Laboratory Technician CV Examples & Writing Guide
A laboratory technician CV gets an interview when the top third shows the type of lab (quality control, NHS pathology, research, environmental), the instruments and methods you run (HPLC, GC, PCR, haematology analysers), your volume and accuracy (samples a day, turnaround time, out-of-specification or error rate), the quality system you worked under (GMP, GLP, UKAS-accredited ISO/IEC 17025 or ISO 15189) and any registration such as RSciTech. Below: a full sample CV, personal statements, bullets, skills and an entry-level version.
Lab technician CV example (quality control laboratory, 6 years)
This sample is for an analytical chemistry technician who started as a student lab assistant, worked in an environmental testing lab and now runs quality control testing at a pharmaceutical plant. The name and employers are made up. NHS laboratory staff, research technicians and lab assistants can keep the layout and use the personal statements and qualification notes below, which cover NHS pathology labs too.
Kevin Nakamura
Senior QC Laboratory Technician
Nottingham · 07700 900159 · kevin.nakamura@email.com · linkedin.com/in/kevinnakamura-qc
Summary
Laboratory technician with 6 years in GMP quality control and environmental testing labs. Runs 40 to 60 samples a day by HPLC, GC, UV-Vis, Karl Fischer and dissolution testing on raw materials, in-process and finished-product batches, with a 0.4% invalid assay rate and zero major findings in three MHRA and customer audits. Writes and revises SOPs, qualifies instruments and trains new analysts on Empower and LabWare LIMS.
Experience
Senior QC Laboratory Technician · Generic pharmaceutical manufacturer (oral solid dose, 2 shifts), Nottingham
Oct 2022 – Present
- Test 40 to 60 raw material, in-process and finished-product samples a day by HPLC (Agilent 1260, Empower 3), UV-Vis, Karl Fischer titration and Ph. Eur. dissolution, releasing about 90 batches a month against specifications.
- Hold a 0.4% invalid assay rate over the last two years (lab average 1.1%) through pre-run system suitability checks and careful sample preparation records.
- Investigated 14 out-of-specification (OOS) results in 2025 as lead analyst, completing Phase I lab investigations within 3 working days and documenting root cause in the deviation system.
- Supported three audits (one MHRA inspection, two customer audits) with no major findings on QC data integrity, instrument logs or training records.
- Wrote or revised 22 SOPs and test methods, performed operational qualification on two new HPLC systems and trained 5 new analysts on Empower and LabWare LIMS.
Laboratory Technician, Inorganic and Wet Chemistry · Environmental testing laboratory (UKAS-accredited to ISO/IEC 17025, about 2,000 samples a month)
Jun 2020 – Sep 2022
- Analysed 80 to 100 drinking water and wastewater samples a day for pH, conductivity, alkalinity, nutrients (nitrate, phosphate by colorimetry) and metals preparation for ICP-OES under accredited standard methods.
- Met the 5-day turnaround target on 98% of samples while logging, sub-sampling and preserving incoming samples in the LIMS.
- Ran daily calibration and QC (blanks, duplicates, matrix spikes, laboratory control samples) and flagged out-of-control batches before results were reported; zero data quality findings in two UKAS assessments.
- Maintained and troubleshot autotitrators, spectrophotometers and a discrete analyser, cutting instrument downtime by keeping a spare-parts log and planned maintenance calendar.
Student Laboratory Assistant (part time) · University chemistry department, teaching and research labs
Aug 2018 – May 2020
- Prepared reagents, standards and buffers for 6 undergraduate practical classes a week (about 150 students), and set up and cleaned glassware and instruments.
- Ran 200+ GC-MS samples for a PhD research group under a standard method and kept the chemical inventory and safety data sheets up to date.
Education
BSc (Hons) Chemistry, 2:1
University in the Midlands, 2020
Certifications
- COSHH risk assessment training, 2024
- GMP and data integrity training, current (annual)
- Royal Society of Chemistry member since 2019
Skills
What a lab manager checks before reading the rest
Lab managers and supervisors read for fit with their bench first. Whether the lab is in an NHS hospital, a pharma plant, a food company or a university, the first scan covers these four points.
- Lab type and regulatory framework. NHS or private pathology (UKAS ISO 15189), pharma or medical device QC (GMP, ISO 13485), environmental or food testing (ISO/IEC 17025, MCERTS for some environmental work), research (GLP or none). Name yours; each has different documentation habits.
- Instruments and methods, by name. HPLC, GC-MS, ICP, PCR, ELISA, flow cytometry, haematology and chemistry analysers (name the model: Sysmex XN, Beckman DxC, Roche cobas). Write what you ran independently, not what you observed.
- Volume and quality. Samples a day, tests a shift, turnaround time, invalid or repeat rate, OOS count, audit or external quality assessment (EQA) results. These separate a technician who can carry a bench from one who needs supervision.
