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Genetic Counselor resume example

A resume for a Genetic Counselor needs to show the work itself: assess individual or family risk for a variety of inherited conditions, such as genetic disorders and birth defects. Day to day that means work like this: interpret laboratory results and communicate findings to patients or physicians; discuss testing options and the associated risks, benefits and limitations with patients and families to assist them in making informed decisions. 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.

  • Certified Genetic Counselor
  • Prenatal and Pediatric Genetic Counselor
  • Medical Science Liaison
  • Cancer Genetic Counselor
  • Cancer Program Consultant
  • Chromosomal Disorders Counselor
  • Genetic Coordinator
  • Genetic Counseling Medical Specialist
  • Mitochondrial Disorders Counselor
  • Pediatric Genetic Counselor
  • Prenatal Genetic Counselor

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.

  • Interpret laboratory results and communicate findings to patients or physicians.
  • Discuss testing options and the associated risks, benefits and limitations with patients and families to assist them in making informed decisions.
  • Analyze genetic information to identify patients or families at risk for specific disorders or syndromes.
  • Provide counseling to patient and family members by providing information, education, or reassurance.
  • Write detailed consultation reports to provide information on complex genetic concepts to patients or referring physicians.
  • Provide genetic counseling in specified areas of clinical genetics, such as obstetrics, pediatrics, oncology and neurology.
  • Determine or coordinate treatment plans by requesting laboratory services, reviewing genetics or counseling literature, and considering histories or diagnostic data.
  • Interview patients or review medical records to obtain comprehensive patient or family medical histories, and document findings.
  • Assess patients' psychological or emotional needs, such as those relating to stress, fear of test results, financial issues, and marital conflicts to make referral recommendations or assist patients in managing test outcomes.
  • Provide patients with information about the inheritance of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and various forms of cancer.
  • Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in genetics.
  • Prepare or provide genetics-related educational materials to patients or medical personnel.

19 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.

  • Interpret laboratory results and communicate findings to patients or physicians, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Discuss testing options and the associated risks, benefits and limitations with patients and families to assist them in making informed decisions, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Analyze genetic information to identify patients or families at risk for specific disorders or syndromes, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Provide counseling to patient and family members by providing information, education, or reassurance, 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.

  • Benetech PRA
  • BRCAPRO
  • Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool
  • CancerGene
  • CyrillicSoftware Cyrillic
  • Database software
  • FileMaker Pro
  • Ftree
  • Jurek Software Pedigree-Draw
  • Medgen PED
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook

25 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.

  • Automated deoxyribonucleic acid DNA sequencers
  • Benchtop ultracentrifuges
  • Cryostats
  • Differential interference microscopes
  • Fluorescent microscopes
  • Gel documentation systems
  • High speed centrifuges
  • Microplate readers
  • Personal computers
  • Phosphor imagers
  • Table top centrifuges
  • Ultracentrifuges

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.

  • Benetech PRA
  • BRCAPRO

What this job rates as most important

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

  1. 01Reading Comprehension
  2. 02Active Listening
  3. 03Complex Problem Solving
  4. 04Active Learning
  5. 05Critical Thinking
  6. 06Social Perceptiveness
  7. 07Speaking
  8. 08Writing
  9. 09Judgment and Decision Making
  10. 10Science

Knowledge areas

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

  • Biology
  • Psychology
  • Medicine and Dentistry
  • Therapy and Counseling
  • English Language
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Mathematics
  • Sociology and Anthropology

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.

  • 100%Master's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Extensive Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Common questions

What does a Genetic Counselor do?
Assess individual or family risk for a variety of inherited conditions, such as genetic disorders and birth defects. Day to day that includes work like interpret laboratory results and communicate findings to patients or physicians and Discuss testing options and the associated risks, benefits and limitations with patients and families to assist them in making informed decisions.
What skills should a Genetic Counselor put on a resume?
O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Active Learning, and Critical Thinking 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 Genetic Counselor list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Benetech PRA, BRCAPRO, Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool, CancerGene, and CyrillicSoftware Cyrillic. 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 Genetic Counselor work?
O*NET records 11 titles for this occupation, including Certified Genetic Counselor, Prenatal and Pediatric Genetic Counselor, Medical Science Liaison, and Cancer Genetic Counselor. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Genetic Counselor need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 100% reported their level of education as "Master's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Genetic Counselor 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.