Anyone working as a lab technician has an incredibly complicated job. While your experience in laboratory processes and techniques is likely broad, your day-to-day work is probably focused on niche areas of expertise. While a CV is enough to give a potential hiring manager enough top-line detail on your accomplishments, it is the cover letter where you can really explore the required nuances of your scientific experience.
Lab technicians are used to writing lab reports, but when it comes to extolling their own virtues, it may be somewhat difficult. You need to market yourself like the next miracle cure. Focus on the unmet needs of your future boss that other candidates will find it tough to match. It is only by elevating yourself in such a way that you will secure an interview and give yourself a chance of getting the job.
Before you begin to think about the content of your lab technician cover letter, you need to study the art of selling your career story. A cover letter is very different to a CV, so it is useful to gain an understanding of the differences before you dive in to fill the page with text. They should complement each other – a job search tag team.
Why not have a look at some of our cover letter examples to give you a sense of how other professions approach the task? Then you can turn your attention to the lab. In this guide and the accompanying cover letter sample, we cover:
- Writing a lab technician cover letter to convey the depth of your experience
- Which paragraphs to include in a lab technician cover letter
- Choose a format and structure that will work in your favour
- Composing a lab technician cover letter with no experience
- Mistakes to avoid when writing your lab technician cover letter.
Here are some other cover letter examples:
Best format for a lab technician cover letter
Every scientist appreciates the need for structure in their work. Their hiring managers will expect to read a methodical and thorough case that offers opportunities to delve further into the details during a potential interview. The format of the lab technician cover letter enables each section to introduce different aspects of their candidature. We would advise following a standard structure as hiring managers would not expect any different:
- The cover letter header
- The greeting / salutation
- The cover letter intro
- The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
- The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)
Before you sit down to write, spend some time analysing the job description. Every lab technician role will be different – try to hone in on the unique aspects of the role where you will have an advantage. Think about the culture of the employer that you are joining – have you worked in similar environments? Are you familiar with the tasks involved? What stories can you tell that would show you to be the perfect candidate?
Just like any scientific experiment, there are many subtleties to a cover letter that may have an impact on the overall effectiveness. How important is the font size? What should the design look like? How much white space should there be? Our comprehensive cover letter guide covers all this and much more.
Once you have made some of these initial decisions, you are ready to write.
Dear Dr. Adams,
I am writing to express my interest in the Lab Technician role at Russell Taylor Group, as recently advertised on your website. With over 5 years of experience as a lab technician in microbiology and molecular biology labs, I believe I have the necessary skills and expertise to excel in this position.
In my current role at University Hospital, I have honed my skills in routine lab procedures including DNA extraction, PCR, bacterial culturing, and immunohistochemistry. I spearheaded the implementation of a new qPCR machine, creating protocols and training staff on its use. This improved our efficiency in processing test results by over 20%. In addition, I mentored 2 junior lab technicians, guiding them on proper pipetting technique and contamination prevention.
I am particularly excited by the research focus at Russell Taylor Group on developing novel immuno-oncology drugs. My molecular biology background would enable me to readily support your cutting-edge lab experiments and assays. Moreover, my meticulous nature and commitment to following SOPs would ensure consistent, high-quality results.
In closing, I am eager to bring my technical acumen in the lab along with my collaborative spirit to the team at ABC Healthcare. Please find my CV attached for your review. I can be reached at (051) 874 - 1256 or [email protected] should you wish to discuss my qualifications further. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Sarah Parker
Cover letter header
Lab technicians likely won’t pause for too long to consider the design of the cover letter header. They know that the hiring manager has far more weighty matters to consider. Keep it professional and minimalistic.
In practical terms, the header should contain your full name, email, and mobile number. These details should be duplicated from your CV – you never know when the hiring manager might decide to invite you to an interview. Also, there is no need to include your full home address (just the town will be fine). You can share this at a later point. The inside address of the employer is certainly not required and will simply take up valuable space.
Cover letter greeting
As scientists are technical types, it is likely that they will include the name of the hiring manager on the job description. Getting the salutation wrong would therefore be unforgivable for any detail-oriented lab technician.