- Registration where it applies. In NHS pathology, biomedical scientist is a protected title that requires HCPC registration; medical laboratory assistants and associate practitioners need none. Industrial and research labs have no licence, so the qualification, the methods and the quality system carry the weight, with RSciTech or RSci registration as an optional extra.
“I go straight to the instrument list and the sample volume. If the CV says HPLC, I want to see the software and how many samples, because that tells me whether they set up the run or just pressed start. Audit history is the bonus that gets a callback.”
Lab technician personal statement examples (QC, NHS lab, lab assistant, research, entry level)
Three or four lines: lab type and years, instruments and methods, volume, one quality number, registration or qualification. The entry-level example also answers searches for a "lab technician career objective": it names the role wanted, but leads with what the person can already do.
Quality control lab technician with 5 years in GMP release testing, running 50 samples a day by HPLC, GC and Karl Fischer with a 0.5% invalid rate and no major audit findings. Writes SOPs, leads Phase I OOS investigations and trains analysts on Empower and LabWare LIMS. BSc (Hons) Chemistry.
Associate practitioner with 4 years in the blood sciences laboratory of a 600-bed NHS hospital, running haematology (Sysmex XN), chemistry (Roche cobas), coagulation and urinalysis at about 250 patient samples a shift. Meets the 1-hour turnaround for urgent A&E samples on 97% of requests; satisfactory performance in UK NEQAS schemes for every analyte run. IBMS Certificate of Achievement.
Medical laboratory assistant with 3 years in a pathology specimen reception, booking in 600 to 800 specimens a shift, centrifuging, aliquoting and routing to 9 departments with a 0.2% labelling error rate. Phlebotomy trained, uses WinPath and electronic order communications; studying part time for an IBMS-accredited BSc in Biomedical Science, due 2027.
Research technician with 4 years in a university immunology lab, running qPCR, ELISA, western blots, flow cytometry (BD FACSCanto) and mammalian cell culture for 3 funded projects. Maintains 12 cell lines and a 400-sample biobank, co-authored 2 papers and trains PhD students on aseptic technique. BSc (Hons) Biology.
Laboratory technician with 3 years in a UKAS-accredited environmental lab, analysing 90 water and soil samples a day by wet chemistry, ion chromatography and ICP-OES preparation under accredited methods, including MCERTS soil testing. 98% on-time turnaround, zero data findings in two UKAS assessments, ISO/IEC 17025 documentation and LIMS entry.
Chemistry graduate (BSc (Hons), 2:1, 2026) with 300+ hours of practical classes and a final-year research project on HPLC, GC-MS, UV-Vis and titration, plus a summer QC placement running 20 samples a day under GMP. Seeking a laboratory technician role in QC or environmental testing; trained on Empower basics, LIMS entry and COSHH.
Lab technician job description for a CV: bullets that show your bench
Each bullet should name the method or instrument, the sample type, the count, and the quality result. Use lab verbs (analyse, prepare, calibrate, validate, investigate, document). Seven common lab CV lines rewritten:
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Performed HPLC analysis. | Ran 30 to 40 HPLC assays a day (Agilent 1260, Empower 3) on finished-product batches for assay and content uniformity, with system suitability passing on 99% of runs. |
| Processed patient samples. | Processed about 250 patient samples a shift across haematology, chemistry and coagulation analysers, meeting the 1-hour urgent turnaround on 97% of A&E requests. |
| Followed lab safety procedures. | Managed the lab's hazardous waste stream (about 150 litres a month), COSHH assessments and a chemical inventory of 300 items with no findings in 3 health and safety inspections. |
| Maintained equipment. | Performed daily QC, weekly maintenance and quarterly calibration on 2 HPLC systems, a GC-FID and a Karl Fischer titrator, and cut unplanned downtime by half with a spare-parts and planned maintenance log. |
| Recorded results in the system. | Entered and reviewed 500+ results a week in LabWare LIMS with second-person verification and zero data integrity observations in an MHRA inspection. |
| Helped with investigations. | Led 14 Phase I OOS investigations in 2025, each closed within 3 working days, and contributed root-cause data to 4 CAPAs. |
| Ran PCR and ELISA. | Ran 60 to 80 qPCR reactions and 6 to 8 ELISA plates a week for a grant-funded study, keeping the plate-to-plate coefficient of variation under 10% and maintaining 12 mammalian cell lines contamination-free for 3 years. |
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Laboratory technician CV skills (methods, instruments, quality systems, software)
List 12 to 18 skills grouped by type, and name instruments and software rather than categories. "Laboratory techniques" is not a skill; "HPLC with Empower 3" is. Pick the group that matches your lab.
