Spring is a great time to be searching for research-related jobs and internship opportunities. Here are three strategies to help you demonstrate your research skills on your resume:
Create a “Research Experience” Section: Breaking your resume up into sections with descriptive titles helps employers find the information they are looking for quickly and improves the overall readability of your document. This strategy is great when you have more than one research-related experience that you would like to highlight and/or when research skills are an essential component of the position you are applying for
You can call the section heading whatever you would like, so long as it accurately represents the experience listed underneath. Here are a few options to consider:
- Research Experience
- Research & Presentations
- Biochemistry Research (this is an example of a more industry specific header)
Describe the Skills Developed: While researchers typically describe their work, process, and results, a resume should emphasize the individual and the skills developed through research experiences.
That’s where the “bullet point formula” comes in: strong action verb —> what you did —> how you did it —> result/outcome
Following this formula when writing resume bullet points helps ensure that prospective employers learn more about the skills you have developed, along with the results of your research. Here is an example:
Consider a Skills Section for Hard/Technical Skills: Hard skills are skillsets that are well understood and defined, and thus can be listed on a resume without further explanation. These are things like technical skills, language skills, laboratory skills, certifications, and computer skills. If the roles you are applying for heavily rely on these skills, it can be helpful to create a skills section similar to this one:
Avoid including interpersonal or “soft skills”, such as leadership or communication, in your skills section. These skill sets are more personal to the individual and are best articulated through bullet points to provide more context for your reader.
Remember, employers are looking for specific skills and experiences to fill their positions, so read the job or internship posting carefully before deciding the best way to organize your application materials. If you would like to review more samples, take a look at our downloadable and editable resume templates and consider stopping into The Fleishman Career Center during walk-in hours M-F 12 pm-4 pm to have your resume reviewed.
