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How To Put Research On Your Resume (With Examples)

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Find a Job You Really Want In

Research experiences and skills are an incredibly important aspect of many job applications, so it’s important to know how to put them on your resume correctly. Hiring managers and recruiters want employees who can help drive innovation by being able to apply research skills to problem solve and come up with creative growth solutions.

If you’re a job seeker looking to include your research skills on a resume , we’ll go over how to list research on resume, where you can include it on a resume, and give you some examples.

Key Takeaways:

If you don’t have traditional research experience, highlight the skills used for research that you’ve used in past jobs.

Consider creating a separate research section in your resume if you have a lot of research experience or merge sections, depending on which section you want to bolster with research.

Research experience is one of the best assets to include on a resume so be on the lookout for more opportunities.

What are research skills?

Where to put research experience on your resume

How to include research on your resume, examples of research on a resume, how to put research on your resume faq.

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Research skills are any skills related to your ability to locate, extract, organize, and evaluate data relevant to a particular subject. It also involves investigation, critical thinking , and presenting or using the findings in a meaningful way.

Depending on what job you’re applying for, research skills could make or break your ability to land the job. Almost every job requires some research skills and you probably already have some of those skills mastered by now.

For most careers, research is a vital process to be able to answer questions. “Research skills” are not a single skill, but multiple ones put together.

Some skills that are necessary for research are organization, problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and specific technical skills, like coding, Excel, and copywriting.

Including research experience and skills on a resume can be incredibly flexible. When thinking about how to add it to your resume, you want to consider how the research experience adds to your resume.

Your research experience can be included in a few different sections of your resume. Some of those sections include:

Academic accomplishments

Research experience

Work experience/history

College activities

Volunteer work

Presentations and publications

Skills section

If you’ve had smaller research roles but no “official” research experience, you can highlight the skills associated with the types of research mentioned above in your job description under the work history section in your resume.

If your job history is a research position, then naturally, you would include research under the work history section. You can also merge your sections depending on what type of position you are applying for.

For example, you could create a “Research and Education” section or a “Research and Publications” section. If your research is not related to your education and you don’t have any publications, you can also detail it in a separate “Research” section in your resume.

To include your research on your resume, you should gather all the necessary information and then quantify your accomplishments to fit into specific sections. Here is a more detailed list of how to write about research experience in resume:

Gather all the necessary information. The first step is to collect all of the important details like the title of the research project, the location of the research project, the principal investigator of the project (if applicable), and the dates of the project. You will list these details much like you would list a company you have worked for in the past.

Read the job description carefully. Every resume and cover letter you write should be tailored to the job you’re applying for. When a hiring manager puts a necessary qualification in their job posting, you must be sure to include it in your resume.

Make sure that you highlight the right types of research skills on your job applications and resumes.

Quantify your accomplishments. When describing your role on the project, you will want to summarize your accomplishments and deliverables. Hiring managers and recruiters love seeing numbers. When you write out the deliverables from your project, make sure you quantify them.

Incorporate into your work history section. If there were times when you used your research skills in your past employment opportunities, include them in your work experience section. You can also include publications, conferences you may have presented at, and any awards or recognition your research had received.

If you have completed research in an academic setting, then presentations (oral and poster) are an important part of the research process. You should include those details along with the titles of your publications.

Add to your research section. Other aspects of research that you can detail to make your application more competitive are adding skills specific to your project to the skills section of your resume.

These skills will vary depending on the subject matter, but some examples include coding languages, interviewing skills, any software you used and are proficient in using, managerial skills , and public speaking if you have presented your research at conferences.

Add research to your skills section. If the specific research you did is less important than the skills you used to perform it, highlight that in your skills section. That way, you don’t have to take up a lot of work or education history with slightly irrelevant information, but hiring managers can still see you have research skills.

Just be sure you’re more specific about a research methodology you’re an expert in because the skills section doesn’t give you as much room to explain how you leveraged these abilities.

