Whether you are in applied sciences, biology, earth sciences, physical and astrophysics, or specialize in social sciences, it’s your job to do the proper research and present factual information. The same rule applies when creating your resume. Check out JobHero’s huge selection of resume examples to help create your own stellar document.

JobHero’s top-requested sciences resume is for research assistant. In this example you can see all the must-have elements to include in your own.

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Job Outlook

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment demand for sciences jobs is projected to increase 15% from 2019 to 2029.

With such high demand in this field, it is important for your resume to be well-structured and packed with industry-specific skills and a solid professional summary. Soar above competing candidates with a remarkable resume.

JobHero has writing tips dedicated to applied sciences, biology roles, and earth and social sciences roles to make sure your resume is outstanding.

3 Tips for Writing Sciences Resumes

Choose the right format for your resume

From working in the science industry, you understand the importance of structure and organization.

Well, the structure and organization are important for resumes too. While the majority of resumes consist of the same parts, the order that you organize these parts is called its format.

The format you should choose for your resume depends on how long you’ve worked in the science industry.

If you have over five years’ experience, you should use what’s called a chronological format, the most common type of resume format. With modern and professional templates ideal for sciences professionals, you will have an industry-specific resume in seconds.

Chronological formats emphasize your work history, so this is a great resume format for scientists with an active employment history.

However, if you’re fresh out of school, you should choose another format that better suits your level of experience.

Functional formats highlight your skills and training rather than your work experience. If you have fewer than two years’ experience in the science industry, this would be the right format for you.

If you’ve worked for more than two years in a science role, but less than five total, you should use the hybrid format. This type of resume is a combination of the functional and chronological formats with the right balance of employment history and skills.

This format works well if perhaps you have more than five years’ experience as a lab research assistant, but started working recently as a lab manager.

Promote your skills

No two roles in sciences are identical, however, there are skills that are considered useful for every single position across the field.

It’s essential that you include a few of these skills on your resume that highlight your strengths.

Sought-after skills for sciences include:

  • Analytical skills
  • Time management
  • Data organization and analysis
  • Research and technical skills
  • Restriction analysis
  • Proficient in study design
  • Statistical analysis
  • Publishing standards
  • Technical writing and editing
  • Writing scientific publications
  • Specialized grant proposals
  • Public speech
  • Mentoring
  • Manage operations
  • Science process skills
  • Sorting and classifying
  • Measuring quantities
  • Inference
  • Predicting
  • Experimenting
  • Systematic observation
  • Equipment knowledge
  • Executive investigation
  • Process and print film
  • Operation of electron microscopes
  • Immunoprecipitation techniques

Incorporate six- to eight-critical skills into your resume that describe your top attributes.

There are ways to create your resume with the exact skills that employers are looking for. Read over the job description and identify the keywords listed throughout. Choose the keywords that best describe your skills and match your experience, and include these in your resume.

Use a template to make your resume look clean

In the world of sciences, it’s all about the right information — it’s no different with your resume.

In order to stand out, your resume needs to be clean and professional, emphasizing your accomplishments.

That’s why you should use a resume template, created by professional designers to make your resume look great and up-to-date.

You’re an expert at data and analysis — leave it to the expert designers to help highlight your strengths.

JobHero has loads of great resume templates that you can use — pick one you like and input your information. JobHero also features a Resume Builder that lets you choose from a selection of templates, and makes it quick and easy to create a solid resume.

You will find a variety of templates that can be customized for roles within the sciences industry. The builder will auto-generate professional skills and strong adjectives specific to your area of expertise. If your industry is within applied sciences, biology, earth sciences, physical sciences, astrophysics or social science, JobHero is the site for you.
You will be amazed at how effortlessly the Resume Builder will help you create a resume within minutes.

For instance, if you are an epidemiologist, your career is in high demand. At JobHero, you will find a number of templates to help you stand out from the crowd of competitors. Browse now to create an effective resume and cover letter specific to your work experience in the field of epidemiology.

FAQ

What should I put on my sciences resume?

As with any resume, you will need the five main sections: contact information, professional summary or objective statement, skills, work history and education.

The main selling points of your Science resume should be found in your skills and work experience sections.

They should take up the most space on your resume because that’s where you’re going to convince employers you’re the right person for the job.

It’s good practice to try to put numbers in your resume so that employers get a full scope of what you’re capable of accomplishing as a sciences professional.

For example, for a work history describing a research assistant, you could include figures like these:

The first rule is to never lie on your resume. It will only backfire and set unrealistic standards for yourself.

Would a CV be a better option than a resume?

CVs also known as a curriculum vitae, while popular in Europe, aren’t used as much in the U.S. with the exceptions of science research and academic roles.

If you’re applying to a role in the research side of science, you should consider using a CV instead of a resume.

The main difference is that a CV will not have a limit on length. This gives you more space and extra sections to elaborate on your professional background that you wouldn’t find on a standard resume.

For example, on a CV you can include sections that showcase grants and proposals you’ve gotten approved, and research or findings you’ve had published. It will better show your prowess as a sciences professional.

This will direct recruiters to a more detailed understanding of your publications, methods and experience.

How do I list education on a sciences resume?

For a scientist, the education section is an asset and one of the most important parts of the resume, where you can emphasize your education credentials.

Although a bachelor’s degree may be sufficient for some scientist positions, many may require certifications such as master’s or doctorate degrees.

Whether you are applying for an entry-level or a managerial position, your academic work will add credibility.

In a sciences resume, list your degrees in a reverse-chronological order, with your most recent degree listed first.

To list your education, include the name of the institution you attended, its city and state, and if you graduated, your major(s).

Here’s an example:

American University   Washington, DC

PHD, Biological Sciences in Public Health

Wakefield University   Ann Arbor, MI

BS, Biology

If you have graduated from college, you do not need to include your high school education.

Also, if it has been more than ten years since you graduated, it is no longer necessary to include the year. This also allows for recruiters not to focus on your age, which could potentially lead to hiring bias.

You should only list the dates you attended a school if you did not graduate as the means to show how long you attended.

What kind of work experience should I put on a sciences resume?

Structure your work experience in a way that aligns with the job description. Applied sciences, biology, earth sciences, physical sciences, astrophysics or social sciences include a broad range of jobs that may align with your work experience.

If you do not have a lot of experience within sciences, you can expand on other areas that will add strength to the job you are seeking, such as data entry, marketing research analyst, technical writing, health informatics, sales or even public speaking.

You can also add internships, understudy or assistant work. However, if you have been a laboratory technician, a geologist or chemist, use quantitative information to back up your work experience.

Should I include a cover letter with my sciences resume?

Yes! A cover letter is the professional standard across industries. Even if it’s not requested in the job post, including a cover letter with science industry specifics will add value to your application.

A cover letter allows you to explain any possible gaps in your work history as well as emphasize your interest in the open position.

Be specific about your area of expertise such as prior research or your niche knowledge in biological and physical sciences.

This is a good opportunity to detail your accomplishments. If for instance you were successful at writing a grant in which you were able to secure federal funding for sciences, a cover letter is an ideal tool to promote this and the results you accomplished.

With a cover letter, recruiters will be able to learn about your work in depth, and how your experience in sciences can contribute to their goals.

To get started, check out our library of sciences cover letter samples.