Thanks to the growing demand for pharmaceutical services, the demand for pharmacy technicians is high. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the outlook for this profession is stronger than average, with an estimated 7% growth rate from 2018 to 2028, which is equivalent to 31,500 jobs so there can be a lot of competition for available positions.
Aside from being in high demand, the pharmacy technician profession also pays well, with yearly salaries ranging from $34,026 to $42,099, according to salary.com. As a result, you may find yourself competing with dozens or even hundreds of other applicants. This, then, means one thing: You must prepare a strong job application tool to stand out from this intense competition.
Don’t know what the hiring manager expects to see on your resume to be considered for this position? Don’t be concerned! This article will provide you with basic information on pharmacy technicians as well as key components and tips on how to write a pharmacy technician resume that will land you job interviews. Read on!
What is a Pharmacy Technician?
Pharmacy technicians are medical specialists who operate in retail and hospital pharmacies under the direction of a pharmacist. They prepare and dispense medications for patients, clients, and health professionals. They also examine medical records for accuracy before delivering medication to customers and patients and addressing their questions.
Moreover, a pharmacy technician provides support to pharmacists with administrative tasks such as processing and filing paperwork, collecting payments, and inventory management. Likewise, they are responsible for ensuring compliance with relevant regulatory requirements as part of their many responsibilities.
To become a pharmacy technician, one must have broad knowledge and abilities in areas such as procurement, pharmaceutical information, technical services, clinical services, leadership, and management. Aside from these qualities, they must possess attention to detail skills, good communication abilities, and teamwork.
What are the Duties of a Pharmacy Technician?
There are different roles for pharmacy technicians in each place, and each state has its own regulations on what a pharmacy technician can do. Some of their primary and most common responsibilities are listed below:
- Efficiently check and dispense medication to patients in accordance with the prescription or provider’s orders.
- Handle the packing and labeling of prescribed medication while tracking inventory and supplies.
- Support the preparation of compounded medications using sterile and non-sterile processes as needed.
- Respond to customer inquiries or requests, while referring them to the pharmacist for medical information.
- Take charge of processing prescriptions electronically and ensuring accuracy of all information.
- Communicate with healthcare providers, insurance companies, customers, and patients on a regular basis.
- Receive and store incoming inventory, verify invoices, and check for outdated medications.
- Perform clerical tasks, such as answering phones, operating the cash register, and maintaining prescription records.
How Do You Become a Pharmacy Technician?
A pharmacy technician is one of the few healthcare professionals who deal with patients, although they neither perform procedures nor provide direct patient care. So, if you appreciate assisting people and engaging with patients but aren’t interested in clinical work or other procedures, being a pharmacy technician could be a wonderful fit for you.
But how do you become one? To become a pharmacy technician, here are the things you need to take on:
1. Obtain relevant and higher education.
A minimum of an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in mathematics, chemistry, biology, or physiology is required for pharmacy technicians. However, many individuals in this industry prefer to pursue higher education, such as a Doctor of Pharmacy, to gain a solid foundation and gain an advantage in the sector.
2. Get certified by national and regional certification bodies.
Although not all states require pharmacy technicians to be certified, many employers prefer it so it is better to get one. Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB) and the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) are two of the certifications you can get. These certifications are nationally recognized and serve as pharmacy technician licenses.
Aside from becoming a certified pharmacy technician (CPhT), you can also further enhance your credentials with other certifications in areas such as Certified Compounded Sterile Preparation Technician (CSPT) and other certificate programs that include hands-on learning.
3. Graduate from an accredited pharmacy technician training program.
A structured training program from a recognized training center is also a good credential for becoming a pharmacy technician. Accredited programs from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) that support pharmacists’ professional practice are among the finest options.
4. Acquire hands-on experience.
In addition to the credentials mentioned above, getting hands-on experience from an accredited pharmacy or medical center is a solid step toward becoming a pharmacy technician. To obtain experience, look for internships or shadowing opportunities in both hospitals and retail pharmacies.
What to Include in Your Pharmacy Technician Resume
Pharmacy technicians play an important role in the healthcare industry since they supply prescriptions for a variety of conditions, ensure proper dosage is administered, and process insurance and copays for patients. And if you are seeking this type of job, you should demonstrate these abilities to the hiring manager.
But how do you showcase these abilities to recruiters? To best present your abilities to hiring managers, your pharmacy technician resume should include the following sections:
Contact Information
Place your contact information near the top of your pharmacy technician resume. Your full name, address, phone number, and email should always be listed on top, along with pertinent links to other professional information, like your LinkedIn profile or even a personal website to make it simpler for potential employers to reach you for an interview.
Specific Target Job
To help hiring managers and recruiters better understand the position you’re applying for, put a career tag or your ideal position right after your contact information.
