How to hire a cytology laboratory technician

How to hire a cytology laboratory technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step cytology laboratory technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a cytology laboratory technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new cytology laboratory technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

Post a cytology laboratory technician job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The cytology laboratory technician hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a cytology laboratory technician to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a cytology laboratory technician that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of cytology laboratory technicians.

   Type of Cytology Laboratory Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Cytology Laboratory Technician	Medical laboratory technologists (commonly known as medical laboratory scientists) and medical laboratory technicians collect samples and perform tests to analyze body fluids, tissue, and other substances.	$12-37
   Accessioner	An accessioner works at laboratories where they are primarily in charge of managing and organizing specimens, assisting scientists as needed. Their responsibilities include receiving and verifying samples, labeling and preparing specimens according to its purpose, updating databases, disposing of waste properly, and examining samples for any contamination... Show more	$11-21
   Certified Medical Technician	Certified Medical Technicians are specialists in medical diagnoses by performing laboratory testing and analysis for hospitals and physicians. Their duties include lab sanitization to prepare for testing and collection, recording medical samples for testing, specimen preparation, blood drawing for donation and testing, and assisting physicians with sample collection as well as equipment handling in surgical rooms... Show more	$13-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Clinical Laboratory
   • Laboratory Equipment
   • Routine Maintenance
   • Non-Gynecological
   • FNA
   • Equipment Maintenance
   • Body Fluids

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead aerobic, anaerobic and UV light testing, chemical residue testing and centrifuge to separate chemicals from water.
   • Maintain and operate laboratory equipment and commendably troubleshoot and resolve an assortment of laboratory testing analyzers and perform diverse chemical tests.
   • Read experimental protocols and perform experiments following directions (including tissue collection, molecular biology, gel electrophoresis, etc . )

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your cytology laboratory technician job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A cytology laboratory technician salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, cytology laboratory technicians' average salary in iowa is 59% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level cytology laboratory technicians earn 65% less than senior-level cytology laboratory technicians.
   • Certifications. A cytology laboratory technician with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a cytology laboratory technician's salary.

   Average cytology laboratory technician salary

   $46,680yearly

   $22.44 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level cytology laboratory technician salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 13, 2026

4. Writing a cytology laboratory technician job description

   A cytology laboratory technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a cytology laboratory technician job description:

   Cytology laboratory technician job description example

   At Scripps Health, you will experience the pride, support, respect that has been repeatedly recognized as one of the nation's Top 100 Places to Work.
   
   You'll be surrounded by people committed to making a difference in the lives of their patients and their teammates. So if you're open to change, go ahead and unlock your potential.
   
   As a nationally recognized health system, Scripps Health is committed to providing the highest quality care to our patients. Through collaboration and innovation, our healthcare professionals lead the frontier in caring for our community. With a culture centered around teamwork, each laboratory site serves as a resource of support for each other, setting our laboratories as the benchmark for standardization. Our cytology team is key in evaluating patient samples to determine next steps in treatment and care.
   The Cytology Prep Tech position duties include:
   
   * Working in immediate contact with physicians, during fast paced invasive procedures, carrying to completion a multistep process that results in a microscopic slide for the purpose of rapid on-site evaluation of various cancerous and other neoplastic lesions by a pathologist.
   * Routine accessioning of cytology and anatomic pathology specimens, processing and staining of all Gyn and Non-Gyn cytology specimens, assisting in bone marrow collection, assisting physicians within room procedures, and archiving completed cytology cases.
   * Instrument maintenance, preparation of stain reagents, communication with laboratory customers and other duties as needed.
   
   This is a Full Time (80 hours every two weeks) benefited position, working 8-hour day shifts (start time between 6am and 11am) on Monday through Friday. Located in Torrey Pines.
   
   Required Qualifications:
   
   * Critical thinking and analytical skills.
   * Proven laboratory skills handling specimens, reagents and instruments.
   * High accuracy in work performance and attention to detail. Excellent written and strong verbal communication skills.
   * Proficient with medical terminology, with an understanding of computer systems.
   * Excellent skills in verbal communication, organization, patient/specimen identification, written documentation, and specimen manipulation during invasive procedures is required.
   * Non-Gyn processing requires a 1 year minimum of specialized on the job training to reach full competency, performing analytical standard work enhancing specimen quality, to ensure accurate physician diagnosis
   * One (1) year of related lab experience, preferably in a large complex healthcare organization.
   * Graduation from college with a major in an applicable natural science; or two (2) years of college courses in the natural sciences plus two (2) years of applicable experience; or an equivalent combination of education and relevant lab experience.
   
   Preferred Qualifications:
   
   * Cytology experience.
   * Histology experience.
   * Pathology or clinical lab experience.
   * Reference lab specimen send out experience.
   * Bio-hazardous material shipping experience.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right cytology laboratory technician for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your cytology laboratory technician job on Zippia to find and recruit cytology laboratory technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit cytology laboratory technicians, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new cytology laboratory technician

   Once you've found the cytology laboratory technician candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new cytology laboratory technician. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a cytology laboratory technician?