Surgical Tech Resume [Samples for Technologist & Technician]

It happened again. The surgeon got all the praise, while you were the one that handed him the right tools at the right time. And you had to take care of the dirty work afterwards. It’s no wonder you came home late, again.

Then, you spent the night wondering if it’s time to wash your hands clean from this job. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can still work as a surgical tech, just at a better workplace. One that values your experience and recognizes your worth.

You just need to get a job at one of those places. And to do that—you need a stellar surgical tech resume.

This guide will show you: 

• A surgical tech resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a surgical tech resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a surgical tech resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a surgical tech to get any job you want.

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Considering other jobs in healthcare, too? Switch over to one of our dedicated guides:

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• Healthcare Resume
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• Medical Coder Resume
• Patient Care Technician Resume
• Medical Technologist Resume
• Home Health Aide Resume
• Lab Assistant Resume
• Dental Hygienist Resume
• Best Resume Examples for All Professions

Surgical Tech Resume Sample

So—

You’ve seen my take at a professional surgical technologist resume.

Now, let’s get to yours.

Here’s how to write a surgical tech resume that will land interviews:

1. Choose a Great Format for a Surgical Tech Resume

Can you imagine a good surg tech with no attention to detail? Of course not.

It’s one of your key assets at work. Make your resume showcase that too.

Here’s how to format your surgical technologist resume:

• Use the chronological resume template. It’s the format recruiters like most. Plus, it helps you highlight your most recent achievements.
• If you’re making a major career switch, consider a combo resume.
• Top your resume with a good-looking heading with your contact details.
• Use the standard resume sections and put a big section heading above each one.
• Pick a respectable typeface for your job application.
• Save your resume as PDF to keep the resume layout intact.

2. Write Surgical Technologist Resume Objective or Summary Statement

It’s that little paragraph at the top of your surgical tech resume template—generally called a professional profile.

The profile on your resume will take the form of either an objective or a summary statement. Which one to pick?

If you’ve had less than 2 years of relevant work experience, you’ll be better off with a career objective on your resume. In it, describe your 2–3 top skills and say exactly how they’re going to help the healthcare institution you’re applying to.

A seasoned surgical tech already? Go for a professional summary statement. Highlight a few achievements you’ve had and show that you’re a perfect fit for this particular position.

Pro Tip: Although this section tops a good resume, write it last. First, fill in all the other sections—you’ll notice what’s most important and impressive and you’ll be able to compile the information into a single paragraph more easily.

3. Create the Best Surgical Tech Job Description for a Resume

Don’t want your job application to be DOA? Then pay particular attention to this section—

The work experience part.

See… Recruiters want to review resumes pretty much for the sole purpose of reviewing your work history. The trick?

Don’t just say what you did. Find examples of your past work relevant to the new position you’re eyeing. Think about the job ad through this lens—

Don’t think of it as a set of raw requirements. Instead, imagine the hiring manager saying: 

“I have a specific business goal and I have certain challenges ahead of me. I’m looking for a person who’ll help me tackle those challenges. Are you one?”

Are you? Of course you are! Your work experience has to prove it.

Here’s how to describe your experience on a surgical technician resume step by step:

• List jobs in reverse-chronological order. Start with the most recent one, follow it with the one before it, then the previous one, and so on.
• For each job, list: job title, company name, location, and employment dates.
• In each entry include up to 6 bullet points detailing your responsibilities and achievements.
• Customize each resume you send out to match the job on offer.
• Use active voice (e.g. “administered, managed, assessed,” instead of “responsible for administering, managing, and assessing”.)
• Whenever possible, use numbers to illustrate the impact your work has had.

4. Make Your Surgical Tech Resume Education Section Shine

Good news!

Putting your academic details on a resume for surgical technologist jobs is usually easy. All you have to do is:

• List the highest degree of education.
• Include info on your degree, major, university, graduation date.

Only have a high school diploma? Not to worry. Just include your high school degree.

Pro Tip: Writing a resume with little professional experience? Add extra details to your education section: additional activities, relevant coursework, extracurricular activities, and so on.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

5. Highlight Your Surgical Technician Skills

Just want to see a good list of surgical technologist skills? Look no further:

Surgical Technician Skills for a Resume

Technical Skills

• Operating and troubleshooting equipment
• Draping
• Manual skills
• Operating room stocking
• Equipment storage
• Monitoring patients
• Recording Patient Medical History
• EHR Software
• eClinical Works Software
• Medical Supply Inventory
• Specific nursing skills

Soft Skills

• Time management
• Problem solving
• Active Listening
• Decision making
• Critical thinking
• Leadership
• Collaboration skills

The list above is pretty extensive, right? But—

Don’t rely on it too much. There’s more to a good surgical tech resume than just stuffing it with all industry skills. Here’s what you should do instead:

How to Put Skills on a Surgical Tech Resume

• Start with listing all of your relevant job skills in a spreadsheet. Include your soft skills, hard skills, as well as industry-specific technical skills.
• Re-read the job ad. Look for skills-related keywords in the “requirements” section. Jot them down.
• See how many skills from the job description match your list. Quite a few, right? Those have to appear on a resume.
• Don’t just enter the skills you have in a skills section. Your skills have to appear everywhere throughout your resume—2–3 top ones in the resume profile and a few more in the work history section.

Pro Tip: Pay special attention to your soft skills. This study by Harvard’s David Deming showed that employers value soft skills than ever! That’s particularly true in such a challenging work environment as healthcare.

6. Add Extra Sections to Your Surgical Technician Resume 

All the sections above? These amount to a decent surgical tech resume. How much do you want this job, though?

This much? Good! So let’s punch your resume up a notch with some “extra” sections that don’t just tell but show your value.

Here are the top “extra” sections to add for any surgical tech resume, from entry-level, to senior:

Surgical Tech Resume Examples—Extra Sections 

• Licenses and certifications 
• Levels of language proficiency on a resume
• Professional achievements
• Memberships and Associations
• Hobbies & interests
• Volunteer experience

7. Attach a Surgical Tech Cover Letter to Your Resume

Are cover letters worth the effort?

Well, depending on the source, from 20 to 50% of recruiters and hiring managers still expect cover letters. 

Will they actually read yours? You never know, but hey—

Better be safe than sorry. Especially if you’re applying for a job you really care for.

Don’t worry though. Cover letters don’t have to be a struggle.

Just follow these steps for a pain-free surgical tech cover letter:

• Start with the right cover letter formatting and create a professionally-looking cover letter header.
• Introduce yourself and identify the job to which you’re applying in the opening paragraph of your cover letter.
• Focus on what you have to offer to the employer, don’t just show off.
• Explain why you want in.
• End the cover letter with a solid call to action, asking for a meeting or a call.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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Simple as that!

You’re ready to land that surgical tech job within few weeks!

Questions? Concerns? Need more examples or some general resume-writing help? Drop me a line in the comments, I’m here to listen and respond!