Micro Series: Ep 2 Crafting a Resume That Lands Entry-Level Sterile Processing Roles

We break down how to turn minimal experience into a strong, clean resume that gets noticed for sterile processing roles. We share structure, examples, and practical tips to quantify wins, highlight coursework and externships, and frame transferable skills with impact.

• reframing the resume as a marketing tool
• what to showcase with little experience
• certifications to list and how to present them
• a simple one-page structure that scans fast
• quantifying tasks and highlighting achievements
• turning labs and projects into proof points
• pro tips for school involvement and TA roles
• formatting, customization, and common mistakes
• encouragement and mindset for early careers

Share it with a fellow student or extern
Next week, we'll dive into externship secrets, how to shine in your first placement, where we'll share strategies to stand out and build lasting professional relationships

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Series Context
• 0:13 The Resume Mindset Shift
• 0:40 Who We Are and Today’s Goal
• 1:47 Purpose of a Resume Reframed
• 2:28 What to Showcase With Little Experience
• 3:46 Building a Strong Resume Structure
• 5:26 Make Minimal Experience Meaningful
• 6:49 Pro Tips for School and Labs
• 7:47 Final Formatting and Common Mistakes

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Welcome back as we are going through this micro mini series on how to break into sterile processing. We are discussing some topics that are going to be encouraging to you as a new sterile processing professional. So one thing I want to jump right into and that we should be thinking about is how important our resume is as it pertains to landing a job in sterile processing. Remember that your resume is that very, very tool that gets you noticed with minimal experience. So welcome back to Sterilization Station, the podcast dedicated to helping students, externs, and early career professionals thrive in sterile processing. My name is Bill Rochelle, and I've been in the industry for 20 years, empowering, encouraging, and inspiring those in sterile processing. And today we are tackling a challenge that stops many people before they even start. And that is crafting that resume that's going to get noticed, even if you have little experience. If you've been stuck, unsure how to stand out, or thinking, I don't have enough experience, this episode is for you. So by the end of this episode, we hope you'll have actionable strategies to make your resume shine like the sun, like a diamond, like a star in the sky, which you are. You think about the stellar nursery. That is the environment in space where stars are developed, and how that supernova goes through, it explodes, and particles shoot everywhere. But how in space, those gases, they pull those pieces of the supernova to the center, and how after taking long periods of time, how a star is made. So be encouraged. You are a star in the making. So what is the purpose of your resume? Let's first reframe what a resume really is. It's not just a list of jobs, right? You're not listing your jobs out. It's your personal marketing tool. It tells a potential employer here's who I am. Here's what I personally can do, and here's why I am a good fit. My wife's in Human Resources, and she always says, Bill, you know, this is the only time in life where you can talk about yourself, praise yourself, give yourself as many accurately as you want. And that's what the purpose of a resume is, is to highlight who you are, what you've accomplished, and how you would be a great fit for that specific organization. So even with minimal experience, you already have something to showcase. You can showcase your education and your coursework. You can showcase what school did you go through? What was some of the material that was covered? What were some of the things that you learned? And how you can highlight that on your resume. You can highlight did you participate in an externship, an internship, hands-on training, or volunteer experience? You can highlight your certifications, CRCST, CIS, CER, or CHL, certified registered central service technician, certified instrument specialist, certified endoscoper processor, or certified healthcare leadership, which are all certifications that you can acquire in sterile processing. You can jot down and include on your resume, document, or information that you can provide can be transferable skills that you maybe you've obtained in other positions that are relatable to sterile processing. You could think about like attention to detail, teamwork, and infection control knowledge. And your goal with this resume is to highlight potential reliability and willingness to learn, not just past jobs. And so as we think about the structure of our resume, here's a simple step-by-step structure that works even for new sterile processing professionals. You want to include basic contact information, your name, your phone number, your email, and your LinkedIn account if you have one. And I highly recommend that you get a LinkedIn profile, you know, with a picture. It just seems more professional. Have two or three sentences of a professional summary. This is gonna highlight your goals and your strengths. An example would be motivated sterile processing student with a strong commitment to infection control and patient safety, who is eager to apply hands-on skills and contribute to a high performing or functioning SPD team. You could include your educrate, education, your school, your degree, and your relative coursework. Of course, you're gonna list your certifications that you have and your experience. You're gonna include externships, volunteer work, or part-time, and you're gonna focus on those transferable skills that we spoke about earlier: example, attention to detail, teamwork, and adhering to protocols. You're gonna list other skills like hard skills, instrument identification, sterilization techniques, documentation, and soft skills, communication, adaptability, and reliability. These are things that are gonna help you in drafting and constructing your resume. And if you would like for me to look at it, please you can you can email me at sterilizationstation at outlook.com, and I would love to take a look at it and offer some feedback. And even if you don't have a lot of formal work experience, this structure highlights your your competence, professionalism, and potential. Now let's talk about how to make minimal experience look meaningful. When possible, you want to quantify when possible. Instead of just assisted an instrument cleaning, say process 50 plus surgical instruments daily with strict adherence to infection control protocols. You want to highlight your achievements. Did you improve efficiency? Organize trades or help train peers? You could include that in your resume. Use action verbs, words like organize, manage, assisted. Make sure it's in the past tense and make sure your resume is dynamic. And include any school projects maybe you may have done, or labs, anything where you demonstrate your skills related to sterile processing counts. Remember, when you're in school, you know, just a pro tip. That's really good to take on projects and to help the school. Definitely will help you grow and you will learn instruments. And also another pro tip is that become a TA in the class. It will help you when grading papers and when assisting the teacher, you're going to learn the material faster. Think of your resume as a story of your capability to be a successful sterile processing technician. And even those small experiences can show you are ready to contribute. So as we wrap up on this short video about your resume, make sure that you keep it one page for students and entry-level candidates. Avoid typos, use the spell check, and attention to detail matters in sterile processing. Remember to customize your resume for every application. Don't just send the same one every time. And use a clean and professional format. That's nothing that's too flashy. And one common mistake you'll see is listing too many irrelevant jobs without showing those transferable skills. Instead, focus on what you learned or contributed that aligns to sterile processing. So let's recap. A resume is your personal marketing tool, not a measure of past experience, right? It highlights your education, your externship, your certification, your transferable skills, and your achievements, and it makes every word show that you're reliable, detail-oriented, and ready to learn. Remember, employers are hiring potential and attitude, such as much, just as much as experience. You have the skills, the dedication, and the mindset to make an impression. Once again, thank you for tuning in to Sterilization Station. If you found this episode helpful, share it with a fellow student or extern. Next week, we'll dive into externship secrets, how to shine in your first placement, where we'll share strategies to stand out and build lasting professional relationships. Stay empowered and keep it moving forward. And we'll see you soon.