
50 Best Resume Tips 2023: Great Tricks and Writing Advice
Don’t have much time, but need a good resume ASAP? Here’s a master list of the best resume tips out there, plus a bonus to make your life easier.
You’re a phlebotomist. A good one. You draw blood better than Selene from Underworld. But that’s not necessarily enough to land on top of a huge stack of phlebotomist resumes on the medical director’s desk. You’re in there somewhere like a rolling vein.
With a resume for phlebotomy jobs that’s mediocre, your chances are capillary-sized. You need to show the right skills in the right order. And you’ve just found your way to a phlebotomy resume that gets interviews—and gets you hired.
This guide will show you:
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Not “just” a phlebotomist? Need other medical resumes?
It’s hard to find straight phlebotomist jobs. Combination phlebotomist / medical assistants are in demand. See our guides:
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Let’s get back to our medical director, Sue.
She’s sipping her latteccino and tossing 85% of her phlebotomy resumes in the recycle bin.
Why the tossing? Poor phlebotomist resume format.
If your resume is sloppy, why would she trust you with a patient’s bloodstream?
So—choose the reverse-chronological resume format. It puts your most relevant experience up top.
Show the director you’ll make her life flow smoothly. Use white space, the best resume typeface, and nice big headings.
Then save it as a PDF.
Today’s PDFs are machine-readable. MS Word phlebotomist resumes can throw an embolism once you send them.
But—if a job ad says “no PDFs” use MS Word.
You’ll find mountains of complaints online that, “you need to know someone to get phlebotomist jobs.”
So—know someone!
I spoke with a medical pro who figured out how to use networking to get a $100K+ job in her mid 20s with an unfinished degree.
Pro Tip: Check your spelling! A phlebotomy resume with spelling errors looks like ten holes in a patient’s forearm.
Want to branch out into other phlebotomist resume formats? See our guide: Best Resume Format: How to Choose the Right One [Examples & Templates]
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Pretend you’ve got 100 phlebotomist resumes to read.
Be honest. Would you read them all?
To stop the manager from skimming your resume, use a resume objective or a resume summary.
They’re the big needle that gets you through the boredom-thelium.
A phlebotomist resume objective shows you’re passionate. Write one if your experience is as empty as a sealed syringe.
Use a resume summary if you’ve got more experience than Nosferatu.
Cram either with enough accomplishments to fill a Red Cross truck.
These two phlebotomy resume examples show how.
See if you can spot the flub in the first of our senior phlebotomist resume samples:
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Hard-working phlebotomist with 3 years of experience. Responsible or all phlebotomist duties at C.M. Clinic, including venipuncture, injections, immunizations, patient intake, and maintaining inventory. Skilled in data entry and patient instruction. |
That's not exactly a DVT, but it won’t start an interview gusher.
Imitate our next phlebotomy resume example instead:
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Exacting CPT with 3+ years of experience. Seeking to raise efficiency at LabCorp. At Chisholm Murrell Clinic, performed 1,000+ successful venipunctures. Saved $300/mo via new inventory pull system. At Life Peak Health, maintained 100% documentation accuracy & trained 3 phlebotomists. |
Boom. You’re in like a 23-gauge needle. Why? You didn’t only say you did things. You said how well, with numbers.
Is your experience on the dry side? See the entry-level phlebotomist resume examples below.
If your phlebotomy experience is a slow drip, try a phlebotomy resume objective.
In the days when leeches were medical equipment, that meant enthusiasm.
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Energetic phlebotomist, highly skilled in venipuncture, taking vitals, data entry, and HIPAA compliance. Fluent in Spanish. No real-world experience yet but I did very well in school and I’ll work extremely hard. |
Wow, she really wants to work here. But so do 50 other applicants, and they have experience.
Don’t palpitate.
Maybe you haven’t held the title, but you’ve got achievements. Show them like the next of our entry-level phlebotomy resume examples:
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Detail-oriented phlebotomist, skilled in customer service and interpersonal skills, seeking to deliver high-quality patient care for Life Peak Health. Have worked as volunteer phlebotomist at Mercy Hospital, Salvation Street Blood Bank, and fill-in at Phlebotek. Total of 200+ blood draws to date. |
The medical director just dropped her copy of Pricking the Vessels.
But what if you have zip?—no experience for a phlebotomist resume?
That’s next.