If, for some strange reason, there is no contact name, try your best to find out the person in charge. This shows vital initiative. If you do not know the name of the recipient, “Dear Company team” is a warm enough greeting to begin what will hopefully be a close working relationship.
Cover letter introduction
Lab technicians should start their cover letters with a relevant and specific example of why their experience is a great fit for the role. A cover letter allows them the space to expand on how you go about your work as well as what you have done. You will inevitably be working in a team, so make sure that you share plenty of stories of collaboration in the lab.
Have a good look at the job description and pick a career story that few of your competition will be able to match. This should be the scientific tale that you most want to expand upon during an interview. If you do not start strong, the hiring manager will assume that you do not have much to say for yourself.
Dear Dr. Adams,
I am writing to express my interest in the Lab Technician role at Russell Taylor Group, as recently advertised on your website. With over 5 years of experience as a lab technician in microbiology and molecular biology labs, I believe I have the necessary skills and expertise to excel in this position.
Cover letter middle part (body)
The middle part of the cover letter should not only contain your work accomplishments, but also how you go about your work. Will you fit into the culture of the employer in question? Give the hiring manager a glimpse into your personality to let them make a decision around whether they would work well with you. It is important to be yourself in this case.
Pick a couple of your weighty lab projects that you wish to discuss at interview. Don’t worry that you will be forced to leave out plenty of detail — it is important to pick out the most relevant stories from your CV that you feel best represent why you would do well in the role.
Make sure that the language of the middle part of the lab technician cover letter suits that type of environment that you work in. Write the cover letter as if you are having a work conversation – read some of the company’s literature to pick up on their level of formality.
In my current role at University Hospital, I have honed my skills in routine lab procedures including DNA extraction, PCR, bacterial culturing, and immunohistochemistry. I spearheaded the implementation of a new qPCR machine, creating protocols and training staff on its use. This improved our efficiency in processing test results by over 20%. In addition, I mentored 2 junior lab technicians, guiding them on proper pipetting technique and contamination prevention.
I am particularly excited by the research focus at Russell Taylor Group on developing novel immuno-oncology drugs. My molecular biology background would enable me to readily support your cutting-edge lab experiments and assays. Moreover, my meticulous nature and commitment to following SOPs would ensure consistent, high-quality results.
In closing, I am eager to bring my technical acumen in the lab along with my collaborative spirit to the team at ABC Healthcare. Please find my CV attached for your review. I can be reached at (051) 874 - 1256 or [email protected] should you wish to discuss my qualifications further. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
How to close a lab technician cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
The close of a lab technician letter should end with the most important scientific attitude – curiosity. Say that you are looking forward to the opportunity of finding out more about the role and don’t be shy to say that you are looking forward to the chance to meet and discuss further. As long as your tone isn’t too presumptuous, this call to action will likely prompt a hiring manager to press that interview invite button.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Sarah Parker
Lab technician cover letter with no experience
It may be that you have worked in different areas of the facility and wish to move into a technician’s role. Alternatively, you may have been a technician in a slightly different environment.
Whatever your situation, if you feel that you can communicate a suitable amount of transferable skills, there is every chance that an employer would be interested in exploring the possibilities. Lab technicians are in demand and plenty start with different experiences. Don’t let the thought of a few (unimaginative) rejections put you off.
Basic mistakes in a lab technician application letter (and how to avoid them)
The smallest error can cost a lab technician dearly. While writing might not be their forte, checking the cover letter for mistakes is crucial. When hiring managers do not have so much opportunity to judge you, they will read into every aspect of your application.
- Grammar errors Use an online program such as Grammarly to check for errors. You could also ask a friend to check that the letter sounds like you.
- Maintain a formal tone. Lab technicians need to be professional and concise with their communication – avoid a conversational style.
- Stick to the job description. While you might have countless wonderful career stories to tell, try to stick with what is relevant for the role.
Key takeaways
- Offer an insight into how you go about your lab work.
- Don’t worry about not being able to offer every detail. You will hopefully have the opportunity to expand during an interview.
- Consider the culture of the company that you are potentially joining. Do you come across as someone who will fit in?
- Select a professional cover letter template. Check out our cover letter templates.