Sprinkle research throughout your resume. If you have a lot of experience performing research in professional, volunteer, and educational settings, pepper it in a few different sections. The more hands-on experience you have with research, the better (for jobs that require research).

Let’s look at some examples of how research can be included on a resume:

University research example

EDUCATION Undergraduate Thesis, University of Connecticut, Dec. 2017-May 2018 Worked alongside UCONN English Department head Penelope Victeri to research the poetry of New England writers of the 20th century. Explored common themes across the works of Elizabeth Bishop, Wallace Stevens, and Robert Lowell. Performed online and in-person research on historical documents relating to each author , including information on the political, religious, and economic landscape of the US at the time. Analyzed poetic works of each author and drew on similar contemporary regional authors’ works. Prepared 20,000 words thesis entitled “Place, Allegory, and Religion: Three 20th Century New England Poets” and defended my written arguments to a panel of English professors.

Customer service research example

WORK EXPERIENCE Conducted interviews with 20 customers each week to gain insight into the user experience with company products Used Google analytics to determine which pages were driving most web traffic, and increased traffic by 11% Reviewed thousands of customer surveys and compiled findings into monthly reports with graphic findings Presented at weekly marketing meeting to inform marketing team of trends in customer experience with our products

Laboratory research example

RESEARCH Conducted experiments on rat brains by introducing various novel chemical compounds and levels of oxygen Ran electricity through brain slices to view interaction of different chemical compounds on active brain cells Prepared sterile samples for daily check and maintained 89% percent yield over the course of a 3-month study Presented findings in a final 15 -page research report and presentation to the Research and Development team

Examples of common research skills to list on your resume

Here are examples of research skills in action that you may have overlooked:

Searching for local business competition

Sending out customer satisfaction surveys

Summarizing current policies and laws in effect for a particular topic

Creating lesson plans based on current education standards

Reading literature reviews and implementing changes in clinical practice

Attention to detail

Problem-solving skills

Critical thinking

Project management skills

Communication skills

Why are research skills important?

Research skills are important because they can help you identify a problem, gather information, and evaluate that information for relevancy. Including your research skills on a resume will show hiring managers that you have the ability to suggest new ideas and help their organization adapt and change as the industry changes.

Some common research skills include:

critical thinking

Computer skills

Can I list research as a skill?

Yes, you can list research as a skill on your resume. Including your research skills in your resume can help show a potential employer that you have the ability to suggest new ideas and use critical thinking to find solutions to problems. Most research skills will use attention to detail, problem-solving, and project management skills.

California State University San Bernardino – Incorporating Research Project Experience on Your Resume

University of Missouri – How to Put Research on Your Resume

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Heidi Cope is a former writer for the Zippia Career Advice blog. Her writing focused primarily on Zippia's suite of rankings and general career advice. After leaving Zippia, Heidi joined The Mighty as a writer and editor, among other positions. She received her BS from UNC Charlotte in German Studies.

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Undergraduate Research

How to put research on your resumé.

Resumés are important documents for all kinds of application packages — jobs, scholarships, grad school, etc. Your resumé should fit within the total package highlighting your achievements in a concise manner that can be further expounded upon in your personal statement, cover letter, or your letters of reference. It is important to custom tailor your resumé to any particular position, or program you are applying for. Some information needs to be emphasized more than other depending on what the reviewers may be looking for.

Using Your Space Wisely

In general, a resumé should be no more than two pages long — unless you have a large number of presentations or publications that need to be listed. Avoid the tendency to add more “stuff” to your resumé to try to look impressive. Use the relevant experience you have and determine what was impressive about it (for example, demonstrated independence, innovation, grit, or tenacity; helped improve ways of doing things in the lab; were given additional responsibilities as time went on; etc.)

• A reviewer would rather read about the two positions you had that are relevant, than try to sift through seven or eight clubs or fast-food job descriptions.
• Transcript?
• Recommendation Letters?
• Personal Statement?

