How to hire a laboratory support technician

How to hire a laboratory support technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step laboratory support 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 laboratory support technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new laboratory support technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a laboratory support technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The laboratory support 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 laboratory support 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 laboratory support technician that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of laboratory support technician salaries for various roles:

   Type of Laboratory Support Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Laboratory Support 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.	$12-24
   Support	A support employee is responsible for assisting the business operations and responding to customers' inquiries and concerns regarding its goods and services. Support logs all customers' interaction and escalates potential complaints to the appropriate department... Show more	$11-25
   Clinical Technician	A clinical technician is responsible for operating and maintaining clinical equipment, ensuring the proper sterilization of all laboratory tools and kits to avoid contamination during medical procedures. Clinical technicians assist the patients with their medical inquiries and needs, collecting samples for laboratory, and helping medical professionals on surgeries and other medical operations... Show more	$12-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Phlebotomy
   • Customer Service
   • Laboratory Procedures
   • Patient Care
   • Specimen Collection
   • Order Entry
   • Chemistry
   • HIPAA
   • Lab Tests
   • Compassion
   • Test Results
   • Lab Orders
   • Data Entry

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage company LIMS database system of test results and implement new and improve testing procedures.
   • Manage patient, and corporate information with compassion and confidentiality.
   • Improve preparation technique of media and reagents utilizing QC and GMP experience.
   • Run, QC, and report PCR and EIA testing.
   • Take QC and temperatures, decontamination.
   • Used various centrifuges to spin the specimens.

   More laboratory support technician duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, laboratory support technicians' average salary in oklahoma is 40% less than in maine.
   • Seniority. Entry-level laboratory support technicians earn 48% less than senior-level laboratory support technicians.
   • Certifications. A laboratory support 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 laboratory support technician's salary.

   Average laboratory support technician salary

   $36,799yearly

   $17.69 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level laboratory support technician salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average laboratory support technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$44,857	$22
   2	New York	$42,377	$20
   3	Massachusetts	$41,290	$20
   4	Rhode Island	$40,862	$20
   5	Washington	$36,794	$18
   6	Virginia	$36,039	$17
   7	Wisconsin	$35,097	$17
   8	Pennsylvania	$33,907	$16
   9	Texas	$33,546	$16
   10	Utah	$33,410	$16
   11	Ohio	$31,358	$15
   12	Indiana	$31,069	$15
   13	Colorado	$30,899	$15
   14	Kansas	$30,619	$15
   15	New Mexico	$30,153	$15
   16	Missouri	$29,906	$14
   17	Iowa	$28,518	$14
   18	Arkansas	$27,686	$13

   Average laboratory support technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Sandia National Labs	$65,327	$31.41	1
   2	Boston Medical Center	$52,252	$25.12	27
   3	University of California-Berkeley	$47,700	$22.93
   4	Buck Institute for Research on Aging	$47,226	$22.70	2
   5	Siemens	$46,779	$22.49	5
   6	Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Inc.	$45,324	$21.79
   7	PerkinElmer	$44,492	$21.39	3
   8	VIVA USA	$43,294	$20.81
   9	AAIPharma Services Corp	$42,800	$20.58
   10	Siemens Healthineers	$42,141	$20.26
   11	Tesla	$41,467	$19.94	9
   12	FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies	$41,461	$19.93	5
   13	FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA	$41,410	$19.91	38
   14	Thermo Fisher Scientific	$40,649	$19.54	49
   15	APN	$40,207	$19.33
   16	Tenneco	$39,759	$19.11	1
   17	Celestica	$39,663	$19.07	10
   18	Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District	$39,596	$19.04	5
   19	Belcan	$39,568	$19.02	16
   20	Avantor	$39,478	$18.98	5

4. Writing a laboratory support technician job description

   A laboratory support 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 laboratory support technician job description:

   Laboratory support technician job description example

   Join Parkview Health Lab Team
   
   Eligible for $5000 Sign on Bonus!
   
   Summary
   
   The Lab Support Services Tech consistently provides excellent customer service to patients and customers of the laboratory and works closely with coworkers to meet the needs of physicians, nurses and patients. Possesses the ability to work accurately and quickly performing a variety of duties within the clinical laboratory as required by his/her specific work assignment. Communicates clearly and effectively responding to phone requests from customers and coworkers. Assures that the pre-analytical duties of specimen collection, order entry, and/or specimen processing are performed accurately and quickly, following all identification and labeling policies, and utilizing appropriate specimen collection techniques. Utilizes critical thinking to identify general specimen problems and resolves or directs those problems to the appropriate individual. Prepares specimens for referral to other laboratories. Inventories, orders and stocks lab supplies. Prepares supplies for clients and prepares printed patient reports for delivery by mail or courier. Maintains department equipment, utilizes department computer systems, and documents information, as needed. Performs waived laboratory testing, accurately following laboratory procedures for test performance, quality control, reagent preparation, and instrument maintenance. The Lab Support Services Tech follows all laboratory policies and procedures.
   
   Education:
   
   Must be a high graduate or the equivalent with a GED. Must complete Laboratory Support Services and Lab Assistant classes within the first year of employment.
   
   Licensure/Certification:
   
   Support Services Techs with a nursing home phlebotomy assignment must have a valid Driver's license, daily access to a vehicle, and proof of auto insurance. Experience Knowledge of computer / keyboarding experience preferred. Previous phlebotomy/specimen processing experience preferred. Background or schooling in medical assistant, vet tech, or pre-med, pre-nursing programs preferred.
   
   Other Qualifications:
   
   Must be able to work rotating weekend/holiday schedules, as needed. Must be able to lift 40 pounds. Must have good verbal and written communication skills. Must meet all training requirements during the first six months. Must have visual acuity and color discrimination.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find laboratory support technicians for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any laboratory support technicians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level laboratory support technicians with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your laboratory support technician job on Zippia to find and attract quality laboratory support technician candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit laboratory support technicians, 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.

   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 laboratory support technician

   Once you've found the laboratory support 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 also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new laboratory support technician. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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