Top 12 Clinical Laboratory Scientist Skills to Put on Your Resume
Clinical laboratory science keeps shifting. To make a resume pop and a lab run smooth, stack your toolkit with skills that prove precision, speed, and sound judgment. Below are twelve that matter, with quick notes on why they count and how to sharpen them.
Clinical Laboratory Scientist Skills
- PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)
- ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay)
- HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography)
- GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry)
- Flow Cytometry
- Microscopy (Confocal, Electron)
- NGS (Next-Generation Sequencing)
- LIS (Laboratory Information System)
- MALDI-TOF (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight)
- Western Blotting
- Spectrophotometry
- qPCR (Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction)
1. PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)
PCR is a core method to amplify specific DNA targets, enabling detection, genotyping, and downstream analysis. With reverse transcription up front, RNA targets are in play too.
Why It's Important
It delivers sensitive, specific detection of nucleic acids for infectious disease workups, hereditary conditions, oncology markers, and more. Fast answers. High stakes.
How to Improve PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) Skills
Dial in reaction chemistry: template quality, primer design, Mg2+, polymerase type, and cycling conditions. Small tweaks. Big shifts in yield and specificity.
Design primers that avoid dimers and secondary structures; check specificity against relevant genomes.
Control contamination relentlessly: separate pre- and post-amplification spaces, use aerosol-resistant tips, and adopt carryover prevention (dUTP/UNG) when appropriate.
Use hot-start enzymes to curb nonspecific amplification during setup.
Validate thermal cycler performance and run routine controls (positive, negative, and no-template).
Confirm products by appropriate post-PCR analysis (amplicon size, melt curve, or sequencing when needed).
How to Display PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) Skills on Your Resume
2. ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay)
ELISA quantifies proteins, antibodies, antigens, and hormones on plates with enzyme-driven readouts. Bread-and-butter immunoassay work.
Why It's Important
It offers sensitivity, specificity, and scalability for diagnostics and monitoring—serology, biomarkers, therapeutic drug levels, you name it.
How to Improve ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) Skills
Optimize coating and blocking to tame background while preserving signal.
Titrate samples and antibodies; avoid hook effects and saturation.
Standardize washes—volume, timing, and number matter.
Pick substrates and detection systems that fit your dynamic range and instrument.
Define incubation times and temperatures consistently; avoid plate-edge artifacts.
Calibrate pipettes and plate readers; document lot-to-lot performance.
Use proper controls and fit curves with appropriate models (4PL/5PL). Track intra- and inter-assay CVs.
How to Display ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) Skills on Your Resume
3. HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography)
HPLC separates and quantifies analytes in complex matrices. In clinical labs, it supports therapeutic drug monitoring, toxicology, metabolic profiling, and more. UHPLC variants accelerate throughput with finer particles and higher pressures.
Why It's Important
Sharp separations and clean quantitation mean trustworthy results for patient care—especially when compounds coelute or sit at the edge of detection.
How to Improve HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) Skills
Method development with intent: match column chemistry to analytes, set mobile phase pH and gradients to resolve critical pairs, and validate specificity.
Guard columns and rigorous filtration to protect the main column. Reduce matrix effects with solid-phase extraction when needed.
Maintain instruments: leak checks, degassing, pump seal replacement, autosampler needle wash. Calibrate detectors on schedule.
Standardize injection volumes and run system suitability before batches (retention time, plate count, tailing, resolution).
Use robust processing methods with consistent integration rules and documented acceptance criteria.
How to Display HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) Skills on Your Resume
4. GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry)
GC-MS separates volatile or derivatized compounds and identifies them by mass spectra. A mainstay for toxicology, metabolic disorders, and confirmation testing.
Why It's Important
It pairs powerful separation with specific detection, cutting through complex matrices and identifying targets with confidence.
How to Improve GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) Skills
Refine sample prep: choose SPE or LLE appropriately, consider derivatization for thermally labile/nonvolatile analytes, and use internal standards to correct recovery and matrix effects.
Tune GC parameters: carrier gas flow, inlet temperature, split/splitless mode, and oven ramps. Replace liners and septa routinely.
