A guide to writing an effective pharmacy technician resume

This resume guide provides advice and writing tips for pharmacy technicians looking to improve their resumes and apply for new positions. Topics covered include choosing the correct resume format, writing a pharmacy technician resume summary, key pharmacy technician skills, writing the job experience section, and properly listing education. 

Pharmaceuticals is a lucrative industry to be a part of – and pharmacy technicians are highly sought after. The popularity of these positions means candidates will face heavy competition when applying for these jobs, making it all the more important to have an optimized resume.

In this guide, we will discuss which elements of your resume to focus on improving when applying for a position as a pharmacy technician. You will learn about: 

• How to set yourself up for success with the proper resume format 
• How to write an engaging resume summary tailored for pharmacy tech
• What pharmacy technician skills to include 
• Emphasizing your best qualifications in your work experience section 
• Correctly listing your education as a pharmacy technician

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1. Set the stage with the reverse-chronological resume format 

There are a few different resume formats you can choose between, but for pharmacy technician positions we highly recommend the reverse-chronological format. 

Reverse-chronological resumes place the primary focus of the document on your relevant work history and experience. With this format, you will list your most recent job first, along with any relevant or compelling details in the description. Each entry after this will list your previous jobs in reverse-chronological order – with the oldest jobs falling to the bottom of the section. 

Of course, if you lack an abundance of relevant experience, you may need to opt for an alternative format.

There are two main options when it comes to alternative resumes:

• Functional resumes: These resumes remove the focus from work experience and instead prioritize education, skills, and unpaid experience. This format can be useful for recent graduates who do not have a large work history yet.
• Hybrid resumes: A hybrid resume will combine elements of both the functional and reverse-chronological formats. This is often well-suited for job applicants who have work experience in different industries or candidates with large gaps on their resumes. 

2. Writing an engaging resume summary as a pharmacy technician

Your resume summary is the first impression and introduction of you that an employer gets. As such, your resume summary needs to highlight your strengths and experience as a pharmacy technician. 

Here is an incorrect example and corrected explanation to help illustrate the difference between a weak and strong resume summary:

What's wrong with this example? This resume summary is too passive and non-specific. The applicant clearly lacks experience, and is trying to work around this by talking about completing training and an internship. However, this would be far more effective if they provided more specific examples and qualifications. 

Why is this better? This example is much more active and introductory, letting the employer know right off the bat that the candidate is only recently certified, but is driven and ready to learn. The more specific details about the internship show that the applicant has experience working within a pharmacy environment and alongside other pharmacists. 

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3. Choose skills that are highly relevant to pharmacy tech

Pharmacy technicians must possess a wide range of skills, as the job involves both very technical aspects as well as highly interpersonal interactions. Dealing with medications and potentially ill or upset patients requires pharmacy techs to keep a level head and clear focus to keep everything calm and organized.

With this in mind, it is essential to include both technical and interpersonal skills on your resume when applying for a job as a pharmacy technician.

4. Emphasize your qualifications in your work experience section

Your work experience is the place to let your qualification and accomplishments shine. 

In the descriptions of your work experience entries, it is important to include highly specific information and quantifiable facts or data when possible. This makes your work experience more compelling, as well as allowing you to highlight your strengths and capabilities.

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5. Include the correct education information 

As a pharmacy technician, you are not required to attend a formal four-year university to earn your credentials. In most places, the main requirement is the completion of a certification training program in order to qualify for employment. 

No matter what route you took to become a pharmacy technician, you should include information about your highest level of training or education. In many cases, this may result best if you separate your licenses and certifications from your education.