You’re an expert at diagnosing, treating and preventing illness through blood and tissue tests.
That’s a pretty special skill set and one that’s difficult to showcase on just two sides of A4. But don’t give up, we can help.
In the guide below, we’ll share our top tips for highlighting your experience and achievements on your CV, along with a pathologist CV example to inspire your own.
|
Pathologist CV example
This CV example demonstrates the type of info you should be including within your Pathologist CV, as well as how to format and layout the content in a way which looks professional and is easy for time-strapped recruiters to read.
This is the look and feel you should be aiming for, so remember to refer back to it throughout your CV writing process.
Pathologist CV format and structure
Your CV is the first impression you’ll make on anybody who reads it.
A disorganised, cluttered and barely-readable CV could seriously decrease your chances of landing interviews, so it’s essential to make sure yours is slick, professional and easy to navigate.
You can do this by using a clear structure and formatting your content with some savvy formatting techniques – check them out below:
Tips for formatting your Pathologist CV
- Length: Even if you’ve got tons of experience to brag about, recruiters don’t have time to read through overly lengthy CVs. Keep it short, concise and relevant – a CV length of 2 sides of A4 pages or less is perfect for the attention spans in today’s job market.
- Readability: Make sure your CV is easy to read and looks professional by applying some simple formatting tricks. Bullet points are great for making large paragraphs more digestible, while formatting your headings with bold or coloured text will help the reader to find the information they need, with speed.
- Design & format: Your CV needs to look professional, sleek and easy to read. A subtle colour palette, clear font and simple design are generally best for this, as fancy designs are often harder to navigate.
- Photos: You can add a profile photo to your CV, if you want to add some personality to it, but they are not a requirement the UK, so you don’t have to.
Quick tip: Creating a professional CV style can be difficult and time-consuming when using Microsoft Word or Google Docs. To create a winning CV quickly, try our quick-and-easy CV Builder and use one of their eye-catching professional CV templates.
CV structure
When writing your CV, it’s important to structure the content into the following key sections to ensure easy digestion by busy recruiters and hiring managers:
- Contact details: List your contact details at the top of your CV to prevent them from being overlooked.
- Profile: Begin with an introductory paragraph that captures recruiters’ attention and summarises what you have to offer employers.
- Work experience/career history: List your relevant work experience in reverse chronological order, starting with your current position.
- Education: Provide a brief summary of your education and qualifications.
- Interests and hobbies: An optional section to showcase any hobbies that highlight transferable skills relevant to your target jobs.
Now you understand the basic layout of a CV, here’s what you should include in each section of yours.
Contact Details
Begin by sharing your contact details, so it’s easy for employers to give you a call.
Keep to the basics, such as:
- Mobile number
- Email address – It should sound professional, with no slang or nicknames. Make a new one for your job applications if necessary.
- Location – Simply share your vague location, for example ‘Manchester’, rather than a full address.
- LinkedIn profile or portfolio URL – Remember to update them before you send your application.
Pathologist CV Profile
Your CV profile is the first thing recruiters will read – so your goal is to give them a reason to read onto the end of the document!
Create a short and snappy paragraph that showcases your key skills, relevant experience and impressive accomplishments.
Ultimately, it should prove to the reader that you’ve got what it takes to carry out the job.
How to write a good CV profile:
- Make it short and sharp: It might be tempting to submit a page-long CV profile, but recruiters won’t have the time to read it. To ensure every word gets read, it’s best to include high-level information only; sticking to a length of 3-5 lines.
- Tailor it: The biggest CV mistake? A generic, mass-produced document which is sent out to tens of employers. If you want to land an interview, you need to tailor your CV profile (and your application as a whole) to the specific roles you’re applying for. So, before you start writing, remember to read over those job descriptions and make a list of the skills, knowledge and experience the employers are looking for.
- Don’t add an objective: Leave your career objectives or goals out of your profile. You only have limited space to work with, so they’re best suited to your cover letter.
- Avoid generic phrases: “Determined team player who always gives 110%” might seem like a good way to fill up your CV profile, but generic phrases like this won’t land you an interview. Recruiters hear them time and time again and have no real reason to believe them. Instead, pack your profile with your hard skills and tangible achievements.
Example CV profile for Pathologist
What to include in your Pathologist CV profile?
- Experience overview: Demonstrate your suitability for your target jobs by giving a high level summary of your previous work work experience, including the industries you have worked in, types of employer, and the type of roles you have previous experience of.
- Targeted skills: Employers need to know what skills you can bring to their organisation, and ideally they want to see skills that match their job vacancy. So, research your target roles thoroughly and add the most important Pathologist skills to your profile.
- Important qualifications: Be sure to outline your relevant Pathologist qualifications, so that anyone reading the CV can instantly see you are qualified for the jobs you are applying to.