Optimize MS settings: source temps, electron energy, quadrupole/ion trap conditions, dwell times. Verify tuning and mass calibration daily.
Apply robust identification criteria: retention time windows, ion ratios, library match scores, and confirmation ions.
Build rugged methods: matrix-matched calibration, bracketing QCs, and carryover checks between high-concentration samples.
How to Display GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) Skills on Your Resume
5. Flow Cytometry
Flow cytometry interrogates single cells at speed, using lasers and detectors to read scatter and fluorescence across many parameters at once.
Why It's Important
It enables deep immunophenotyping, minimal residual disease monitoring, and rapid classification—key for hematologic diagnostics and immune monitoring.
How to Improve Flow Cytometry Skills
Standardize sample handling, staining, and acquisition. Reproducibility starts long before the tube hits the cytometer.
Run daily QC and compensation; use reference beads to track performance and lot changes.
Maintain optics and fluidics; keep clogs, bubbles, and drift at bay with routine cleaning and alignment checks.
Design panels thoughtfully: minimize spectral overlap, include viability dyes, and anchor with biological controls.
Level up analysis: consistent gating strategies, automated clustering where appropriate, and thorough documentation of decision trees.
How to Display Flow Cytometry Skills on Your Resume
6. Microscopy (Confocal, Electron)
Confocal microscopy yields crisp optical sections and 3D reconstructions of fluorescently labeled specimens. Electron microscopy trades photons for electrons, revealing ultrastructure far below the diffraction limit.
Why It's Important
When morphology makes the diagnosis—renal biopsies, cilia defects, pathogen visualization—these tools reveal what bulk assays miss.
How to Improve Microscopy (Confocal, Electron) Skills
Confocal Microscopy
- Image quality: Optimize pinhole size, detector gain/offset, and line averaging to balance resolution, signal, and photobleaching.
- Sample prep: Validate antibody titers, choose stable fluorophores with separated spectra, and reduce autofluorescence.
- Post-processing: Apply deconvolution and consistent analysis pipelines; avoid over-smoothing or contrast inflation.
Electron Microscopy
- Contrast: Use appropriate staining and fixation to preserve and reveal target structures.
- Sectioning: Prepare ultrathin sections with consistent thickness; verify with interference color or thickness standards.
- Instrument care: Maintain vacuum integrity, align the beam, and calibrate magnification regularly.
How to Display Microscopy (Confocal, Electron) Skills on Your Resume
7. NGS (Next-Generation Sequencing)
NGS sequences DNA or RNA at scale—panels, exomes, whole genomes, and transcriptomes—powering precision diagnostics and discovery.
Why It's Important
It delivers breadth and depth: infectious disease typing, hereditary disease diagnostics, pharmacogenomics, and oncology profiling with actionable clarity.
How to Improve NGS (Next-Generation Sequencing) Skills
Guard quality from start to finish: nucleic acid integrity, library QC, balanced pooling, and contamination controls (including index cross-talk checks).
Right-size protocols: tailor coverage, read length, and insert size to the clinical question. Validate uniformity and limit of detection.
Harden bioinformatics: version-controlled pipelines, validated reference builds, and well-curated variant interpretation rules. Track sensitivity, specificity, and false discovery rates.
Confirm critical findings with orthogonal methods when required. Document variant classification criteria and reporting thresholds.
Participate in proficiency testing, maintain accreditation, and monitor key metrics (on-target rate, duplication, coverage distribution) per run.
How to Display NGS (Next-Generation Sequencing) Skills on Your Resume
8. LIS (Laboratory Information System)
A Laboratory Information System orchestrates orders, specimens, instruments, results, and reports. It’s the nervous system of the lab.
Why It's Important
Accurate, timely data flow prevents errors, speeds turnaround, and protects patients. Interfacing with analyzers and EHRs keeps everything connected.
How to Improve LIS (Laboratory Information System) Skills
Streamline workflow: barcode everything, reduce hand entry, and configure interfaces to pull results straight from instruments.
Build autoverification with delta checks, reference ranges, and rule logic—flag exceptions for human review.
