What skills should a Biological Technician put on a resume?

O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Science, and Active Learning among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Biological Technician list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, BD Biosciences CellQuest, BoxShade, and ClustalW. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Biological Technician work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Laboratory Technician, Research Associate, Research Technician, and Biological Science Laboratory Technician. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Biological Technician need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 49% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Biological Technician role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Biological Technician resume example

A resume for a Biological Technician needs to show the work itself: assist biological and medical scientists. Day to day that means work like this: conduct research, or assist in the conduct of research, including the collection of information and samples, such as blood, water, soil, plants and animals; use computers, computer-interfaced equipment, robotics or high-technology industrial applications to perform work duties. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Laboratory Technician
Research Associate
Research Technician
Biological Science Laboratory Technician
Biological Science Lab Tech
Biological Science Technician
Marine Fisheries Technician
Research Assistant
Research Specialist
Wildlife Biology Technician
Aquatic Tech
Artificial Breeding Lab Tech
Biological Field Tech
Microbiology QC Tech
R & D Associate
Aquatic Technician
Artificial Breeding Laboratory Technician
Artificial Breeding Technician

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Conduct research, or assist in the conduct of research, including the collection of information and samples, such as blood, water, soil, plants and animals.
Use computers, computer-interfaced equipment, robotics or high-technology industrial applications to perform work duties.
Monitor and observe experiments, recording production and test data for evaluation by research personnel.
Analyze experimental data and interpret results to write reports and summaries of findings.
Provide technical support and services for scientists and engineers working in fields such as agriculture, environmental science, resource management, biology, and health sciences.
Keep detailed logs of all work-related activities.
Input data into databases.
Isolate, identify and prepare specimens for examination.
Set up, adjust, calibrate, clean, maintain, and troubleshoot laboratory and field equipment.
Clean, maintain and prepare supplies and work areas.
Monitor laboratory work to ensure compliance with set standards.
Place orders for laboratory equipment and supplies.

17 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Conduct research, or assist in the conduct of research, including the collection of information and samples, such as blood, water, soil, plants and animals, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Use computers, computer-interfaced equipment, robotics or high-technology industrial applications to perform work duties, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Monitor and observe experiments, recording production and test data for evaluation by research personnel, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Analyze experimental data and interpret results to write reports and summaries of findings, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Photoshop
BD Biosciences CellQuest
BoxShade
ClustalW
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
Database software
ESRI ArcGIS software
Gene Codes Sequencher
Gene Runner
Geographic information system GIS software
Graphics software
Harvard Graphics
IBM Lotus 1-2-3

33 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Aerobic growth chambers
Agitators
Amino acid analyzers
Anaerobic growth chambers
Analytical balances
Autoclaves
Automated cell counters
Automated microplate ELISA readers
Automated tissue/slide stainers
Automatic pipetters
Balances
Bioanalyzers

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

clean objects
BD Biosciences CellQuest
BoxShade

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Reading Comprehension
02Critical Thinking
03Active Listening
04Science
05Active Learning
06Writing
07Complex Problem Solving
08Monitoring
09Speaking
10Judgment and Decision Making

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Biology
English Language
Mathematics
Computers and Electronics
Chemistry

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

49%Bachelor's Degree
29%Master's Degree
14%Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Considerable Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Common questions

What does a Biological Technician do?: Assist biological and medical scientists. Day to day that includes work like conduct research, or assist in the conduct of research, including the collection of information and samples, such as blood, water, soil, plants and animals and Use computers, computer-interfaced equipment, robotics or high-technology industrial applications to perform work duties.
What skills should a Biological Technician put on a resume?: O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Science, and Active Learning among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Biological Technician list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Photoshop, BD Biosciences CellQuest, BoxShade, and ClustalW. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Biological Technician work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Laboratory Technician, Research Associate, Research Technician, and Biological Science Laboratory Technician. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Biological Technician need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 49% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Biological Technician role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.