Analytical and industrial labs:
- Chromatography: HPLC and UHPLC, GC-FID, GC-MS, LC-MS, ion chromatography
- Spectroscopy: UV-Vis, FTIR, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, atomic absorption
- Wet chemistry: titration, Karl Fischer, gravimetric analysis, pH and conductivity, loss on drying
- Physical testing: dissolution, disintegration, viscosity, particle size, moisture
- Quality systems: GMP (EU and UK GMP), GLP, ISO/IEC 17025 (UKAS), MCERTS, HACCP and BRCGS for food labs
- Documentation: SOPs, batch records, OOS and deviation investigations, CAPA, data integrity (ALCOA+)
- Software: Empower, OpenLab, Chromeleon, LabWare, STARLIMS, Minitab, Excel
NHS, clinical and research labs:
- Haematology, clinical chemistry, coagulation, urinalysis, blood transfusion and microbiology benches; name the analysers (Sysmex, Beckman Coulter, Roche cobas, Abbott Alinity, BD BACTEC)
- Specimen reception and processing: phlebotomy, booking in, centrifugation, aliquoting, sample tracking and chain of custody
- Molecular and cell biology: PCR and qPCR, ELISA, western blot, gel electrophoresis, flow cytometry, cell culture, aseptic technique
- Microscopy, staining (Gram, H&E), microbiology plating and identification
- Quality: UKAS ISO 15189, UK NEQAS and other EQA schemes, internal quality control and Westgard rules, patient confidentiality under UK GDPR
- Software: WinPath, Telepath, Sunquest, Epic Beaker (in some trusts), LabVantage, GraphPad Prism, FlowJo
- Containment Level 2 work, biological agents and chemicals under COSHH, hazardous waste
Qualifications, registration and education for lab technicians
Requirements depend on the lab. In NHS pathology, only HCPC-registered staff can work as biomedical scientists; support roles such as medical laboratory assistant and associate practitioner need no registration. Industrial, environmental and research labs have no licence; the qualification, the methods and training records matter instead.
- Apprenticeship: the Level 3 Laboratory Technician apprenticeship is a common entry route into industry and university labs, usually alongside a vocational science qualification. Write "Level 3 Laboratory Technician apprenticeship, 2024".
- Professional registration (optional): Registered Science Technician (RSciTech) for technicians at around Level 3, and Registered Scientist (RSci) for degree-level staff, awarded by Science Council licensed bodies such as the Institute of Science and Technology (IST) or the Royal Society of Chemistry. Write "RSciTech, Institute of Science and Technology, 2025".
- NHS support roles: medical laboratory assistant (MLA, usually Band 2 to 3) and associate practitioner (Band 4). Useful extras are phlebotomy training, the IBMS Certificate of Achievement and healthcare science apprenticeships; list your band and department.
- Biomedical scientist, for contrast: an IBMS-accredited degree, the IBMS Registration Training Portfolio and HCPC registration, usually Band 5 upwards. Do not use the title on your CV until you are on the HCPC register.
- Histology and cytology: the scientific work in these departments is done by biomedical scientists; support staff list the techniques they perform (embedding, microtomy, staining, slide and block filing) and their in-house competency sign-offs.
- Industrial and environmental: COSHH and chemical safety training, GMP and data integrity training, ISO/IEC 17025 internal auditor training, GLP training where relevant, RSC or IST membership. No licence exists; list training with dates.
- Research: biological safety and Containment Level 2 training, a Home Office personal licence under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 for animal work, radiation protection training if applicable.
- Education: GCSEs including maths and science, then A-levels, a BTEC or a T Level in Science for technician and apprentice roles; an HNC, HND or degree in chemistry, biology, biochemistry or biomedical science for QC, research and NHS science roles. List relevant practicals only if you are entry level.
Lab technician CV with no experience (school leavers, new graduates, career changers)
Labs hire new graduates and apprentices every year, because the degree or apprenticeship programme already taught the basic techniques. Your CV needs to turn practical classes, final-year projects, placements and part-time lab jobs into a bench record, and show that you can document work the way a regulated lab requires.
- 1Write a three-line personal statement with your qualification and date, the instruments and methods you have run yourself, any placement or student lab job with a sample count, and the type of lab you want.
- 2Create a "Laboratory experience" section that includes student lab assistant work, summer placements, a year in industry and a final-year research project, each with dates, methods, counts and one result (a poster, a validated method, a clean audit).
- 3List practical classes by technique, not module code: "Instrumental analysis: HPLC, GC-MS, UV-Vis, FTIR, AA (120 lab hours)". Managers want the technique, not "CH2104".
- 4Add non-lab jobs briefly, with the traits labs value: following procedures, record keeping, shift reliability, stock control. A pharmacy, hospitality or retail job can show all four.
- 5Include safety and quality training from school, university or work: COSHH, biological safety, GMP or GLP modules, and any LIMS or chromatography software exposure.