Typically, resumes are formatted so that your most recent position is listed first. However, don’t put working at Dairy Queen first, if you are applying for a research position. Instead, consider using some of the following sections:

• Academic Accomplishments
• Research Experience
• Work Experience/Employment
• College Activities
• Volunteer Work
• Presentations and Publications

You do not need all of these categories, especially if you do not have relevant, interesting, or recent experience with them. Do not feel forced to try to fit your resume into someone else’s template. Make a list of what you want to include then design categories that fit your experience and story. Keep in mind that these categories will change over time (for example: five years after college, you will no longer need to include a section on “college activities”).

Research Mentor

• Area of research
• Not only does it show that you worked directly with a faculty member in your position, but reviewers might be familiar with your mentor’s work which could put you at an advantage.
• Consider listing projects and accomplishments the group achieved first before breaking things out on a year to year basis.
• If you were funded by different sources at different times, put a list of these sources at the bottom of the experience in this position.

Job Titles, Time Periods

• Use something that makes sense (sometimes HR titles do not)
• Instead of “MUURS Scholar” say “Student Researcher funded by the MU Undergraduate Research Scholars Program”
• Summer 2017 (9 weeks, full time internship)
• Academic Year 2018-2019 (15 hrs/week)
• What does that award mean?
• Will anyone outside of campus know what that is?
• Was the program selective?
• What was the award amount?
• What was the duration of the award?
• You can list various funding sources at the end of the relevant section
• External funding (from a government entity such as NIH, for example) is impressive. Be sure to list it.

You need to take the time to seriously consider your experience and how that allowed you to grow and mature as a researcher. Ask yourself these questions when brainstorming about your experience:

• What are areas you excelled in?
• What are lessons you learned?
• What are things you improved upon from the person before you?
• How did you spend your time?
• What skills did you gain?
• What research outcomes were reached?
• How long were you in the lab?

Use specific numbers or other qualifiers when applicable to show just how much work, effort, independence, or tenacity you had.

If your publication and presentation experience is limited, it is recommended that you include it with your relevant experience. However, if you have extensive or otherwise impressive experience (won a presentation award at a conference, or presented your work to state legislators at the Undergraduate Research Day at the the State Capitol, for example) then include a new category specifically for Presentations and/or Publications.

Presentations

• Include full list of authors
• Include full and official title
• Include if it was poster or oral presentation (ie, 15 minute presentation)
• Include location, event
• Include date (at least month and year)
• Include any award
• Check in with your mentor, to find out if a poster you co-authored was presented elsewhere.

Publications

• Full citation when published
• In Press – journal, date?
• Submitted for review – journal/date
• In preparation
• Check with your mentor as many projects are not completed by the time as student graduates.

Final Reminders

• Know your audience
• Explain (or spell out)
• Organize to fit your own situation
• Make it easy to follow – esp. if you have ‘time away’
• But have on comprehensive and cohesive running resumé.
• Have a system in place to update/organize your resumés.
• Use professional language, as most files are submitted electronically — the reviewer will see if you named a file “Better Resumé”
• ex: Jane Doe Resumé – Biochemistry REU, UT Austin
• This will ensure that the reviewer knows who you are and what you are applying for without even opening the file.

We encourage students to visit the MU Career Center in the Student Success Center for help on their specific application needs.

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Master’s student resume samples

General master’s resumes, school of engineering & applied science student resumes, weitzman school of design student resumes.

• • Directed a multi-sector research project evaluating the impact of digital resources in academic environments, benefiting over 30 institutions.
• • Implemented innovative qualitative research methods that increased project efficiency by 25%.
• • Authored impactful research reports presented at national conferences, influencing educational policy directions.
• • Supervised and mentored a team of 3 junior analysts, improving team productivity and research output quality.
• • Managed project timelines and deliverables for complex studies, resulting in 95% on-time completion rate.
• • Developed strong professional relationships with stakeholders and collaborators, which led to securing 2 significant research grants.
• • Conducted in-depth analysis on STEM education trends, influencing curriculum development for 100+ educational institutions.
• • Played a critical role in a team that delivered 4 major research projects yearly, exceeding stakeholder expectations.
• • Managed cross-functional teams, increasing overall project efficiency by 15%.
• • Presented research findings at 10+ industry conferences, enhancing the company's professional reputation.
• • Leveraged advanced data collection tools to gather and analyze information from over 500 interview subjects.
• • Assisted in the preparation of grant proposals that secured funding of over $500,000 for environmental research.
• • Organized and managed data collection for a large-scale research study on conservation best practices.
• • Played a key role in publishing 3 research papers that contributed to new sustainability guidelines.
• • Supported senior researchers in conducting fieldwork and data analysis for interdisciplinary research projects.

