Biologist Resume Examples

A biologist may be an expert in the field of new drugs, living organisms and conducting science experiments, but are they proficient at translating their vast large amount of experience and education to a sheet of paper?

Indeed, many biologists face the trouble of making an effective biologist resume to send out during their job search process.

Fortunately, we’re here to guide you through writing the best resume possible, with the help of our resume examples.

What to Include in the Entry-Level Biologist Resume

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of biologists is projected to grow 4 percent from 2019 to 2029. This means that the competition for biologist positions is going to grow as well.

With increasing competition, we’re here to help you step up to the challenge. Writing a strong resume is half the battle.

An effective resume needs to possess several key factors, including a sectioned layout and appropriate formatting. Making these elements shine will turn your resume from average to perfect.

Here’s a list of all the important aspects and sections you need to include to make your biologist resume stand out during your job search:

• The Format
• The Professional Summary or Resume Objective
• The Education Section
• The Job Description
• Certificates, Honors and Awards
• The Skills Section

On top of our resume examples and templates, we’ll also be going through all the aforementioned bullet points in much more depth to guarantee your success in getting a biologist position.

What is the Best Format for Biology Resume

Before we get into the various sections of the resume, it needs to be clarified that due to the high volume of resumes hiring managers receive on a daily basis, recruiters tend to only skim through certain resumes.

When viewing your resume, hiring managers use a keyword tracking system called Applicant Tracking System or ATS .

The ATS program filters out applications that don't have enough keywords in the text. On average, employers only view your resume for about 6 seconds after your application passes the ATS filter check.

Be sure to write your resume in a way where the content is a healthy balance between biological terminology, action verbs and regular words.

It is important to understand that your resume must possess material that is both concise and to the point and visually easy to read. You only have 6 seconds to get the potential employers' attention, after all.

An effective way to format a biologist resume is to write the experience and education sections in a chronological order.

You are writing about where you worked and what your work entailed from the earliest entry-level job you've had to the most recent. This is an excellent way to show your past achievements and relevant work experience.

Include Summary or Objective in Your Biologist Resume

Before you start writing your work history section, an important way to gain a hiring manager's interest and attention is by dedicating a small part of your resume to introducing yourself.

There are two options: you can either begin with stating your primary objective as a biologist job-seeker or go directly into summarizing your past work experiences.

The summary/objective sections are a perfect way to display your skills in a fast and efficient manner to the reader. The differences between a professional summary and a resume objective are as follows:

A summary is the better choice for a more experienced professional biologist that has worked in the industry for some time. You have to briefly talk about your past accomplishments, top skills, and why you're the perfect fit for the company name.

A resume objective is suited more for a new, entry level biologist that doesn't hold a lot of experience. You'll be using this section as a way to introduce yourself to the recruiter. Briefly talk about your career objective and list down your skills. Try to mention a past accomplishment and education too.

Make sure to align your skills, experiences, and accomplishments with the job postings' description.

Don’t forget to Include Education Section in the Resume

After writing the summary/objective section of your application, make sure you include an education section too!

Adding an education section to your biologist resume will undoubtedly help your resume shine.

Not only does an education section show the hiring manager that you have the necessary educational background, but it can also build interest in the reader by giving more information about yourself.

To write an effective education section you need to consider what you’re going to include into this part of your resume. We’ve made a list of important factors you should consider while writing an education section:

• Add your highest education first . Be sure to state your highest forms of education, a chronological approach is recommended. Don’t write about your high school education, if you’ve finished university.
• Make sure to list the degree, name, address and years attended of the university you went to.
• Include relevant coursework . Write down the classes that you feel are related to the job you’re applying for. This will show the recruiter that you have additional skills and knowledge.
• If you don’t have a bachelor’s degree, then simply write the name of the high school you’ve finished.

Education Section Resume Example

Here’s an example of an effective education section:

CORRECT

Education

B.A. in Biology

St. Joseph's University

2015 - 2019

Created method for future analysis of living organisms using survey techniques now used by St. Joseph’s University

Impress Hiring Managers with Best Biology Resume Job Description

Now that you’ve finished the education section, it’s time to start writing the most crucial part of your biologist resume - the job description section.

The job description section also known as the work history or experience section, is the main body of content of your application. This is where you’ll be discussing your past relevant job titles and describing your relevant work responsibilities, accomplishments and abilities.