- 6For NHS labs, state your route: "BSc Biomedical Science (IBMS-accredited), graduating July 2027" or apply as a medical laboratory assistant while you study. For industrial labs, note your willingness to work shifts; many QC labs run 2 or 3 shifts.
Final-year project, analytical chemistry: developed and validated an HPLC-UV method for caffeine in energy drinks (linearity r² 0.999, recovery 98 to 102%), ran 90 samples over two terms and presented a poster at the department symposium.
QC placement, food manufacturer (summer 2025): ran 20 to 25 moisture, pH, salt and viscosity tests a day on production samples, logged results in the LIMS with second-person verification, and helped with a monthly ISO/IEC 17025 internal audit.
Placement year in an NHS pathology laboratory, 40 weeks across haematology, clinical chemistry, microbiology and blood transfusion: performed 1,500+ patient tests under supervision with 100% agreement on competency checks while completing the IBMS Registration Training Portfolio.
Format, length and the keywords lab ATS filters look for
Two pages is the UK norm for experienced technicians; one page is fine for school leavers, apprentices and new graduates. No photo, no date of birth. Order: header with registration if you have one, personal statement, experience, skills grouped by type, qualifications and training, education. NHS trusts, pharma companies and contract labs all screen applications through online systems or applicant tracking systems (ATS), so spell instruments and methods exactly as the advert does. NHS applications also have a supporting information section, where you match the person specification point by point.
- Mirror the advert's method names: "HPLC", "GC-MS", "qPCR", "ELISA", "dissolution", "Karl Fischer", "flow cytometry", and the analyser models they name.
- Mirror the quality system words: "GMP", "GLP", "UKAS", "ISO 15189", "ISO/IEC 17025", "data integrity", "OOS", "CAPA", "SOP", "EQA", "COSHH".
- Use the job title they use (laboratory technician, QC analyst, lab assistant, medical laboratory assistant, associate practitioner, research technician) in your personal statement if it matches what you did.
- Spell out abbreviations once: "medical laboratory assistant (MLA)", "limit of detection (LOD)".
- Send a PDF unless asked for Word; avoid tables, columns and text boxes that break parsing. Mention shift availability if the advert lists shifts.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a lab technician CV?
Name your lab type in the title line, then write a three-line personal statement with years, instruments and methods, samples a day and one quality number (error rate, turnaround, audit results). Give each lab job 3 to 5 bullets that name the method, sample type, count and result. Group skills by type, list qualifications and training with dates, then education. Two pages at most for experienced technicians, one for entry level.
What skills should I put on a laboratory technician CV?
The instruments and methods you run independently (HPLC, GC-MS, PCR, ELISA, haematology analysers by model), sample preparation, calibration and maintenance, the quality system you work under (GMP, GLP, ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 15189), documentation (SOPs, OOS investigations, data integrity), LIMS and instrument software (Empower, LabWare, WinPath), and lab safety including COSHH. Name products and models, not categories.
How do I write a lab technician CV with no experience?
Turn practical classes, final-year projects, placements and student lab jobs into a laboratory experience section with methods, sample counts and results. List techniques rather than module codes, add safety and quality training, and state your route if you want NHS work. Mention shift availability and keep it to one page.
Should a lab technician CV have a career objective or a personal statement?
A personal statement. Even as a new graduate or school leaver, a statement that lists your qualification, the instruments you have run, a sample count from a placement and the type of lab you want tells a manager more than an objective about seeking growth. Put the role you want in the last sentence.
How is an NHS laboratory CV different from an industrial lab technician CV?
An NHS lab CV for a medical laboratory assistant or associate practitioner leads with band and department (blood sciences, microbiology, specimen reception), analyser models, samples a shift, turnaround times and EQA results under UKAS ISO 15189, plus phlebotomy and any IBMS certificate; biomedical scientists add their HCPC registration. An industrial or research lab technician CV leads with instruments, methods and the quality system (GMP, ISO/IEC 17025) instead, since no registration is required.
What is a good lab assistant CV?
One that shows specimen or sample handling volume and accuracy: booking-in counts, labelling error rate, turnaround, aliquoting and storage, reagent and media preparation, glassware and stock, and the systems you use (WinPath, Telepath, LIMS). Add phlebotomy training if you have it and note any course in progress, such as a Level 3 apprenticeship or a biomedical science degree.
How long should a laboratory technician CV be?
Two pages for experienced technicians, especially with method validation projects, publications or supervisory work; one page for school leavers, apprentices and new graduates. Keep the instruments, volume and quality numbers in the personal statement and first job, since that is what lab managers read first.
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How this page was made: a first draft was written with AI assistance from cvplex's example library, then edited and fact-checked by the cvplex Careers Team. Examples are fictional composites; numbers are illustrative. Report an error via the editorial policy page.