Top 12 Histotechnologist Skills to Put on Your Resume

In the precise and detail-oriented field of histotechnology, showcasing the right set of skills on your resume can significantly enhance your employment prospects. A comprehensive list of top histotechnologist skills reflects both your technical proficiency and your ability to adapt to the evolving landscape of histological practices, setting you apart in this competitive field.

Histotechnologist Skills

1. Microtomy
2. Immunohistochemistry
3. Cryosectioning
4. H&E Staining
5. Fluorescence Microscopy
6. Digital Pathology
7. Specimen Processing
8. Quality Control
9. Laboratory Safety
10. LIS (Laboratory Information System)
11. Molecular Techniques
12. Tissue Embedding

1. Microtomy

Microtomy is the controlled cutting of very thin tissue sections using a microtome, followed by preparation and staining for microscopic examination. It underpins reliable morphology and, by extension, diagnosis.

Why It's Important

Thin, intact, wrinkle-free sections reveal architecture and detail. Without consistent sections, even perfect staining can’t rescue interpretation.

How to Improve Microtomy Skills

1. Blade care and alignment: Use sharp blades appropriate to the specimen (high-profile for paraffin blocks; replace frequently). Confirm blade angle and clearance to prevent chatter, compression, and washboarding.
2. Block conditioning: Chill paraffin blocks on a cold plate before sectioning to firm tissue. Face judiciously; avoid over-trimming away diagnostic areas.
3. Section thickness control: For routine H&E, target 3–5 µm. Increase thickness for certain special stains and decrease for delicate cytology cell blocks.
4. Water bath discipline: Keep the flotation bath clean, around 40–45°C (just below paraffin melt). Skim debris often; dust and wax particles create artifacts.
5. Tissue processing quality: Ensure proper fixation and processing schedules so blocks cut cleanly—good microtomy starts long before the microtome.
6. Equipment maintenance: Clean and service the microtome regularly; verify stage movement, handwheel tension, and specimen clamp integrity.
7. Technique refinement: Stabilize hands and use smooth, even motion. Adjust feed settings slowly. Practice with challenging tissues to build dexterity.

How to Display Microtomy Skills on Your Resume

2. Immunohistochemistry

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) uses antigen–antibody binding, with chromogenic or fluorescent detection, to localize proteins and other targets in tissue sections for diagnosis and research.

Why It's Important

IHC refines diagnoses, informs prognosis, and guides therapy by revealing precise protein expression patterns in context.

How to Improve Immunohistochemistry Skills

1. Antigen retrieval: Choose HIER or enzymatic retrieval based on antibody and fixation; fine-tune buffer, temperature, and time.
2. Antibody titration: Determine the lowest concentration that provides strong, specific signal with minimal background.
3. Blocking strategy: Block endogenous peroxidase/alkaline phosphatase and nonspecific binding with suitable sera or protein blocks.
4. Controls every run: Positive tissue controls, negative reagent controls, and internal controls keep specificity and sensitivity in check.
5. Detection chemistry: Match detection systems and chromogens to tissue, target abundance, and counterstains; avoid spectral overlap for multiplex.
6. Standardize and document: Lock down protocols, track lot-to-lot changes, and record deviations to maintain reproducibility.
7. Instrument care and validation: Maintain stainers and retrieval units; revalidate when key variables change.

How to Display Immunohistochemistry Skills on Your Resume

3. Cryosectioning

Cryosectioning prepares thin frozen sections using a cryostat. Rapid freezing preserves enzyme activity and antigenicity and delivers quick intraoperative results.

Why It's Important

Speed without sacrificing detail—frozen sections support immediate surgical decisions and specialized downstream assays.

How to Improve Cryosectioning Skills

1. Freeze smarter: Embed in OCT and snap-freeze in pre-chilled isopentane cooled with liquid nitrogen to minimize ice crystal artifact.
2. Temperature tuning: Set cryostat temperature to the tissue—about −15 to −20°C for most soft tissues, colder (−25 to −30°C) for fatty tissue, slightly warmer for brain or spleen.
3. Section technique: Use a clean, sharp blade; adjust anti-roll plate properly; guide sections with a soft brush. Typical thickness: 6–10 µm.
4. Moisture control: Prevent frost build-up with good desiccation and disciplined defrost/clean cycles. Keep the chamber tidy.
5. Safety and sanitation: Decontaminate routinely, manage sharps carefully, and follow biosafety practices for fresh tissue.

How to Display Cryosectioning Skills on Your Resume

4. H&E Staining

Hematoxylin stains nuclei blue to purple; eosin splashes cytoplasm and extracellular matrix with pink-to-red hues. The bedrock stain of histology.

Why It's Important

Clear nuclear detail and balanced cytoplasmic contrast make abnormalities leap off the slide, guiding every further test.

