Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technician resume example
A resume for a Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technician needs to show the work itself: perform routine medical laboratory tests for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Day to day that means work like this: conduct chemical analyses of body fluids, such as blood or urine, using microscope or automatic analyzer to detect abnormalities or diseases and enter findings into computer; analyze the results of tests or experiments to ensure conformity to specifications, using special mechanical or electrical devices. 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 Assistant
- Lab Assistant
- Laboratory Technician
- Lab Tech
- Medical Laboratory Technician
- MLT
- Medical Lab Technician
- Certified Clinical Laboratory Technician
- Clinical Laboratory Technician
- Clinical Lab Technician
- Medical Technician
- Catheterization Lab Tech
- Clinical Lab Assistant
- Clinical Tech
- Biotechnician
- Blood and Plasma Laboratory Assistant
- Blood Bank Laboratory Technician
- Blood or Blood Bank Technician
O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.
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.
- Clinical Laboratory Technician (Clinical Lab Technician)
- Laboratory Assistant (Lab Assistant)
- Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech)
- Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT)
- Medical Laboratory Technicians (Medical Lab Technician)
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 chemical analyses of body fluids, such as blood or urine, using microscope or automatic analyzer to detect abnormalities or diseases and enter findings into computer.
- Analyze the results of tests or experiments to ensure conformity to specifications, using special mechanical or electrical devices.
- Set up, maintain, calibrate, clean, and test sterility of medical laboratory equipment.
- Prepare standard volumetric solutions or reagents to be combined with samples, following standardized formulas or experimental procedures.
- Collect blood or tissue samples from patients, observing principles of asepsis to obtain blood sample.
- Supervise or instruct other technicians or laboratory assistants.
- Conduct blood tests for transfusion purposes and perform blood counts.
- Obtain specimens, cultivating, isolating, and identifying microorganisms for analysis.
- Examine cells stained with dye to locate abnormalities.
- Consult with a pathologist to determine a final diagnosis when abnormal cells are found.
- Perform medical research to further control or cure disease.
- Test raw materials, processes, or finished products to determine quality or quantity of materials or characteristics of a substance.
13 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 chemical analyses of body fluids, such as blood or urine, using microscope or automatic analyzer to detect abnormalities or diseases and enter findings into computer, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
- Analyze the results of tests or experiments to ensure conformity to specifications, using special mechanical or electrical devices, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
- Set up, maintain, calibrate, clean, and test sterility of medical laboratory equipment, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
- Prepare standard volumetric solutions or reagents to be combined with samples, following standardized formulas or experimental procedures, 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.
- Billing software
- Commercial plate reader software
- Data entry software
- Database software
- Electronic medical record EMR software
- Email software
- FileMaker Pro
- Google Docs
- Hematology laboratory workflow management software
- IBM Notes
- Laboratory information system LIS
- Medical digital imaging software
- Medical software
- Medical system integration software
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.
- 22-gauge needles
- 5-part differential automated hematology analyzers
- 8 and 12 channel pipettes
- Agglutination viewers
- Anaerobe jars
- Analytical balances
- Antigen-coated test plates
- Autoclaves
- Automated chemistry analyzers
- Automated coagulation analyzers
- Automated platelet analyzers
- Automated/semi-automated dipstick analysis systems
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.
- Billing
- Commercial plate reader
What this job rates as most important
O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.
- 01Active Listening
- 02Reading Comprehension
- 03Critical Thinking
- 04Speaking
- 05Science
- 06Complex Problem Solving
- 07Instructing
- 08Monitoring
- 09Operations Monitoring
- 10Quality Control Analysis
Knowledge areas
The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.
- Biology
- Chemistry
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Public Safety and Security
- Administrative
- Medicine and Dentistry
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.
- 46%Bachelor's Degree
- 31%Associate's Degree
- 10%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 Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technician do?
- Perform routine medical laboratory tests for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Day to day that includes work like conduct chemical analyses of body fluids, such as blood or urine, using microscope or automatic analyzer to detect abnormalities or diseases and enter findings into computer and Analyze the results of tests or experiments to ensure conformity to specifications, using special mechanical or electrical devices.
- What skills should a Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technician put on a resume?
- O*NET rates Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Speaking, and Science 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 Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technician list?
- Software recorded for this occupation includes Billing software, Commercial plate reader software, Data entry software, Database software, and Electronic medical record EMR software. 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 Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technician work?
- O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Laboratory Assistant, Lab Assistant, Laboratory Technician, and Lab Tech. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
- What qualifications does a Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technician need?
- In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 46% 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 Medical and Clinical Laboratory 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.