Resume Project and Interview Skills

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Updated: April 7, 2012

RESUME

Your resume is powerful tool to allow employers to get an idea of your experiences and skills. In the clinical laboratory one critical aspect is listing the equipment and procedures performed in each area. This allows employers to see the breadth and depth of your clinical training. Your clinical rotations count as work experience. Employers know that recent graduates will have other non-laboratory jobs listed. The fact that you have not been employed in the last 2 years or that you switched jobs often will not be held against you. They may review your history prior to school to see the types of jobs performed and the length of time at each. Having reviewed many resumes myself, I look at how long they were at a position, what tasks they performed and why did they leave. This gives me an idea of how likely a person may stay at my facility. It costs a lot of money to train a medical laboratory technician, one supervisor stated that the cost is about $10,000 if they stay 6 months. A comment from an Advance article titled The High Cost of Hiring states: "New hire costs typically run from 10 to 40 percent of the employee's first year salary. The numbers also do not measure the reduced productivity while the new employee gets fully up to speed.". With this type of expense they wish to be assured that you will stay at least a year so they can recoup the money spent on training.

I encourage you to read job descriptions and model your resume based on the needs of the potential employer. Go to ADVANCE for Healthcare Careers Job Search to research job descriptions. Recruiter Meets Résumé is an article by a recruiter lists some very specific "does" and "don'ts". Your goal is to create a basic resume which can then be altered for the specific company you are applying to.

Prior to your job interview, do your homework, it is very important to research the hospital or clinic you are applying at. I have listed the web sites for most local employers at http://www.austincc.edu/mlt/clinical. The interviewer will ask you questions and, in turn, expect you to ask questions. Know how many beds the hospital has, how many clinics are in the network, if a clinic. If possible, find the mission statement for the organization and blend that into answers to some of the questions you are asked. And prepare the questions you wish to ask. Do NOT ask about salary. Review "200 Questions Job Candidates May Ask Your Company" for sample questions you may wish to ask. WRITE YOUR QUESTIONS DOWN on a piece of paper and keep it handy.

Research interview questions that may be asked of you. Most interviewers will ask for a strength, a weakness, and for a problem you encountered and how you resolved it. Prepare your answers now. Be sure to comment on your adaptability and flexibility as the clinical laboratory is ALWAYS in a state of change, whether it be organizational or technical, and you will be expected to "roll with the flow". Iniative, problem solving and being a team player are important characteristics for a laboratory professional. The articles "Answering Questions" , "An Interview Dialogue" and "Disastrous Moments" will be extremely helpful to you.

An article from Advance for Medical Laboratory Professionals (I strongly encourage you to subscribe to this FREE publication) states: "Jones recommends that students become involved in laboratory associations, including regulatory organizations. "Understanding regulatory agencies and their mission/intent is vital. It really gives the new professionals the theory behind why things are done or performed in a certain way," she affirmed.". If you have not joined ASCP yet I strongly encourage you to do so. Familiarize yourself with the College of American Pathologists (CAP), Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA), COLA, and the The Joint Commission . As an entry level MLT you will not need extensive knowledge but you will be expected to have some knowledge of these organizations and their impact on the laboratory.

With that said please find below some sites that will assist you in preparing your resume.

INTERVIEW

Job hunting and interviewing can be very stressful. You'll hear all sorts of rules about job interviews and interview technique:

  1. People decide about you in the first 10 seconds
  2. You have to make a good first impression
  3. Always ask insightful questions
  4. Learn as much as you can about the company
  5. They'll probably ask questions designed to trip you up, so have some quick answers at the ready.

But there's really only one thing that's absolutely certain about interviews: unless they're simply going through the motions because they've already appointed someone, they want it to be you. They want you to be the ideal person to fill the position; they want to know that their search is over. During the interview you want to demonstrate a positive attitude, high energy and spirit, enthusiasm and excitement. Show passion for the field of laboratory medicine as employers do not wish to hire "dead heads" (individuals who lack enthusiasm and excitement for the profession).

Here are some articles you may find interesting:

After you find that first job, what will set you apart from your colleagues? How do you make yourself "visible" to the organization as someone to watch and promote? Here are some additional articles that I believe will be of assistance to you:

Did you find the information here useful? Do you have other sites of interest or wish to see additional information presented? Email Terry Kotrla: kotrla@austincc.edu