How to hire a laboratory associate

How to hire a laboratory associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step laboratory associate hiring guide:

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

What does a laboratory associate do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the laboratory associate you need to hire. Certain laboratory associate roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect laboratory associate also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of laboratory associates and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Laboratory Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Laboratory Associate	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.	$13-30
   Medical Technologist	A medical technologist's role is to conduct laboratory tests with accuracy and speed. It is their responsibility to gather, prepare, and analyze samples such as blood, tissues, and bodily fluid... Show more	$19-32
   Medical Technologist, Generalist	A Medical Technologist Generalist performs day-to-day operations in the laboratory such as routine testing, quality control, and maintenance of instruments. They also develop, perform, and evaluate the accuracy of laboratory procedures.	$20-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Specimen Handling
   • Phlebotomy
   • Chemistry
   • Customer Service
   • Patient Care
   • Specimen Collection
   • Laboratory Procedures
   • Data Entry
   • Microbiology
   • CLIA
   • FDA
   • Equipment Maintenance
   • Data Integrity

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage supply inventory and maintain cleanliness.
   • Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
   • Direct patient care, phlebotomy, medical billing, clinical laboratory specimen collection, reference laboratory coordinator, specimen courier.
   • Operate combines to harvest crops for yield-testing field crops.
   • Perform fluorescence in situ hybridization in a CLIA certify lab.
   • Utilize CoPath for receiving specimen and reporting out of test results.

   More laboratory associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your laboratory associate job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A laboratory associate can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, laboratory associates' average salary in oklahoma is 50% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level laboratory associates 56% less than senior-level laboratory associates.
   • Certifications. A laboratory associate with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a laboratory associate's salary.

   Average laboratory associate salary

   $42,756yearly

   $20.56 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level laboratory associate salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average laboratory associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$60,440	$29
   2	California	$59,387	$29
   3	Massachusetts	$56,830	$27
   4	District of Columbia	$56,433	$27
   5	New York	$54,804	$26
   6	Connecticut	$50,843	$24
   7	Washington	$48,739	$23
   8	Pennsylvania	$45,391	$22
   9	North Carolina	$42,710	$21
   10	Illinois	$41,821	$20
   11	Minnesota	$41,739	$20
   12	Michigan	$40,296	$19
   13	Iowa	$39,733	$19
   14	Texas	$38,498	$19
   15	Tennessee	$37,308	$18
   16	Colorado	$37,120	$18
   17	Indiana	$36,819	$18
   18	Missouri	$36,353	$17
   19	Georgia	$36,021	$17
   20	Alabama	$34,257	$16

   Average laboratory associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$97,631	$46.94	10
   2	BlackRock	$73,845	$35.50	1
   3	Amgen	$71,984	$34.61	1
   4	Genentech	$68,004	$32.69	17
   5	UST Global	$66,548	$31.99
   6	New York University	$61,848	$29.73	8
   7	Pfizer	$61,311	$29.48	1
   8	Accenture	$58,759	$28.25	79
   9	UC Merced	$58,742	$28.24
   10	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center	$57,901	$27.84	4
   11	University of Southern California	$56,076	$26.96	24
   12	Seattle Cancer Care Alliance	$56,067	$26.96
   13	Church & Dwight Co.	$54,717	$26.31	1
   14	QuintilesIMS	$54,269	$26.09	6
   15	SomaLogic	$53,526	$25.73
   16	TalentBurst	$51,457	$24.74
   17	University of California-Berkeley	$51,173	$24.60
   18	Mount Sinai Health System	$50,863	$24.45	18
   19	Bristol Community College	$50,765	$24.41	6
   20	UC Santa Barbara	$50,189	$24.13

4. Writing a laboratory associate job description

   A job description for a laboratory associate role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a laboratory associate job description:

   Laboratory associate job description example

   Synthego enables genome engineering at scale with a blend of scientific instrumentation, industrial automation, and data science. Our team of scientists and engineers are putting multidisciplinary fields together to solve problems that no one field can tackle alone.
   
   We are searching for motivated, enthusiastic, and hands-on individuals interested in advancing science through the manufacturing of our CRISPR products. As a Lab Associate at Synthego, you will join our growing operations team and have direct responsibility for the synthesis and purification of our gRNA products in the Research Use Only factory and GMP factory. This role requires strong attention to detail, a desire to learn and adapt to new processes, and familiarity with safe laboratory practices. This role will combine hands-on laboratory protocols with advanced automation to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality products to our customers.
   Shifts Currently Available:
   
   Day Shift (6:30am - 3:00pm) - Tuesday through Saturday OR Sunday - Thursday
   Swing Shift (2:30pm - 11pm) - Tuesday through Saturday
   
   *This role is onsite. You must be able to commute to our Redwood City location.
   What You'll DoSynthesize oligonucleotides by following established SOP's Practice continuous improvement by contributing ideas and suggestions to new and existing processes Operate complex robotic systems to manage liquid product through a highly automated workflow Mix, store, and dispose of chemical solutions Print labels for bottles, vials, and boxes Package, seal, inventory, and ship products Ensure laboratory products and supplies are maintained and stocked Capture production data in compliance with site and quality management system requirements
   About YouAA in Chemistry, Biotech Certification, or relevant work experience0-6 months years of industry experience within the manufacturing/production environment Great communication skills and ability to work with different personas Strong desire to work in a fast-paced, collaborative startup environment Demonstrates strong interpersonal and communication skills (both written and oral), as well as a strong commitment to quality Demonstrates ability to work independently and as part of a team, to meet departmental goals Must be able to lift/move up to 25 pounds Must be able to sit and/or stand for extended periods up to four (4) hours at a time
   Company Perks & BenefitsCompetitive salary Generous equity at a rapid growth company Medical, dental, and vision benefits 401k PlanFree catered lunches and dinners with fully stocked kitchen & snacks Onsite GymDaily Shuttle bus to & from San FranciscoPaid parental leave Flexible paid time off Learning and Development resources
   About Us
   
   Synthego is a genome engineering company that enables the acceleration of life science research and development in the pursuit of improved human health.
   
   The company leverages machine learning, automation, and gene editing to build platforms for science at scale. With its foundations in engineering disciplines, the company's platforms vertically integrate proprietary hardware, software, bioinformatics, chemistries, and molecular biology to advance basic research, target validation, and clinical trials.
   
   By providing both commercial and academic researchers and therapeutic developers with unprecedented access to cutting-edge genome engineering, Synthego is at the forefront of innovation, accelerating the development of truly engineered biology.

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5. Post your job

   To find the right laboratory associate for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with laboratory associates they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit laboratory associates who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your laboratory associate job on Zippia to find and recruit laboratory associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit laboratory associates, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 laboratory associate

   Once you have selected a candidate for the laboratory associate position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new laboratory associate first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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.)

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