Contrary to what many people think, a cover letter is not a resume, but rather a short and specific letter that accompanies a resume. When you are applying for a job, your cover letter will basically act like an introduction. Because your resume will have all your skills and experience in it, your cover letter will briefly tell your prospective employer that you have the necessary skills as well as the knowledge in medical and pharmaceutical terminology, medical laws and ethics, and that you are familiar with working in a pharmacy environment. With a pharmacy technician cover letter you need to be careful with the way you word it so that your prospective employer can consider it as worthwhile to continue with looking at your resume.
A pharmacy technician cover letter creates a first impression about you as an applicant, and is the first document you will attach in your complete resume package.
Your cover letter is an introduction to your resume where you state why you believe you are the perfect fit for the position in the pharmacy. Limit it to just three single spaced paragraphs with double spacing in between the paragraphs. Use a plain standard font style like Arial or Times New Roman to keep it professional looking.
Training On The Job
Pharmacy technicians usually receive on-the-job training, although there are some employers who will stipulate on their job advertisement that they want applicants with formal training. There are online courses or training programs which are accredited and which are particularly attractive to pharmacy techs who don’t have the means to attend a college for training.
Tailor Your Cover Letter To The Job Opening
Carefully read through the advertisement and what they are asking for and then tailor your cover letter to the job opening. You will possibly also need to edit your resume to reflect the skills you describe in your cover letter. Your cover letter must complement the resume you submit, and you can make use of it to discuss one or two things relevant to the job that will not appear in your resume. The body of a cover letter must carefully match your experience and education to the requirements posted in the job listing. The closing paragraph can summarize your qualifications and you can also add something about your interest in the job, and that you are looking forward to their response to your application.
You will want to show your employer that you understand the job requirements and are confident that you can do the job, even though at the moment there are virtually no regulations requiring either formal training or certification of pharmacy technicians. Nonetheless, for those places that do require certification and for pharmacy techs who want a certificate to impress potential employers with their skills, certification will mean knowing about chemistry, anatomy as well as other medical concepts.
Having A Certificate Is More Impressive
There are a couple of organizations like the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board and the Institute for the Certification of Pharmacy Technicians who offer national certification exams for pharmacy technicians, and for more information on this you can contact the US Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics. The pharmacy technician can find work in nursing homes, hospitals, and pharmacies and if you want certification for any position, The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists has an updated online Pharmacy Technician Training Program Directory that provides the names of colleges where pharmacy techs can get their training. Visit their website and their contact details are 1-866-279-068.
It certainly makes an impression when you can add training with the name of the institute onto your resume. There are programs and courses designed to prepare pharmacy technicians for the national certification exam administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). Every two years pharmacy technicians certified by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board will need to complete twenty hours of approved CE or continuing education for renewal of certification.
We have all stood in a pharmacy queue and seen the heaps of prescriptions being handed in as well as the host of other jobs in a busy pharmacy. Skilled medical personnel which includes pharmacy technicians are going to be even more in demand than ever in the future, especially if we go by what the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts when they say that pharmacy technician jobs will see enormous growth between 2008 and 2018. But even though medical jobs are plentiful, there are just as many people applying for those jobs, and to help you net your job choice, a compelling pharmacy technician cover letter and resume are essential.
List Your Skills And Experience
With a cover letter, pharmacy technicians should add in a comment that lets the hiring manager know they are interested in opportunities where they can be improving themselves even further. By listing the training that you have already done, and including any related special skills, you will catch the employers’ attention before they start studying your resume.
When striving for a job as a pharmacy technician your cover letter should give an idea of the specific training and experience you have. Not all training programs for pharmacy techs are the same, and content and duration of the training will differ, but on completion you will either get an associates degree or certificate of completion. Most times, accreditation is voluntary. No accreditation doesn’t automatically mean poor quality, but for a pharmacy technician cover letter, including accreditation by a reputable agency will certainly provide a prospective employer with the knowledge that the program you completed is of a satisfactory standard.
Make sure to use your pharmacy technician cover letter to draw attention to your experience and training, and if you are not sure how this is done, you can get ideas from a sample cover letter for a pharmacy technician on the Internet. With a covering letter you can also put the name of the high school where you received your high school diploma or GED, and the fact that you have no history of drug abuse or criminal activities behind you.
So What Does A Pharmacy Technician Do?
With the growing population, those who work in medical related fields are going to have many opportunities to find really good careers, and it is no different for the pharmacy technician. Pharmacy technicians help pharmacists with their work, basically relieving them of some of the more familiar tasks. The responsibilities of the pharmacy technician will vary from state to state and pharmacy to pharmacy.
Because of the critical nature of pharmacy duties and that your duties are around the health of people, you have to be sharp around details. Accuracy is absolutely vital when it comes to weighing, counting, measuring and mixing of medications because the wrong dosage can be fatal. Even when it is the tenth time you are measuring out medication, this job can’t have you slackening off. Repetitive though it may be, as a pharmacy technician, you will need to complete the task accurately every time. If the pharmacy tech is working in a nursing home or hospital, their scope of duties will be different, but some of their more standard tasks include:
- preparing prescription orders – measuring pills, powders and liquids
- they may need to manage areas of medicines supply such as dispensaries
- stock depleted shelves
- enter data into computers
- answer telephone queries
- handle money
- manage inventory
- they do admin work too – labeling of bottles, boxes and packages
- take orders from patients and doctors
- assist customers and handle maintenance tasks such as inventory and record keeping
- good communication and interpersonal skills – these are important for interacting with colleagues, visiting health care professionals and patients.
Your Cover Letter Provides Insight
Employers want cool, calm and balanced employees who can be relied on to get through their work without constant prompting. While a cover letter can reveal your abilities and skills, the way your cover letter is written can also provide an inkling of your strengths and your weaknesses.
There are a number of sample cover letters for Pharmacy Technicians that you can use as a guideline and which will be effective in getting you the job you want. The purpose of a cover letter is to make it personal and not to address it ‘To Whom It May Concern’ as this implies that you have sent your resume out to a number of employers. It will be better to do a bit of research on the particular pharmacy advertising for a pharmacy tech so that you can make it more personal by using a name instead of the generalized aforementioned phrase. Learn as much as you can about the employer and the position, and use that knowledge to customize your cover letter.
The Conclusion
Employers are looking for quality people who will stay with them long-term, particularly when they invest in the person by sending them on courses for training. With a cover letter you can indicate why you want to work with them and that you have the skills and personality to fit in with all their requirements.