The world has only begun to realize the true value of pharmacy technicians.

All thanks to the vital role they play in society by constantly making a positive impact.

Pharmacy technicians spearheaded the battle against COVID-19 and were always in the front when it was toughest. They went to work every day ready to deal with possibly infected patients who needed help.

That made the demand for competent pharmacy technicians at an all times high.

But even before the pandemic:

The profession had always been valued in the healthcare industry.

So, to be honest…

Such recognition for pharmacy technicians is well-deserved. And you're only a few steps away from landing the job you've always wanted.

But:

To get yourself the job you deserve, you need a pharmacy technician resume that shows impact.

Your resume has to prove your ability to function in a fast-paced pharmacy environment where mistakes aren’t allowed. It must prove your immense ability to ensure error-free operations with minimal supervision.

On top of that:

It has to highlight your outstanding ability to communicate with others, adapt to change, and willingness to learn.

That's exactly what we're going to help you accomplish today.

What you’ll learn in this guide:

• How to make your pharmacy technician resume stick out and awe recruiters
• The ideal format and layout for pharmacy technician resumes
• Best tips to showcase relevant experience and accomplishments
• Most sought-after soft and hard skills for pharmacy technicians
• Why a certificate will increase your chances of landing a better job

How to write a pharmacy technician resume

Your pharmacy technician resume is the marketing tool that demonstrates your value. It portrays your past and promises a bright future by highlighting your expertise.

And that gives recruiters every reason to hire you.

Now, as you already know…

There are many work environments for physical technicians that require different experiences and skillsets. That includes hospitals, retail stores, drugstores, grocery stores, etc.

For your resume to succeed:

It needs to be tailored specifically to the work environment mentioned in the job posting.

For example:

Working as a pharmacy technician at a hospital generally requires more experience and skills. So, your resume in such a case must be all about relevant past expertise and achievements.

On the other hand, applying for jobs in retail environments requires more interpersonal skills and empathy.

Overall…

Your application must show your interest in pharmacy and other medical fields. And it needs to prove your commitment to acquiring new knowledge in the long run.

Next, you must think about the ideal resume format.

The reverse-chronological format has always been the best option for pharmacy technicians.

Why is that?

Because it's easily scannable and enables you to demonstrate relevant experiences within context. Better yet, it leaves room for other vital sections to stand out t(such as skills and certificates).

As for the resume design and page layout, you must always:

• Keep your resume to one page with a well-organized layout
• Use a simple, easy-to-read font with a size between 10-12px
• Stick to monochromatic or complementary color schemes
• Leave a lot of white space around the page to increase readability

Finally:

Save your resume in PDF format so you can easily upload it to any website or send it via email when applying for jobs. It's also the best format to conserve your design options and ensure ATS-friendliness.

How to write an attractive header for your pharmacy technician resume

The header section comes at the top of your resume to help recruiters learn more about you before they hire you.

It must contain the following contact details:

• Full name
• Address
• Phone number
• Job title
• Linkedin profile

Let’s be brutally honest for a second here:

The resume header won’t be the reason you get hired.

There are dozens of applicants competing with you for this position. The majority of which will create a good-enough header section that will get them noticed.

Yet…

This section can easily get your resume thrown in the trash, which often happens when the applicant makes lots of rookie mistakes.

We’ve seen many bad pharmacy technician resumes with:

• More than one phone number/email address
• Unprofessional email address formats
• Links to irrelevant social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Here’s an example of what that might look like on a resume

2 pharmacy technician resume header examples

Here’s what’s wrong with that example:

Mistake #1:

The email address must be improved not to look like a 14yo teenager Snapchat username.

That might seem like a slight, irrelevant detail. However, recruiters pay attention to it all the time and use it to sort out applicants.

So:

Be sure to use an email address that demonstrates professionalism. If you don’t already have one, create a new email account using one of the following formats:

• firstlast@gmail.com
• lastfirst@outlook.com
• f.last@icloud.com
• l.first@gmail.com
• flast@icloud.com
• lfirst@outlook.com

If your desired username is already taken, you can always switch between popular email providers such as Gmail, Outlook, and iCloud.

Mistake #2:

You don’t need to include a full home address because your resume isn’t a house party invitation.

Instead, stick to the typical “City, State” format no matter where you’re applying.

Mistake #3:

One thing the applicant in the previous example didn’t do is include a link to their LinkedIn profile.

Why is that important?

Because it helps recruiters learn more about you before making a final decision.

So why deprive them of the chance to do that!

Featuring your LinkedIn profile on your resume is no longer an optional accessory. It has become a necessity that makes your resume richer.

Here’s how your pharmacy technician resume header should look like:

Should you include a photo to your resume?

Find out more about that on our compete resume photos guide.

Summary vs. Objective: which one is the best fit for pharmacy technician resumes?

A summary or objective section comes right after the header — which shows just how important the details it provides are.

It’s the place where you introduce who you are within context and explain clearly why you’re the best fit for the job.

Not sure whether your resume needs a summary or objective?

No worries!

The difference between the two is actually quite simple.

An objective statement allows you to explain your career vision and goals for the future. You’ll use it to make up for your lack of experience if you’re a recent grad or in the middle of a career transition.

On the contrary…

A resume summary enables you to highlight your pharmacy technician expertise and qualifications. It’s also the best way to feature any required certificates and emphasize your skills.