13 Researcher Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

Your researcher resume must demonstrate your expertise in your field. Clearly highlight publications, presentations, or projects you've contributed to. Showcase your analytical and data collection skills. Elaborate on the methodologies you're proficient with to prove your technical capabilities.

All resume examples in this guide

UX Researcher

User Researcher

Student Researcher

Quantitative Researcher

Qualitative Researcher

Market Researcher

Undergraduate Researcher

Product Researcher

Psychology Researcher

Design Researcher

Lab Researcher

Machine Learning Researcher

Resume guide.

Resume Format Tips

Resume Experience

Skills on Resume

Education & Certifications

Resume Summary Tips

Additional Resume Sections

Key Takeaways

As a researcher, you may struggle with translating your extensive project experience into a concise format that appeals to a broad range of employers. Our guide will provide you with tailored strategies to effectively distill your research accomplishments into an impactful resume that resonates across industries.

• Utilize real-life examples to refine your researcher resume;
• Effectively write the experience section of your researcher resume, even if you have minimal or no professional experience;
• Incorporate the industry's top 10 essential skills throughout your resume;
• Include your education and certifications to highlight your specific expertise.

If the researcher resume isn't the right one for you, take a look at other related guides we have:

• Lab Manager Resume Example
• Lab Technician Resume Example
• Scientist Resume Example
• Chemist Resume Example
• Research Assistant Resume Example
• Lab Assistant Resume Example
• Research Director Resume Example
• Radiologic Technologist Resume Example
• Research Manager Resume Example
• Research Associate Resume Example

Simple guide to your researcher resume format and layout

• professional experience - use the reverse-chronological resume format;
• skills and achievements - via the functional skill-based resume format;
• both experience and skills - with a hybrid resume format .

What is more, keep in mind that your resume may be initially assessed by the ATS (Applicant Tracker System) (or the software used by companies in the hiring process). The researcher resumes that suit the ATS:

• have a header that includes either a role keyword or the job you're applying for;
• should be no longer than two pages;
• be submitted as PDF, unless specified otherwise.

Upload & Check Your Resume

Drop your resume here or choose a file . PDF & DOCX only. Max 2MB file size.

If you happen to have some basic certificates, don't invest too much of your researcher resume real estate in them. Instead, list them within the skills section or as part of your relevant experience. This way you'd ensure you meet all job requirements while dedicating your certificates to only the most in-demand certification across the industry.

The five (plus) definite sections your resume for a researcher job should include are:

• Header with your headline, contact details, and/or a preview of your work
• Summary (or objective) to pinpoint how your success aligns with the role
• Experience with bullets of your most relevant achievements in the field
• Skills to integrate vital job requirements (both technical and personal)
• Your further dedication to the field, showcased via relevant higher education and/or certifications

What recruiters want to see on your resume:

• Publishing Record: Evidence of publications in reputable journals or conferences relevant to the field.
• Research Experience: Detailed description of past research projects, roles, and contributions.
• Grant Writing Skills: Demonstrated success in securing research funding from grants, fellowships, or scholarships.
• Technical Expertise: Proficiency with tools and methodologies specific to the research area, like statistical analysis software, lab techniques, or data analysis programs.
• Collaboration and Communication: Examples of working effectively within interdisciplinary research teams and communicating complex research findings to diverse audiences.