Qualifications Profile
You may also want to create a qualifications profile or a resume summary that clearly communicates your goals and qualifications. Pick out strong words and attention-grabbing phrases to increase your CV’s potential of attracting the attention of a top employer.
Expert tip:
The objective section is already outdated. Recruiters will rightly assume that your objective is to get a job with their company. Hence, use a resume summary and focus more on highlighting your qualifications that will convince the hiring manager that you’re a good fit for the position.
Areas of Expertise
When writing your resume, it’s also crucial to include areas of expertise or skills section as it gives hiring managers a quick snapshot of your skills and abilities. Stress the most relevant and important skills that make you an excellent pharmacy technician, while making sure that the job posting and your skills are in sync with each other. Doing so will not only help you highlight your skills but also help in making your pharmacy technician resume rank high on the applicant tracking system (ATS).
Pharmacy technician skills can include both hard skills and soft skills. So, try to include a mix of both in the skill section of your resume. Below are some of the skills that appear frequently on recent pharmacy technician resume job posts. Include these skills on your resume as possible.
Hard Skills
- Pharmacology
- Prescriptions Filling
- Compounding and Dispensing
- HIPAA Compliance
- Prescriptions Labeling
- Payment Processing
- Inventory Management
- Customer Service and Support
Soft Skills
- Communication and Active Listening
- Organization and Teamwork
- Problem-Solving
- Computer Literacy
- Time Management
- Adaptability
- Detail-Oriented
- Critical Thinking
Professional Experience
Your employment history or professional experience is the section hiring managers pay the most attention to, so make sure to use it to your advantage. List your duties starting with your most recent job down to your first. Include the names of the companies, their locations, your job titles, and the dates you worked there. Consider listing your day-to-day duties where you applied the skills valuable to a pharmacy technician. Show how you’ve progressed with each professional experience, taking on more responsibilities or solving new challenges.
Expert Tip:
Use bullet points and strong action verbs to explain job descriptions, key achievements, and triumphs so that hiring managers can swiftly scan your employment history and don’t miss any important information. It’s also a good idea to show genuine results and data to boost your chances of getting employed.
Education
Your academic background is another factor recruiters consider when making employment selections. Therefore, you should include your professional degree, especially if it is relevant to the job you want. In addition to your degree, don’t forget to include any relevant internships, honors, awards, and other leadership activities you took part in while pursuing your education.
Professional Development
This is the place to show off your credentials. Highlight your training, certifications, and licenses to impress hiring and show that you are a good fit for the position. You may also list all training courses, seminars, and workshops you’ve taken in the industry. This can significantly strengthen your application.
Additional Sections to Include on Your Pharmacy Technician Resume
Your professional affiliations, extracurricular activities, and technical expertise are all good additions to your resume. So, if you have any, mention them on your pharmacy technician resume to give hiring managers more information that can persuade them to hire you.
How to Write Your Pharmacy Technician Resume
Whether you’re a pharmacy technician who is just starting out or who possesses years of experience, it might be challenging to know what to put on your resume and properly format it to attract the attention of a hiring manager. To help you, here are some resume trends and additional strategies to make a strong and top-notch pharmacy technician resume.
1. Use simple fonts and a professional layout.
The layout of your resume can make a big difference to how the hiring manager views your information. So, use simple resume layout and font choices across your resume to make it look better to hiring managers. Additionally, it can make certain areas of your resume stand out more to computer scanning software and improve your chances in making it through the ATS.
2. Choose the best resume format.
Create your pharmacy technician resume using the best format possible to emphasize your qualifications, skills, and experience. Reverse-chronological resume format is the most popular format used in this field, especially if you have wide experience in this industry. But if you don’t have a solid background in the field, you might want to consider utilizing other resume formats such as functional, targeted, or combination resume formats to best highlight the value that you can offer to the company.
3. Highlight your skills and include the right resume keywords.
Since you’re applying for a pharmaceutical position, you need to emphasize your relevant pharmaceutical skills and abilities. Examine the job description and make a note of the key competencies that best match your strengths to show that you are capable of handling a variety of pharmacy technician responsibilities. Additionally, to increase the chance of your pharmacy technician resume being filtered by the ATS, be sure you stuff it full of the appropriate resume keywords.
4. Quantify your accomplishments using concrete data.
Focus on highlighting your achievements rather than daily tasks on your pharmacy technician resume. Use figures and numbers instead of just plain words and information. Doing so will make you stand out from other job applicants.
5. Proofread before sending your application.
To check and correct grammar and punctuation errors, proofread your pharmacy technician resume. Keep in mind that having a flawless resume can increase your chances of receiving job interviews.
Pharmacy Technician Resume Example
Are you interested in seeing an example of a strong pharmacy technician resume? Check and use this resume sample for inspiration on how to create a winning CV for this industry.
Note: You may check out other resume samples written by top professional resume writers for more ideas.
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