We suggest using bullet points when writing about your work experience. Be sure to describe your previous jobs in all the necessary details. You have to discuss what benefit you brought to the company, and how you applied your skills to benefit your employer.

It is always recommended to describe your accomplishments in detail. Try to include metrics and industry terminology in your job description. This will show the reader that you possess the skills and knowledge necessary for a biologist.

Duties and Responsibilities Examples

Here are two examples, the first is exactly what a job description example should look like and the second example is what it shouldn’t be:

CORRECT

Experience

Biologist

Gotham Chemicals

06/2015 - 11/2018

New York, New York

• Received regular training for SOPs, GMP & GLP compliance, and safety protocols.

Demonstrated analysis of sterilization techniques and survey techniques to effectively reach a satisfactory conclusion for third party affiliates.

Selected to participate in core group of biologists charged with development of molecular pathology research project.

Maintained personal data collection computer system by performing regression testing and collaborating with IT group and vendor to troubleshoot issues.

INCORRECT

Experience

Biologist

Gotham Chemicals

06/2015 - 11/2018

New York, New York

• Received regular training in a wide range of protocols.

Demonstrated different techniques to third-party affiliates

Selected to participate in core group of biologists for project.

Maintained data.

Certifications, scholarships, Honors, and Awards

After taking care of the experience section, make sure to let the potential employers know that you’re an expert by including the certification section in your biologist job application.

This section serves as a way to showcase your additional accomplishments, on top of the work experience and education. Here, you can display your biology certifications and other awards.

Adding this section to the biologist resume will undoubtedly increase an employer's interest in your resume, because these types of accomplishments show that you’re not just a professional, but also an expert.

Here’s a list of our recommended certifications to include in a biologist resume:

• Professional Program Certificate in Animal Breeding and Genetics (Wageningen University & Research)
• Certified Sterilization Technician (non-credit)
• Certificate in Equine Studies
• GCSE Biology
• Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST)

Highlight Your Skills for Biology Resume

Now that you've written the job description and gave it appropriate formatting, it is time to focus on the other essential part of your resume - the skills section.

It is important to understand that you should only include necessary skills in your resume, which correspond with the job posting. A hiring manager won't be reading through a large list of skills, so it is better only to include essential traits and abilities.

The section should consist of technical skills as well as soft skills. This will ensure you demonstrate that you are a well-rounded candidate and a definite good-fit for the role. Try to include skills that are related to the job description.

Here is a list of common technical and soft biologist skills that you can include in your resume:

• Interpersonal skills
• Writing skills
• Dissection
• ELISA
• Microsoft Office skills
• Light and electron microscopy
• Organizational skills
• Analytical thinking
• Problem-solving skills
• Assays
• Computer skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Molecular cloning
• Restriction analysis
• Spectrophotometry
• Communication skills
• Attention to detail

Create Additional Sections for Your Biologist Resume

You can further increase the strength of your biologist resume by adding additional sections to the cover letter. The world is your oyster, in this case!

Here’s a list of our recommended additional sections you can add:

• Language section
• Hobbies and interests
• Volunteer work
• Publications

Key Takeaways

The key points for creating the best resume are the following:

• Design your resume specifically for the biologist job you're applying for.
• Your professional summary or objective should showcase your ability, career progress, development and job-related skills concisely.
• Mention key points and achievements from your previous jobs.
• Write your job description section in a chronological format order.
• Link your skills and professional experience to the job in an appropriate way.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to reduce the length of a resume?

Try to keep the resume all on just one page. You can do this by focusing on the most relevant work experiences based on the job advert from your work history.

Make sure that the content of your resume is concise and to the point. We recommend using bullet points to save space and make the content appear more clear.

How to put biology research in my resume?

You can include biology research in the Job Description section as one or several of the bullet points connected to a specific past job.

You can also add biology research in the certifications, scholarships, honors, and awards section as well.

If you’re having trouble putting your advanced microbiology skills down on paper, try our resume builder by clicking here .

How long should a biology resume be?

We recommend keeping the resume fit on a single page. ATS scanners and hiring managers are more inclined to successfully filter and read through single-page resumes.

Should I include references in my resume?

Adding references to your resume is not advisable. Recruiters generally don’t require references, nor does it affect the effectiveness of your resume in any way.

You can provide a list of references after your interview if it is requested.