Creating your researcher resume experience to catch recruiters' attention

Remember that for the researcher role, hiring managers are looking to see how your expertise aligns with their requirements. Here's where your resume experience section can help out. Make sure you:

• Include mainly roles that are relevant to the researcher job you're applying for;
• Don't go too far back in your experience - recruiters will only care what you did a decade ago if it's really important for the researcher role;
• Each bullet you include should say what you did, followed by the skills you used and the actual end result of your efforts;
• Quantify each of your achievements with numbers and possibly the overall effect it had on the organization;
• Highlight transferrable skills - or personal skills you've attained thanks to past jobs - that could be applicable within your potential workplace. This would showcase your unique value as a professional.

Formatting the experience section of your resume doesn't have to be an over-the-top deep dive into your whole career. Follow the researcher resume examples below to see how industry-leading professionals are presenting their experience:

• Designed and executed a comprehensive experimental study on the effects of new agricultural chemicals, increasing crop yields by 20% over a two-year period.
• Authored and co-authored 6 peer-reviewed journal articles in the field of synthetic biology, enhancing the company's academic presence and fostering collaborative opportunities.
• Mentored a team of junior researchers and interns, improving team productivity by 30% and helping to establish a robust research pipeline.
• Implemented new data collection protocols for patient trials, which improved data accuracy by 25% and ensured regulatory compliance.
• Coordinated with cross-functional teams to manage over 15 multi-center clinical trials, ensuring that deadlines were met and budgets were maintained.
• Presented findings at 3 international conferences, significantly raising the profile of the research programs and attracting future funding.
• Led the research and prototype development for a new medical device, which subsequently received FDA approval and led to a 150% increase in departmental revenue.
• Coordinated with a team of scientists to integrate artificial intelligence in the device's diagnostic process, improving prediction accuracy by 35%.
• Managed the intellectual property process for developed technologies, resulting in the granting of 5 patents and protecting the company's assets.
• Analyzed consumer behavior data and trends to inform the company's marketing strategies, contributing to a 40% increase in market share.
• Developed and administered over 200 surveys and focus groups to gather actionable customer insights, directly influencing product development.
• Worked directly with the sales team to refine target demographics, which led to more effective ad spend and a 25% increase in conversion rates.
• Directed a groundbreaking research initiative on renewable energy that secured $2M in grants from government and private sectors.
• Managed collaborations with industry partners to test and refine prototype solar panels, achieving a 50% increase in efficiency over existing models.
• Organized and chaired a successful international symposium on sustainable energy, fostering partnerships that led to further R&D investments.
• Led the development of a novel gene-editing platform, which resulted in a 200% increase in experiment throughput and reduced costs by 40%.
• Collaborated with pharmaceutical companies to leverage the platform for drug development, accelerating the timeline from discovery to preclinical trials.
• Managed the submission of regulatory documents for new research protocols, ensuring full compliance with all federal and state regulations.
• Processed and analyzed big data sets using advanced analytics tools, uncovering patterns that led to a 20% improvement in operational efficiency.
• Developed custom scripts and algorithms to automate data collection processes, saving the company an average of 250 man-hours per month.
• Designed an interactive dashboard that provided real-time insights into market trends, which became a key decision-making tool for the executive team.
• Monitored patient enrollment and data integrity for over 10 international clinical trials, ensuring adherence to study protocols and Good Clinical Practice guidelines.
• Provided key contributions to the successful launch of a Phase III trial, which saw a 95% retention rate of study participants due to enhanced engagement strategies.
• Developed training materials and conducted workshops for new clinical research coordinators, greatly improving the effectiveness and compliance of the research team.

Quantifying impact on your resume

• Include the number of publications you've authored to demonstrate the depth and breadth of your research experience.
• List the amount of research funds you've secured, as it shows your capability to attract significant financial resources for your work.
• State the number of experiments or studies you've conducted to quantify your hands-on experience in your field.
• Mention the number of citations your work has received to reflect its influence and acceptance in the research community.
• Highlight the size of the research teams you've led or participated in to show your collaborative and leadership skills.
• Detail the number of conferences you've presented at to exhibit your ability to communicate your findings to a professional audience.
• Provide the percentage by which your findings have improved a process or technique within your field to illustrate the practical impact of your research.
• Specify the number of patents you hold, if applicable, to demonstrate innovation and potential for commercial application of your work.

