Boosting your Resume to apply to a MLS School
With so many resume building options on the internet, there are very few that apply to scientist, and even fewer that applies to medical scientists. Hopefully these tips will help you in applying to MLS Schools.
Adding Experience to Bulk up your Resume
When I first started trying to write my resume, it looked pretty pathetic. I was halfway through my bachelor's in biology degree and had to take a class on Scientific Communication. In this class, we were supposed to prepare a resume. Mine was about half a page. It consisted of my name, contact info, education (high school, associate, and bachelor's with an end date in the future), along with a personal summary and some job experience that had no relation to science (sales). I was discouraged, but it also encouraged me to think outside the box of what I had done and to seek out opportunities that would make me look more qualified than I was.
Alot of us looking to get into the MLS program may not have a lot of experience outside of college or experience that pertains to science. These are some good ideas to think about if you need to add experience points to your resume.
In college:
Research experience, be it independent or with a group from college if it applies to science (microbiology experiments are always a favorite and applicable).
Lab Assistant or TA job at the college like setting up lab classes and breaking them down or working with the professors to teach or organize papers.
Volunteer work (I volunteered as a note-taker for a biology class during my associate's degree).
Study groups you participated in. Of course, don’t put study groups for each class, but listing it once or stating you organized a study group is nice.
Options outside of College:
Hospital experience will get you a lot of points from MLS programs, be it volunteering or working. This can include any department including EMS (environmental services or cleaning), kitchen work, transporter (moving patients from ER to room), reception or operator, billing, phlebotomy, specimen processor (processing lab samples), etc. Most of these jobs don’t require any degree to get experience in and have a high turnover rate so jobs are often available.
Getting a certificate in CPR (now known as BLS - Basic Life Support) is a little pricy but it's only a couple of hours of class and the test you take can give your resume a boost.
Research assistant outside the college is also an option. Perhaps at a biotech company or with another lab-related company in your area.
One option a lot of people overlook, which is quite easy to add to your resume, is to shadow a current MLS class for a day. This shows that you are truly interested in the field and putting in an effort to gain experience. The easiest way to shadow the current class is by contacting the laboratory director or manager (this can usually be found on the hospital's website or your professor might have the information). Doing this will introduce to to people in the field (possibly your interviewers when you apply or the current students). If you do this, make sure you add it to your resume and take notes on everything you have been introduced to.