Pro Tip: Writing a phlebotomy resume objective or resume summary? That’s hard, so don’t do it first. Write your other sections, then select the best of them for your objective.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
Want to dilate the interview flow? Use the sample phlebotomy resume up top. Plus, see our guides:
Resume Summary Statement: 21 Best Examples You Will See
20+ Best Career Objectives for a Resume - Use Them to Stand Out
3
What to put under objective on a resume?
Well—
Who would you hire?
Someone with buckets of experience on a phlebotomy resume? Or someone with a trickle?
Would you believe it’s not how much phlebotomy experience you have?
It’s how it matches the facility.
List your most recent job first, with 3-5 resume bullet points.
Do like the first of our professional phlebotomist resume examples below.
Spot the major difference in these sample phlebotomist resume experience sections:
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Chisholm Murrell Clinic Phlebotomist 2016–2018
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Wow. The clinic manager just put her finger on your contact info. Your professional resume for phlebotomy jobs has the right details.
But stanch those achievements, and:
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Chisholm Murrell Clinic Phlebotomist 2016–2018
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That phlebotomy resume example is clotted. No accomplishments. No numbers.
But what if you have no experience at phlebotomy jobs?
See these entry-level phlebotomist resume examples.
You’re going to feel a little pressure—
It’s hard to get draw blood jobs. No matter what the stats say, nobody is hiring.
Many hospitals and clinics don’t want just phlebotomists. They want phlebotomist-nurses or phlebotomist-medical assistants.
Plus, it doesn’t take much longer to be a nurse than a phlebotomist.
If you lack phlebotomy resume experience, get some.
Spend a couple days volunteering. Try:
In rural areas, look for “mobile phlebotomist” jobs. You may only get a couple days, but that’s enough to make your phlebotomist resume stand out.
The next entry-level phlebotomy resume samples show how.
The first of these entry-level phlebotomist resume examples blows a vein.
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Phlebotomy Experience: Just got my certificate and looking for my first job.
Other Experience:
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That applicant pricks veins with her tongue out.
So—add achievements to get this phlebotomy resume example:
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Phlebotomy Experience 2017–2018
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.
Smooth. You’re a proto-Ruth McCall.
Also highlight transferable experience from other medical (and non-medical) jobs.
Pro Tip: Were you an EMT? Talk up your patient care skills, knowledge of anatomy, and documentation experience. All those look great on a resume for phlebotomist jobs.
Your resume for entry-level phlebotomy jobs shouldn’t give the manager a syncope. Energize her instead with action words. See our guide: 240 Resume Action Words & Power Words to Make Your Resume Shine
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There are two kinds of phlebotomy job candidates—
Those who get hired and those who don’t.
The “hireds” are a small minority. What do they do different?
They don’t just list their education on phlebotomy resumes.
Of course they show:
But they add accomplishments that fit the job like nitrile gloves.
The next phlebotomy resume examples demonstrate:
Both these phlebotomy resume samples are for a job that needs skills in anatomy, blood collection, and attention to detail.
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Phlebotomy Program, Rose State College 2013–2014
Calera High School 2009–2013
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That’ll get through like an intramuscular injection.
The school achievements show you’re just what the manager’s been probing for.
Now try one-size-fits-all:
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Phlebotomy Program, Rose State College 2013–2014
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Yeesh. Total thrombus.
Pro Tip: Who needs GPA in lab tech resumes? Not you, unless it’s recent or impressive. Otherwise, go with the flow and list your great achievements.
Pump up your phlebotomy resume education section. See our guide: How to Put Your Education on a Resume [Tips & Examples]
5
Let’s look in on Sue, the medical director.
She’s rubbing EMLA cream into her temples. Why?
She’s got a headache the size of LabCorp from reading 100 phlebotomy resume skills lists.
Here’s the problem:
Anyone can copy-paste a list of phlebotomy skills for resumes. That doesn’t mean they have the skills. Sue is painfully aware of that.
Also, listing all those skills impresses nobody.
You need the phlebotomy skills Sue wants. You also have to prove them in your bullets.
The professional phlebotomist resume examples below do it right.
Let’s say Sue’s phlebotomist job description for resumes says:
Required Phlebotomy Skills: Customer Service, EMR Software, Documentation.
Put those in your skills list, plus a couple more.
Then say:
Great. You’ll need 10,000 vacuum tubes to store up all your interview requests.
