Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
What is a quality laboratory technician and how to become one
A lot goes into making sure the materials and products used in a laboratory are just as they should be. Quality laboratory technicians or quality assurance (QA) lab techs play a key role in ensuring that this gets done. The QA lab tech uses various instruments and laboratory equipment to evaluate materials and products to ensure they are at the proper level of quality.
In addition, they develop quality plans and procedures and verify that company and customer compliance standards are being met. Since accurate testing is so important, QA lab techs must also frequently perform regular inspection tests on equipment to ensure that it is functioning properly and that there are no safety hazards.
To succeed in this field, an understanding of basic mathematical and statistical formulas is extremely important. If you'd like to become a quality assurance lab technician, you'll most likely need a Bachelor's degree or related work experience in the industry.
What general advice would you give to a quality laboratory technician?
Benjamin Ford
Professor and Chair, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Avg. Salary $38,902
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 3%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.69%
Asian 7.50%
Black or African American 9.69%
Hispanic or Latino 16.16%
Unknown 4.90%
White 61.07%
Genderfemale 45.92%
male 54.08%
Age - 46American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 46Stress level is high
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is poor
6.4 - fair
Quality laboratory technician career paths
Key steps to become a quality laboratory technician
Explore quality laboratory technician education requirements
Start to develop specific quality laboratory technician skills
Skills Percentages Lab Equipment 9.55% Quality Lab 7.84% Test Results 4.67% Food Safety 4.53% GMP 3.71% Complete relevant quality laboratory technician training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New quality laboratory technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a quality laboratory technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real quality laboratory technician resumes.Research quality laboratory technician duties and responsibilities
- Manage CAPA projects/assignments using CATSWeb system.
- Perform tests on raw ingredients, ration and finish product of dry pet foods using GMP and HACCP practices.
- Perform quality control testing on refrigerant gases utilizing gas chromatography
- Conduct rigorous quality control analyses using gas chromatography to verify product purity.
Prepare your quality laboratory technician resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your quality laboratory technician resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a quality laboratory technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable quality laboratory technician resume templates
Build a professional quality laboratory technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your quality laboratory technician resume.
Apply for quality laboratory technician jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a quality laboratory technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first quality laboratory technician job
Are you a quality laboratory technician?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average quality laboratory technician salary
The average quality laboratory technician salary in the United States is $38,902 per year or $19 per hour. Quality laboratory technician salaries range between $31,000 and $48,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do quality laboratory technicians rate their job?
Quality laboratory technician reviews
Investing issues and fixing things
Lots of down time sitting at a desk. A lot of responsibilities
Doing something different everyday
Trying to find more training to move up. There isn't to many sites you can go on to get properly trained.
Updated January 8, 2025