Quick tip: If you are finding it difficult to write an attention-grabbing CV profile, choose from hundreds of pre-written profiles across all industries, and add one to your CV with one click in our quick-and-easy CV Builder. All profiles are written by recruitment experts and easily tailored to suit your unique skillset.
Core skills section
Underneath your profile, write a core skills section to make your most relevant skills jump off the page at readers.
It should be made up of 2-3 columns of bullet points of your relevant skills.
Before you do this, look over the job description and make a list of any specific skills, specialisms or knowledge required.
Then, make sure to use your findings in your list. This will paint you as the perfect match for the role.
Important skills for your Pathologist CV
Histopathology – Examining and interpreting tissue samples and biopsy specimens under a microscope to diagnose diseases and conditions.
Cytology – Analysing and interpreting cellular specimens, including fine-needle aspirations and Pap smears, to detect abnormalities.
Laboratory Techniques – Performing various laboratory techniques, such as immunohistochemistry and molecular diagnostics, to aid in diagnosis.
Autopsy Examination – Conducting post-mortem examinations to determine the cause of death and provide critical insights into disease processes.
Clinical Pathology – Analysing blood, urine, and other bodily fluids to diagnose conditions through laboratory testing.
Quality Control – Maintaining quality control standards in the laboratory to ensure accurate and reliable test results.
Tumour Grading and Staging – Grading tumours based on their severity and staging cancer to determine its extent and prognosis.
Infectious Disease Diagnosis – Identifying and diagnosing infectious diseases, including understanding the pathogens responsible.
Digital Pathology – Using digital pathology tools and image analysis software for improved diagnostics and collaboration.
Research and Publication – Conducting research in the field of pathology, publishing findings, and staying current with advancements in medical science.
Quick tip: Our quick-and-easy CV Builder has thousands of in-demand skills for all industries and professions, that can be added to your CV in seconds – This will save you time and ensure you get noticed by recruiters.
Work experience
By this point, employers will be keen to know more detail about you career history.
Starting with your most recent role and working backwards, create a snappy list of any relevant roles you’ve held.
This could be freelance, voluntary, part-time or temporary jobs too. Anything that’s relevant to your target role is well-worth listing!
Structuring each job
Recruiters will be keen to gain a better idea of where you’ve worked and how you apply your skill-set in the workplace.
However, if they’re faced with huge, hard-to-read paragraphs, they may just gloss over it and move onto the next application.
To avoid this, use the simple 3-step role structure, as shown below:
Outline
Provide a brief overview of the job as a whole, such as what the overriding purpose of your job was and what type of company you worked for.
Key responsibilities
Follow with a snappy list of bullet points, detailing your daily duties and responsibilities.
Tailor it to the role you’re applying for by mentioning how you put the target employer’s desired hard skills and knowledge to use in this role.
Key achievements
Lastly, add impact by highlight 1-3 key achievements that you made within the role.
Struggling to think of an achievement? If it had a positive impact on your company, it counts.
For example, you might increased company profits, improved processes, or something simpler, such as going above and beyond to solve a customer’s problem.
Sample job description for Pathologist CV
Outline
Work as part of the Pathology team at a large NHS Hospital in central Liverpool, contributing to real time diagnosis and research of a wide variety of diseases.
Key Responsibilities
- Perform comprehensive histopathological analysis on a variety of patient specimens, including biopsies, surgical resections, and cytology samples, ensuring accurate diagnosis and reporting
- Utilise advanced molecular pathology techniques, such as PCR and FISH, to perform genetic and molecular testing, contributing to personalised treatment plans
- Lead and coordinate multidisciplinary meetings with oncologists, surgeons, and radiologists to discuss complex cases and formulate patient-specific treatment recommendations
- Oversee the quality assurance program, conducting audits and ensuring regulatory compliance
Quick tip: Create impressive job descriptions easily in our quick-and-easy CV Builder by adding pre-written job phrases for every industry and career stage.
Education section
At the bottom of your CV is your full education section. You can list your formal academic qualifications, such as:
- Degree
- GCSE’s
- A levels
As well as any specific Pathologist qualifications that are essential to the jobs you are applying for.
Note down the name of the qualification, the organisation at which you studied, and the date of completion.
Hobbies and interests
This section is entirely optional, so you’ll have to use your own judgement to figure out if it’s worth including.
If your hobbies and interests could make you appear more suitable for your dream job, then they are definitely worth adding.
Interests which are related to the industry, or hobbies like sports teams or volunteering, which display valuable transferable skills might be worth including.
Once you’ve written your Pathologist CV, you should proofread it several times to ensure that there are no typos or grammatical errors.
With a tailored punchy profile that showcases your relevant experience and skills, paired with well-structured role descriptions, you’ll be able to impress employers and land interviews.
Good luck with your next job application!