2 pharmacy technician resume summary examples

This example is just bad.

It doesn’t take a lot of recruiting experience for anyone to know that they should ignore the rest of the resume and look for another applicant.

Why?

Because it’s far from what the headhunter is looking for.

Even worse…

It’s egocentric and doesn’t offer the hiring company any useful knowledge.

Every killer pharmacy technician summary must meet these three requirements:

• Solution-oriented tone to show why you’re their best option
• Job-specific, quantifiable career achievements
• Relevant skills, education, and certificates

The solution-oriented tone shows that you understand why the company is hiring and how you can help.

Job-specific achievements that are quantifiable make you look more reputable. They’re the best way to differentiate yourself from the competition.

Relevant certificates and education will enable you to edge out the competition and take your resume to the next level.

Here’s how to put the three together into an outstanding resume summary:

The dos and don'ts of writing a pharmacy technician resume experience section

This is the section where you tick every “perfect candidate” box inside the recruiter’s brain.

Headhunters want a pharmacy technician with practical knowledge in a similar work atmosphere. They look for a reliable applicant who can thrive in stressful work environments.

If you have those two things and can show them through past experiences, you’re halfway there.

But…

We’ve also seen many fresh pharmacy technicians struggle to write this section due to their lack of experience.

If that’s the case for you, then don’t worry!

Companies know that this is an entry-level job position for many, which is why they won’t put lots of demands on you.

You only have to show enough determination and openness to learning to get ahead in this race.

Here’s how to write a successful pharmacy technician experience section:

• Only include three to five concise bullet points per job position
• Tailor your resume to the job application by only including your most relevant achievements
• Showcase hands-on experience and skills with real-life examples
• Use accurate metrics to quantify your accomplishments

2 pharmacy technician resume experience examples

No hiring manager will ever read that resume and say:

“No need to look any further… I've found my candidate!"

Simply because anyone, despite their skills or expertise, can make the claims in the last example. As a matter of fact, headhunters see dozens of resumes with the same copy-pasted duties from Google every day.

So…

That’s a big NO-NO.

What you must do instead is read the job posting carefully. Then, try to identify which duties are most important and list them here.

It's also crucial to include numbers that quantify your career wins and show impact.

Another common mistake you can see in the example is the use of words like “Responsible for” and “Handled”.

While that isn't wrong grammatically, it's still far from perfect.

It’s always better to start your bullet points with action verbs from your day-to-day job duties. Because that reinforces the meaning and shows real impact.

For example, you can use instead:

• Communicated
• Prescribed
• Ordered
• Answered
• Maintained

Here's a better example:

20 most sought-after skills for a pharmacy technician resume

Including a lot of skills in your resume might seem like a good idea, but it’s actually counterintuitive to your success.

Why is that?

Most hiring managers have years of experience under their belt. They can sense it when a candidate is desperately filling up their resume to make it seem more interesting than it is.

So…

Including a bunch of generic skills from Google is a red flag for them.

Instead, let’s take a quick look at your day-to-day responsibilities as a pharmacy technician. From there, we’ll extract unique, relevant skills.

For the most part:

You’ll work under the supervision of a pharmacist, which means that you need to be a reliable team player. However, being able to function on your own when needed is a huge plus.

Also…

You’ll deal with lots of irritated customers and sick patients who need your help. Serving them quickly and without losing your cool is vital.

Add to that:

Your other roles of customer service, organizing inventory, fulfilling paperwork, resolving insurance issues, etc.

Here are the best pharmacy technician skills to feature on your resume:

Is education necessary in a pharmacy technician resume?

As you already know…

The awesome thing about pharmacy technician jobs is that you don’t need any formal education to land a job. You can get hired even if you only have a few weeks of training.

Yet…

It’s always a plus to highlight your education if it’s relevant to the job position. That’s going to help you stick out as the best candidate and maximize your chances for success.

Besides:

Featuring your educational background is vital to negotiating the salary you deserve.

Here's what you should include in the education section:

• Degree title (.i.e Bachelor of Science)
• Name of university
• Graduation year/years attended
• University location (optional)
• GPA (optional)

And it should look something like this:

Bachelor of Science (University of Minnesota) — 09/2017 - 07/2020

4 in-demand pharmacy technician certificates to include in your resume

The good news is:

You don’t have to get a certificate if you’re just getting into the field.

Many companies are willing to hire you as long as you meet their minimum requirements.

This is an easy way to save money since most hiring companies will reimburse you for the certificate costs later. And it’s actually what most established pharmacy technicians recommend to entry-level candidates.

However…

If you want to boost your career and move up the ladder, an active certificate is a must. Your resume must show a current pharmacy technician license or certification as required by state law.

Keep in mind:

Each company will specifically ask for a certificate based on the needs of the job. So, make sure to match that in your resume and only focus on jobs asking for the certificates you have.

Key takeaways

• Break down your resume into header, summary/objective, experience, skills, education, and certificates
• Organize your application with a nice-looking layout to keep recruiters interested
• Write a summary if you have enough experience as a pharmacy technician. Or an objective statement to showcase your perseverance and vision for the future
• Feature the most-relevant accomplishments and skills (based on the job posting) to appeal to your dream company
• Always include a certificate if the hiring company is specifically asking for it