What does a Coroner do?

Direct activities such as autopsies, pathological and toxicological analyses, and inquests relating to the investigation of deaths occurring within a legal jurisdiction to determine cause of death or to fix responsibility for accidental, violent, or unexplained deaths. Day to day that includes work like complete death certificates, including the assignment of cause and manner of death and Perform medicolegal examinations and autopsies, conducting preliminary examinations of the body to identify victims, locate signs of trauma, and identify factors that would indicate time of death.

What skills should a Coroner put on a resume?

O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and Coordination 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 Coroner list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes 3D graphics software, Alcestis, Autopsy information databases, Bite analysis software, and Corel WordPerfect Office Suite. 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 Coroner work?

O*NET records 16 titles for this occupation, including Autopsy Facilities Manager, MDI, Medicolegal Death Investigator, and Medical Examiner. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Coroner need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 35% 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 Coroner 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.

Coroner resume example

A resume for a Coroner needs to show the work itself: direct activities such as autopsies, pathological and toxicological analyses, and inquests relating to the investigation of deaths occurring within a legal jurisdiction to determine cause of death or to fix responsibility for accidental, violent, or unexplained deaths. Day to day that means work like this: complete death certificates, including the assignment of cause and manner of death; perform medicolegal examinations and autopsies, conducting preliminary examinations of the body to identify victims, locate signs of trauma, and identify factors that would indicate time of death. 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.

Autopsy Facilities Manager
MDI
Medicolegal Death Investigator
Medical Examiner
County Coroner
Death Investigator
Forensic Pathologist
Medical Legal Death Investigator
Medicolegal Investigator
MLI
Medical Legal Investigator
Certified Medical Examiner
Coroner Investigator
Forensic Medical Examiner
Medical Investigator
Mobile Medical Examiner

What people in this job call themselves

Titles reported by people actually doing this work, which is often not the title on the job posting.

Coroner
MDI (Medicolegal Death Investigator)
MLI (Medical Legal Investigator)

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.

Complete death certificates, including the assignment of cause and manner of death.
Perform medicolegal examinations and autopsies, conducting preliminary examinations of the body to identify victims, locate signs of trauma, and identify factors that would indicate time of death.
Interview persons present at death scenes to obtain information useful in determining the manner of death.
Observe and record the positions and conditions of bodies and related evidence.
Provide information concerning the circumstances of death to relatives of the deceased.
Remove or supervise removal of bodies from death scenes, using the proper equipment and supplies, and arrange for transportation to morgues.
Inquire into the cause, manner, and circumstances of human deaths and establish the identities of deceased persons.
Observe, record, and preserve any objects or personal property related to deaths, including objects such as medication containers and suicide notes.
Complete reports and forms required to finalize cases.
Arrange for the next of kin to be notified of deaths.
Locate and document information regarding the next of kin, including their relationship to the deceased and the status of notification attempts.
Collect and document any pertinent medical history information.

20 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.

Complete death certificates, including the assignment of cause and manner of death, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Perform medicolegal examinations and autopsies, conducting preliminary examinations of the body to identify victims, locate signs of trauma, and identify factors that would indicate time of death, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Interview persons present at death scenes to obtain information useful in determining the manner of death, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Observe and record the positions and conditions of bodies and related evidence, 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.

3D graphics software
Alcestis
Autopsy information databases
Bite analysis software
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
Customer relationship management CRM software
Douglas Associates Forensic Filer
Email software
EMC Documentum
Fingerprint databases
Genetic database software
Git
Google Android
Graphics software

31 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.

35 millimeter cameras
Autopsy bone saws
Autopsy evidence collection kits
Autopsy fluid collection vacuum aspirators
Autopsy knives
Autopsy saws
Autopsy scissors
Binocular light compound microscopes
Bone cutters
Bone dust collectors
Cadaver lifts
Desktop computers

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.

Git
Google Android
Linux
Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services SSRS
SQL
Transact-SQL
UNIX
Zoom

What this job rates as most important

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

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

Knowledge areas

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

English Language
Medicine and Dentistry
Customer and Personal Service
Law and Government
Administration and Management
Biology
Education and Training
Administrative

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.

35%Bachelor's Degree
15%Associate's Degree
15%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 “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Coroner do?: Direct activities such as autopsies, pathological and toxicological analyses, and inquests relating to the investigation of deaths occurring within a legal jurisdiction to determine cause of death or to fix responsibility for accidental, violent, or unexplained deaths. Day to day that includes work like complete death certificates, including the assignment of cause and manner of death and Perform medicolegal examinations and autopsies, conducting preliminary examinations of the body to identify victims, locate signs of trauma, and identify factors that would indicate time of death.
What skills should a Coroner put on a resume?: O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and Coordination 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 Coroner list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes 3D graphics software, Alcestis, Autopsy information databases, Bite analysis software, and Corel WordPerfect Office Suite. 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 Coroner work?: O*NET records 16 titles for this occupation, including Autopsy Facilities Manager, MDI, Medicolegal Death Investigator, and Medical Examiner. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Coroner need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 35% 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 Coroner 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.