How to Improve H&E Staining Skills

1. Protocol consistency: Standardize times, agitation, and rinses. Control variables so color balance stays predictable day to day.
2. Reagent quality: Track oxidation state of hematoxylin, rotate stains, and replace contaminated or exhausted solutions.
3. pH and bluing: Maintain proper pH; use consistent bluing (e.g., ammonia water or lithium carbonate) for crisp nuclei.
4. Differentiation control: Titrate acid alcohol steps carefully to avoid muddy nuclei or over-differentiation.
5. Water quality and cleanliness: Use clean baths and DI rinses where appropriate; debris and carryover cause haze and precipitate.
6. Automation and maintenance: Validate automated stainer settings and service equipment on schedule.
7. Quality checks: Run control slides, verify section thickness, and document adjustments.

How to Display H&E Staining Skills on Your Resume

5. Fluorescence Microscopy

Fluorescence microscopy excites fluorophores with specific wavelengths and captures emitted light, mapping molecules and structures with striking specificity.

Why It's Important

Sensitive, selective, and spatially rich, it reveals targets invisible to brightfield and enables multiplexed analysis in tissue context.

How to Improve Fluorescence Microscopy Skills

1. Preparation choices: Match fixation to the target (e.g., aldehyde for structure, alcohol/acetone for some epitopes). Keep sections clean and uniformly thick.
2. Fluorophore planning: Select bright, photostable dyes with minimal spectral overlap; use appropriate filter sets and objectives.
3. Minimize photobleaching: Short exposures, lower illumination, anti-fade mounting media, and careful imaging order preserve signal.
4. Reduce background: Optimize blocking, detergent use, and wash steps; verify specificity with controls.
5. Calibration and analysis: Periodically check alignment and illumination; use consistent software workflows for noise reduction and quantification.

How to Display Fluorescence Microscopy Skills on Your Resume

6. Digital Pathology

Digital pathology converts glass slides into high-resolution whole-slide images for viewing, sharing, analysis, and archiving on computers and secure networks.

Why It's Important

It speeds consultations, enables remote reads, supports quantitative analysis, and streamlines workflows. Many labs now validate whole-slide imaging for primary diagnosis.

How to Improve Digital Pathology Skills

1. Foundational consistency: Standardize pre-analytical variables and staining quality to support reliable scanning and color fidelity.
2. Scanner and image quality: Optimize focus, resolution, and compression settings; verify barcode capture and tissue detection.
3. Color and display calibration: Calibrate monitors and use color management to keep slides looking true across workstations.
4. Data management: Plan storage tiers, backup, and retention; adopt sensible file formats and metadata practices (DICOM adoption is growing).
5. Validation and training: Perform case-level validation for intended use (e.g., primary diagnosis), train staff, and document performance.
6. Collaboration and AI: Use platforms that support annotations, tumor boards, and QA tools, including algorithmic assists for screening and QC.

How to Display Digital Pathology Skills on Your Resume

7. Specimen Processing

Specimen processing covers fixation, dehydration, clearing, infiltration, embedding, sectioning, and staining—each step guarding tissue integrity and morphology.

Why It's Important

Good processing prevents hard blocks, mushy sections, and staining failures. It’s the spine of reproducible histology.

How to Improve Specimen Processing Skills

1. Pre-analytic rigor: Minimize cold ischemia; record collection times; use adequate fixative volume (about 10:1 fixative:tissue) and 10% neutral buffered formalin unless protocol dictates otherwise.
2. Fixation fit: Tailor duration to tissue size and density; standardize trimming to facilitate even penetration.
3. Processing schedules: Use tissue-specific programs; verify alcohol gradients, clearing agents (xylene or safer substitutes), and paraffin grade and temperature.
4. Traceability: Barcode cassettes and slides; maintain chain-of-custody through every station.
5. Lean workflow: Map processes, remove bottlenecks, and standardize handoffs to cut errors and delays.
6. Automation and QC: Validate processors, stainers, and ovens; log temperatures, reagent rotations, and run controls routinely.

How to Display Specimen Processing Skills on Your Resume

8. Quality Control

Quality Control ensures that methods, reagents, equipment, and outputs meet defined specifications so slides are accurate, consistent, and reliable for diagnosis.

Why It's Important

QC catches drift early—before it touches patient care. It transforms good practice into dependable outcomes.

How to Improve Quality Control Skills

1. SOPs and document control: Maintain current, versioned procedures; audit compliance routinely.
2. Risk-based planning: Implement quality plans that assess pre-analytic, analytic, and post-analytic risks and mitigation steps.
3. Daily checks: Run control slides for stains and IHC, monitor reagent quality, and review instrument logs.
4. Equipment oversight: Calibrate and maintain processors, cryostats, microtomes, ovens, and water baths; track temperatures and service dates.
5. External assessment: Participate in proficiency testing and inter-lab comparisons; benchmark and act on findings.
6. CAPA loop: Record errors and near-misses, investigate root causes, implement corrective and preventive actions, and verify effectiveness.

