Whether it’s your first semester or you’re returning to campus, it is such an exciting time to jump into new classes, reconnect with peers, and settle into your new home for the next several months. Before getting swept up in the start of the semester, let’s take some time to reflect and highlight the career skills you built over the summer.
Perhaps you spent your summer classifying species of fungi, shadowing public health researchers, or brushing up on lab fundamentals. You may have also worked in a completely different setting, strengthening interpersonal skills like problem-solving, communication, and teamwork. Either way, let’s take a moment to capture your summer accomplishments and lay out strategies to keep that momentum going.
Skill Recognition: Let’s reflect and name some of the skills developed over the summer.
Technical Skills: Did you learn any new lab techniques? How about software or programming languages? Were you able to operate field instruments or analyze data? Did you gain any new certificates or complete any courses?
Being able to highlight your technical, or hard, skills is essential to demonstrating proficiency in your ability to conduct accurate and reliable research and work effectively with the specialized tools utilized in your industry of interest. One of the best ways to display these skills on your resume is in a dedicated skills section. Here is an example of what that could look like, but be sure to custimize based on your experience and skills!
Laboratory Skills & Techniques:
Laboratory: calculations, unit conversion, notebook keeping, safety protocol, sterile technique
Equipment: light microscope, balances, spectrophotometer, pH meter, micropipettes
Laboratory Techniques: electrophoresis, cell/bacterial culture, Gram staining, genetic transformation, PCR
Imaging: Gel Doc XR unit, Adobe Creative Suite software, image processing & printing
Transferable Skills: Did you collaborate with a research team over the summer? How did you communicate your findings? What did you do when an experiment didn’t go as planned? Did you ever experience competing deadlines or need to adjust your methods?
Transferable skills, sometimes referred to as soft skills, are equally important to who you are as a professional and your suitability for careers in science. Being able to provide specific examples that truly showcase your proficiency and style when it comes to communication, teamwork, and problem-solving will be crucial to landing future opportunities. Because these skills are so unique to the individual, our recommendation is that you highlight them in the bullet points of your resume. Here is an example that highlights project management, attention to detail, communication skills, and data analysis:
Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute, Research Assistant, REU-QUEST
Muskegon, MI, June 20XX – August 20XX
- Designed and executed a research project to distinguish between field and streambank erosion in the Lake Macatawa Watershed using advanced geospatial analysis techniques and field sampling methodologies
- Recorded levels of sediment erosion using a system of horizontal staves in stream sites to display a valid representation of the entire watershed
- Developed a specialized data collection protocol tailored to delicate streambank environments, ensuring minimal disturbance while gathering essential information for conservation strategies
Feeling inspired? Download our editable science resume template to update your document with all of the skills you developed this summer.
Keep The Momentum Going: There are so many ways to continue building industry-specific skills this semester, and The Fleishman Career Center can help! Review our events calendar to pinpoint upcoming opportunities, from educational programs to employer-hosted skills labs.