Action verbs for your researcher resume

Four quick steps for candidates with no resume experience

Those with less or no relevant experience could also make a good impression on recruiters by:

• Taking the time to actually understand what matters most to the role and featuring this within key sections of their resume
• Investing resume space into defining what makes them a valuable candidate with transferrable skills and personality
• Using the resume objective to showcase their personal vision for growth within the company
• Heavily featuring their technical alignment with relevant certifications, education, and skills.

Remember that your resume is about aligning your profile to that of the ideal candidate.

The more prominently you can demonstrate how you answer job requirements, the more likely you'd be called in for an interview.

Recommended reads:

• How To Include Your Relevant Coursework On A Resume
• How to List Continuing Education on Your Resume

The more trusted the organization you've attained your certificate (or degree) from, the more credible your skill set would be.

Balancing hard and soft skills in your researcher resume

Recruiters indeed pay close attention to the specific hard and soft skills candidates possess. Hard skills refer to technical abilities or your proficiency in technologies, while soft skills are the personal attributes and qualities developed over your lifetime.

If you're unsure about effectively quantifying these skills on your resume, follow our step-by-step guide. It's crucial to first understand the key job requirements for the role. Doing so enables you to accurately list your:

• Hard skills in sections like skills, education, and certifications. Your technical expertise is straightforward to quantify. Most organizations find it sufficient to mention the certificates you've earned, along with your proficiency level.
• Soft skills within your experience, achievements, strengths, etc. Defining interpersonal communication traits in your resume can be challenging. Focus on showcasing the accomplishments you've achieved through these skills.

Remember, when tailoring your researcher resume, ensure that the skills you list match exactly with those in the job requirements. For instance, if the job listing specifies "Microsoft Word," include this exact term rather than just "Word" or "MSO."

Top skills for your researcher resume:

Data Analysis

Statistical Analysis

Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

Research Design

Literature Review

Data Collection

Data Interpretation

Academic Writing

Scientific Publication

Critical Thinking

Problem Solving

Attention to Detail

Time Management

Communication

Adaptability

Project Management

Ethical Judgment

List your educational qualifications and certifications in reverse chronological order.

The importance of your certifications and education on your researcher resume

Pay attention to the resume education section . It can offer clues about your skills and experiences that align with the job.

• List only tertiary education details, including the institution and dates.
• Mention your expected graduation date if you're currently studying.
• Exclude degrees unrelated to the job or field.
• Describe your education if it allows you to highlight your achievements further.

Your professional qualifications: certificates and education play a crucial role in your researcher application. They showcase your dedication to gaining the best expertise and know-how in the field. Include any diplomas and certificates that are:

• Listed within the job requirements or could make your application stand out
• Niche to your industry and require plenty of effort to obtain
• Helping you prepare for professional growth with forward-facing know-how
• Relevant to the researcher job - make sure to include the name of the certificate, institution you've obtained it at, and dates

Both your certificates and education section need to add further value to your application. That's why we've dedicated this next list just for you - check out some of the most popular researcher certificates to include on your resume:

The top 5 certifications for your researcher resume:

• Project Management Professional (PMP) - Project Management Institute
• Certified Research Administrator (CRA) - Research Administrators Certification Council
• Institutional Review Board Professional (CIP) - Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research
• Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) - Society of Clinical Research Associates
• Data Analysis & Statistics Certificate (DASC) - Various Institutions

Highlight any significant extracurricular activities that demonstrate valuable skills or leadership.

• When Should You Include Your High School on Your Resume?
• How To List Certifications On A Resume (Examples Included)

Researcher resume summary or objective? The best choice is based on your experience

If you're wondering about the relevancy of the resume summary or the resume objective to your Researcher application - here's the truth.