How to Display Quality Control Skills on Your Resume

9. Laboratory Safety

Laboratory safety in histology means controlling risks from chemicals, sharps, biological specimens, and equipment, while keeping the workspace clean and compliant.

Why It's Important

Safety protects people, preserves specimens, and keeps operations steady. One lapse can echo across results and staff wellbeing.

How to Improve Laboratory Safety Skills

1. Training and competency: Provide role-specific onboarding, annual refreshers, and drills. Verify—not just teach—competence.
2. PPE and engineering controls: Wear the right gloves, coats, and eye protection; use fume hoods and ventilated stations for formalin and clearing agents.
3. Chemical stewardship: Maintain updated SDS access, label secondary containers, monitor formaldehyde exposure, and consider xylene substitutes when feasible.
4. Biosafety practices: Follow appropriate biosafety level precautions for fresh tissues; handle sharps with rigor; use validated disinfectants.
5. Emergency readiness: Stock spill kits, test eyewash and showers, maintain clear egress, and post response procedures.
6. Waste and housekeeping: Segregate hazardous waste correctly, keep benches uncluttered, and document incident reporting for learning, not blame.

How to Display Laboratory Safety Skills on Your Resume

10. LIS (Laboratory Information System)

A Laboratory Information System (LIS) orchestrates specimen tracking, results, QC data, reporting, and integrations across the lab’s workflow—critical in histology’s complex, multi-step environment.

Why It's Important

It reduces transcription errors, strengthens turnaround time, and provides traceability from accession to final report.

How to Improve LIS (Laboratory Information System) Skills

1. Barcoding and tracking: Implement end-to-end barcode workflows for cassettes and slides to ensure chain-of-custody and quick retrieval.
2. Structured reporting: Use customizable templates and synoptic elements for clarity and completeness.
3. Systems integration: Interface with EHRs and ancillary systems using robust messaging standards (e.g., HL7, FHIR) to streamline data flow.
4. Instrument connectivity: Connect processors, stainers, and scanners for automatic status and QC data capture.
5. QC and analytics: Leverage dashboards for turnaround times, pending lists, and reagent/equipment alerts.
6. Security and compliance: Apply role-based access, audit trails, downtime procedures, backups, and cybersecurity safeguards.
7. Change management: Train staff, document updates, and validate after configuration changes or upgrades.

How to Display LIS (Laboratory Information System) Skills on Your Resume

11. Molecular Techniques

Molecular methods in histotechnology probe DNA and RNA within tissue—PCR, in situ hybridization, sequencing, and more—linking morphology with molecular signatures.

Why It's Important

They sharpen diagnoses, uncover therapeutic targets, and support precision medicine by pairing genotype with phenotype.

How to Improve Molecular Techniques Skills

1. Pre-analytics for FFPE: Optimize deparaffinization and crosslink reversal; track fixation time to protect nucleic acid integrity.
2. Tumor enrichment: Macrodissect or microdissect to raise tumor cellularity before extraction.
3. Contamination control: Separate clean and dirty areas; use UNG/dUTP systems or similar safeguards; include appropriate controls in every run.
4. Assay validation: Verify sensitivity, specificity, and reportable ranges for PCR, ISH, and NGS panels; revalidate after changes.
5. Library and quality metrics: Monitor DIN/RIN, fragment sizes, coverage uniformity, and control performance to ensure reliable data.
6. Data interpretation: Partner with molecular pathologists and bioinformaticians; document pipelines and versioning for traceability.

How to Display Molecular Techniques Skills on Your Resume

12. Tissue Embedding

Tissue embedding encloses specimens in a solid medium—most often paraffin—to support precise sectioning while preserving orientation and architecture.

Why It's Important

Correct orientation and solid infiltration yield sections that tell the whole story, not a confusing fragment.

How to Improve Tissue Embedding Skills

1. Orientation first: Align mucosa, margins, and epithelium consistently; keep multiple fragments in one plane to cut all at a glance.
2. Paraffin parameters: Use clean, appropriate-melting paraffin at roughly 56–60°C; avoid overheating that can harden tissue and dull microtomy.
3. Processing readiness: Verify complete dehydration and clearing before embedding to prevent soft centers and lift-off.
4. Block quality: Avoid air bubbles, trim excess wax from edges, and cool rapidly on a cold plate to lock in geometry without cracking.
5. Tool hygiene: Wipe forceps between cassettes to prevent cross-contamination and floaters; keep molds immaculate.
6. Mark and document: Use orientation dyes or notches when needed; record unusual orientations for downstream cutters.

How to Display Tissue Embedding Skills on Your Resume