Harden data integrity: audit trails, versioned reference data, and role-based access. Backups tested, not assumed.
Improve interoperability: standard vocabularies and messaging (e.g., HL7, ASTM) for smooth EHR, billing, and public health reporting.
Upgrade reporting and analytics: dashboards for TAT, QC trends, and workload; customizable reports for clinicians.
Train users well and maintain thorough SOPs. Keep systems patched and validated after updates.
How to Display LIS (Laboratory Information System) Skills on Your Resume
9. MALDI-TOF (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight)
MALDI-TOF identifies microorganisms and protein profiles by measuring mass spectra from laser-ionized samples embedded in a matrix. Rapid, direct-from-colony identification has reshaped clinical micro workflows.
Why It's Important
It delivers fast, accurate identification of bacteria and fungi from cultures, shortening time to effective therapy and reducing costs.
How to Improve MALDI-TOF (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight) Skills
Standardize sample prep and spotting; ensure clean targets and consistent matrix application. Consider automation for uniformity.
Calibrate routinely with appropriate standards and track performance over time.
Choose matrices and extraction steps tailored to organism groups (e.g., yeasts vs. Gram-positives).
Tune laser intensity to balance ion yield and fragmentation; average sufficient shots for stable spectra.
Use curated reference libraries and set robust score thresholds. Confirm atypical results with orthogonal methods.
How to Display MALDI-TOF (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight) Skills on Your Resume
10. Western Blotting
Western blotting separates proteins by size, transfers them to a membrane, and detects targets with antibodies. A precise, visual readout.
Why It's Important
It confirms protein presence, size, and relative abundance—useful for autoimmune diagnostics, infectious disease confirmations, and method validation.
How to Improve Western Blotting Skills
Quantify protein, load equal amounts, and select gels matched to target sizes.
Choose transfer methods suited to protein size; verify transfer efficiency with reversible stains.
Block appropriately for the detection system; titrate primary/secondary antibodies and extend incubations at lower temperatures for sensitivity.
Reduce background with optimized washes and validated antibody specificity. Include loading controls and consider total-protein normalization.
Pick detection (chemiluminescence or fluorescence) based on dynamic range and multiplexing needs; avoid signal saturation.
How to Display Western Blotting Skills on Your Resume
11. Spectrophotometry
Spectrophotometry measures absorbance or transmittance at defined wavelengths to quantify analytes. Simple, fast, dependable when controlled carefully.
Why It's Important
It underpins many routine chemistries and nucleic acid/protein quantification, enabling accurate diagnostics and method standardization.
How to Improve Spectrophotometry Skills
Calibrate routinely; verify wavelength accuracy and photometric linearity with certified standards.
Use clean, matched cuvettes; control pathlength; blank properly. Temperature and timing matter—standardize both.
Protect samples from light and contamination; follow strict collection and storage SOPs.
Adopt quality controls each run with defined acceptance ranges and trend charts to catch drift early.
Leverage data processing that applies appropriate baseline correction and curve fits.
How to Display Spectrophotometry Skills on Your Resume
12. qPCR (Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction)
qPCR amplifies and quantifies DNA (or RNA after reverse transcription) in real time using fluorescent detection. It’s swift, sensitive, and inherently quantitative.
Why It's Important
From pathogen load to gene expression, it provides precise numbers that guide diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring.
How to Improve qPCR (Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction) Skills
Design primers/probes that are specific and efficient; validate amplicon size and efficiency (ideally 90–110%).
Use high-quality template and evaluate purity; include no-template and extraction controls.
Optimize Mg2+, annealing temps, and primer/probe concentrations. Hot-start polymerases help suppress nonspecific signal.
Apply UNG/dUTP systems to limit carryover contamination when appropriate.
Include standard curves or reference materials for absolute or relative quantification; report efficiency and R2.
Calibrate instruments for temperature uniformity and optical channels; monitor drift over time.
Follow established reporting standards (e.g., MIQE) to ensure transparency and reproducibility.
How to Display qPCR (Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction) Skills on Your Resume