Need phlebotomy skills for resume use? Use these:
This phlebotomist resume skills list is chock-full of resume keywords.
Add to it from offers in the online job sites.
Soft Skills | Hard Skills |
Data Entry | |
Instructing Patients | |
HIPAA Compliance | |
Empathy | Inventory Management |
Dexterity | Documentation |
Sterilization | |
Taking Vitals | |
Perceptiveness | Workplace Safety |
Persuasion | Infection Control |
Compassion | Labeling Blood Samples |
Pro Tip: Can you prove phlebotomy skills in a resume? Yes—enough to get the interview. If you’re lying, the interviewer will find out when you’re face-to-face.
Need the right order of draw for your phlebotomy resume skills section? See our guide: +30 Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume (Proven Tips) and Key Nursing Skills for a Resume
6
You worked hard for that phlebotomy certificate.
Don’t hide it like a tiny vein.
Show it:
Why?
Most employers skim. You need to make sure even skimmers know you’re qualified.
Certifications
Pro Tip: Wondering how to put CPR on a resume for phlebotomy jobs? Not all CPT programs include CPR, so add it to your certifications section. But—list it below your CPT.
Want the certifications on your phlebotomist resume to shine like a fresh needle? See our guide: How to List Certifications on a Resume: Guide
7
Bad news.
All phlebotomist resumes list experience and education.
To get the job, you need to stand out like Lestat at a blood drive.
Do that with "other" sections most applicants do wrong.
Our next sample phlebotomy resume sections show how.
The first of our phlebotomist resume examples is practically edema:
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Additional Activities
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What do any of those have to do with drawing blood?
The extra sections on your resume for phlebotomy jobs should do this:
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Continuing Education
Conferences
Additional Activities
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That’s no ordinary blood sucker. That applicant lives and breathes to fill up vacuum tubes.
See how even “running” ties into phlebotomy? Adding “self-care” makes it relevant.
Pro Tip: Don’t have conferences or memberships? List publications, like articles you’ve written or been interviewed for. You can also get continuing-ed credits in as little as an hour online. Try LabCE or NPCE.
Need extra goodies for your phlebotomy resume? See our guide: +20 Best Examples of Hobbies & Interests To Put on a Resume
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Should you submit a cover letter with a phlebotomy resume?
Yes.
Some “experts” will say no-one reads them. But 40% do, and they might be hiring for your dream job.
Send a phlebotomy cover letter for those employers.
Show:
Do that, and they’ll notice you like Hugh Jackman’s arm veins.
This short example phlebotomist cover letter nails it:
I read your mission and vision on your website and found it inspirational. You put patients first, inspire hope, and treat people with compassion and respect. As a phlebotomist who received Life Peak Health’s customer service award and maintained 100% accuracy across all documentation, I believe I’m a fit.
I also read online about your challenges with costs. When I cut inventory costs by 10% at...
Always end a cover letter with an offer. Try, “Can we set up a time to discuss how I trained 3 other phlebotomists on Allscripts EMR software?"
Read more: Phlebotomist Cover Letter: Example and Guide
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Your phlebotomy cover letter should make their eyes go wide. See our guide: How To Write A Cover Letter in 8 Simple Steps (+12 Examples)
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Contact info is crucial on a resume for phlebotomy jobs. Without it, the phone won’t ring.
Start with:
Like this:
Jerry Dubois, CPT Phlebotomist, jerry.q.dubois@gmail.com, 580-239-3177
“Professional," means john.doe@gmail.com. Don’t use jerrythevampirekid2349948@yahoo.com.
But check your social media accounts before sending your phlebotomy resume. Otherwise that tipsy Twitter photo from three years ago could cost you.
Pro Tip: Does a phlebotomist need a LinkedIn profile? If you want employers to see you as a person, yes. Luckily, we’ve got a guide to how to make a LinkedIn profile.
Give your resume for phlebotomy jobs a pulse. See our guide: How to Make a Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide (+30 Examples)
Here’s a recap of how to write a phlebotomy resume:
Do you have questions on how to write a great resume for a phlebotomist? Not sure how to describe your skills or achievements? Give us a shout in the comments! We’d be happy to reply.
Don’t have much time, but need a good resume ASAP? Here’s a master list of the best resume tips out there, plus a bonus to make your life easier.
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