Overview
Biochemistry graduates often struggle to differentiate themselves because the degree curriculum is so standardised. Everyone has done SDS-PAGE, everyone has run a Western blot, and everyone has pipetted in a teaching lab. The graduates who get hired are the ones who can show they have done these techniques at scale, under real conditions, with results that mattered.
This resume belongs to Seren, a Biochemistry BSc graduate from the University of Bristol who completed a summer research placement at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and worked part time as a lab technician during her final year. Her resume is effective because every bullet includes either a sample count, a technique name, or a measurable outcome.
Research placements in prestigious institutes
The Wellcome Sanger Institute, Francis Crick Institute, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, and Babraham Institute are among the UK's top life science research centres. If you worked at any of them, that affiliation alone carries weight. But you still need to back it up with specifics.
Seren's 10 week placement involved cloning 8 gene constructs, performing 120+ protein purifications, and optimising an ELISA protocol that improved signal to noise ratio by 40%. These numbers tell the hiring manager she can work independently at a high throughput bench.
Cell culture and aseptic technique
If you have cell culture experience, specify the cell lines, passage numbers, and scale. "Maintained 6 mammalian cell lines across 45 passages" is concrete. "Experience with cell culture" is not.
For biotech and pharmaceutical roles, aseptic technique is a fundamental requirement. Seren mentions working in a Class II biosafety cabinet and maintaining contamination free cultures across her placement. That single detail matters more than listing "sterile technique" as a skill.
Molecular biology technique list
For biochemistry roles, your technical skills section should read like a protocol list. Western blot, ELISA, SDS-PAGE, PCR, qPCR, molecular cloning, protein purification (affinity, size exclusion, ion exchange). Each of these is a keyword that hiring managers and ATS systems scan for.
Seren lists 10 techniques, each specific enough to confirm competence. She does not list "laboratory skills" as a catch all.
Software for data analysis
GraphPad Prism is standard in biochemistry labs. If you used it for curve fitting, statistical tests, or dose response analysis, say so. ImageJ, SnapGene, and PyMOL are also common. R or Python for bioinformatics analysis is increasingly valued, especially for roles in genomics or proteomics.
