebotomist resume.

Certifications

Do you have a phlebotomy certificate? Or maybe you are a certified phlebotomist or certified phlebotomy technician? Your certifications matter a lot because it is a proof of your skills and knowledge and often experience. It proves your competency as a phlebotomist.

Any and every certificate that you have acquired should be mentioned in the certifications section. You can also mention a little detail of where you got the certificate from or for what and when.

Hiring managers will be looking for qualifications that are not just your experience or skills but an official document. In some states, you might need licenses and certifications as a basic requirement for the job.

Extra

As a phlebotomist you have a wide range of areas to perform which means there are many details of skills and experience that you can mention. The experience, skills, education and summary sections may not be enough sometimes.

You can always add an extra section for various relevant details. You can add language proficiency details. You can talk about your hobbies and interests that are relevant.

You can find ways to include as many relevant details as possible as this will help you cover all the necessary keywords in your resume.

How to optimize your phlebotomist resume?

You want to make sure you get that job? You need to optimize your phlebotomist resume. Here are some tips on how to do that. But let's give you some trivia first!

137,090! And the highest numbers of phlebotomists are in California and Texas!

(Source: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes319097.htm)

Now, let's talk about tips to enhance your phlebotomist resume.

Keywords

You may have heard of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Most hiring managers these days use the ATS to scan resumes. The ATS scans the resumes and shortlists them for the hiring manager.

If your resume doesn't have the relevant keywords, your resume is likely to end up getting rejected by the ATS because ATS's parameters are the relevant keywords for the job.

To ensure you beat the ATS and reach the shortlist of resumes in the hiring manager's hand, you need to include all the relevant keywords in your resume. This means, you need to research your job title, job description, the organization where you are applying, the industry and anything else that may be relevant.

Awards/accomplishments

If you have any awards and accomplishments worth mentioning in your phlebotomist resume, that may be relevant to your role, be sure to mention them all. You can also make a separate section for these details.

References

As a phlebotomist, your job duties are crucial to a patient's health and your role is not to be taken lightly. To ensure the hiring manager finds you credible and competent, you may provide references which can be contacted by the hiring manager to get reassurances.

Tailor for each application

If you are determined to get that one particular job, you might want to tailor your job application carefully instead of using a generic one. Job seekers may find it tiring but it can make a big difference when you tailor your resume for each application.

What to avoid in your phlebotomist resume?

Language rules

When you are going through phlebotomist resume samples, you may notice something in the language that is used. There are certain rules that need to be followed in a professional resume.

• You should not use any pronouns while describing details.

i.e.

❌ INCORRECT

I have done x and y.

✅ CORRECT

Did x and y.

• You should always write in third person.
• Your details should be described in past tense.

Overcrowding

You might have a lot of information to showcase but not everything may be equally relevant or maybe important. Try to avoid extra details and leave out irrelevant information.

Overcrowding your resume with a lot of information can have undesirable effects on the reader or hiring manager.

Lack of confidence

Sometimes, you may lack confidence due to any number of reasons such as lack of experience. It is understandable however you need to assure yourself that your skills and knowledge make you competent.

You should never let it reflect in your resume that you lack confidence. Confidence is important and essential for job seekers.

Lack of passion

When you want a job, you may not always be passionate. Sometimes, we look for jobs for income or any other reasons. However, when you are applying for a job, it is important to show that you are passionate because otherwise the recruiter will assume that you will not be able to perform well due to lack of strong interest.

Conclusion

In conclusion, you should always try to write the resume carefully, following all the rules and tips that are covered at length in this article. Landing that job that you want so badly, is not impossible. With the right resume and confidence during the interview, you can land any job that you want.

You should also refer to resume examples and resume templates however do not make the mistake of copying everything. Personalize the outline, sections and details according to the job you are applying to and your profile as a professional phlebotomist. You can also use this article as a checklist and check out our resume examples.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)