Home Genetic Counsellor Resume template
Genetic Counsellor resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what genetic counsellors actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most genetic counsellors should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Genetic counsellor with HGSA-accredited training and experience supporting individuals and families through genetic testing and inherited risk. Skilled in taking detailed family histories, constructing pedigrees, and explaining complex results in plain language. Committed to patient-centred care and working within multidisciplinary clinical genetics teams.
Key skills
- Clinical assessment and treatment
- Counselling and support work
- Health education and advice
- Casework and client support
- Patient care and support
- Progeny Pedigree Software
- PhenoTips
- ClinVar
- Genoox
- Electronic medical record systems
- Empathy and interpersonal care
- Attention to detail
Experience: example bullet points
- Took detailed family histories and constructed three-generation pedigrees using Progeny Pedigree Software, enabling accurate risk assessment for families with suspected inherited conditions.
- Interpreted genetic test results and explained their implications to patients and families in plain language, supporting informed decisions about testing, treatment and family planning.
- Counselled individuals and families about inherited conditions and reproductive options, helping them work through difficult choices with empathy and clarity.
- Coordinated genetic testing and referrals to specialist and support services, ensuring timely access to care and continuity between clinical teams.
- Recorded consultations and maintained patient records and clinical registries, contributing to accurate clinical documentation and audit-ready data.
Education
Master of Genetic Counselling (HGSA-accredited) or Graduate Diploma of Genetic Counselling, following a bachelor degree in a health or science field.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- HGSA
- ASGC
- genetic counselling
- pedigree analysis
- Progeny Pedigree Software
- ClinVar
- variant classification
- informed consent
- reproductive genetics
- cancer genetics
- Medicare
- electronic medical records
- multidisciplinary team
- patient education
- confidentiality
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.