The summary and objective provide recruiters with your expertise and accomplishments at a glance, within an up-to-five-sentence structure.

The difference is that the:

• Resume objective is also more focused on emphasizing your career goals. The objective is the perfect fit for (potentially more junior) candidates who'd like to balance their relevant experience with their career goals.
• Resume summary can provide you with space to also detail the unique value of what it's like to work with you. Researcher candidates who have many noteworthy accomplishments start from the get-go with their summary.

Ensure that either type of resume introduction presents your Researcher expertise in the best light and aligns it with the job advert.

The more details you can provide with numbers, the more compelling your resume summary or objective will be.

Real-world Researcher candidates follow these frameworks in writing their resume summaries and objectives.

The end results are usually as such:

Resume summaries for a researcher job

• With a decade of profound experience in molecular biology, an extensive publication record, and a Ph.D. from MIT, the candidate is adept in genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics. Awarded with the Young Scientist Award, they have led teams in groundbreaking cancer research, yielding patents and significant advancements in targeted therapy.
• A seasoned chemist with 15 years at GlaxoSmithKline specializing in pharmaceutical development, pivoting into biotechnology research with a strong desire to apply synthetic chemistry skills towards developing novel biologics. Recognized for innovation in small molecule synthesis, keen to contribute to interdisciplinary approaches in disease treatment.
• Former aerospace engineer with 12 years' tenure at NASA seeking to transition into climate research. Armed with robust analytical skills, a deep understanding of complex systems, and a master’s degree in environmental engineering, aiming to utilize simulation modeling to address pressing environmental challenges and climate change.
• After years of developing market forecasts and data models for economic research at a leading think tank, the candidate is eager to transfer their refined quantitative analysis skills into computational neuroscience research. With a strong grasp of machine learning and predictive analytics, they are ready to contribute to elucidating neural network functionalities.
• Graduating magna cum laude with a B.S. in biology, the applicant is enthusiastic about beginning a research career in immunology. Committed to lifelong learning and making impactful contributions, they are determined to leverage their strong foundation in cell biology and genetics to aid in developing innovative immunotherapies.
• As an ambitious recent graduate with a Master's in Computer Science and a passion for algorithm design, I am eager to delve into the world of bioinformatics research. With a zest for problem-solving and a commitment to advancing healthcare through technology, I aim to contribute to projects focused on genetic data analysis and personalized medicine.

Showcasing your personality with these four researcher resume sections

Enhance your researcher expertise with additional resume sections that spotlight both your professional skills and personal traits. Choose options that not only present you in a professional light but also reveal why colleagues enjoy working with you:

• My time - a pie chart infographic detailing your daily personal and professional priorities, showcasing a blend of hard and soft skills;
• Hobbies and interests - share your engagement in sports, fandoms, or other interests, whether in your local community or during personal time;
• Quotes - what motivates and inspires you as a professional;
• Books - indicating your reading and comprehension skills, a definite plus for employers, particularly when your reading interests align with your professional field.

Key takeaways

At the end of our guide, we'd like to remind you to:

• Invest in a simple, modern resume design that is ATS friendly and keeps your experience organized and legible;
• Avoid just listing your responsibilities in your experience section, but rather focus on quantifiable achievements;
• Always select resume sections that are relevant to the role and can answer job requirements. Sometimes your volunteering experience could bring more value than irrelevant work experience;
• Balance your technical background with your personality traits across various sections of your resume to hint at how much time employers would have to invest in training you and if your profile would be a good cultural fit to the organization;
• Include your academic background (in the form of your relevant higher education degrees and certifications) to show recruiters that you have the technical basics of the industry covered.

Researcher resume examples

Explore additional researcher resume samples and guides and see what works for your level of experience or role.

Looking to build your own Researcher resume?

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How to List Research Experience on Your Resume

Applying for a role that requires research skills? Here’s how to list your research experience on a resume, with examples you can follow.

3 years ago   •   7 min read

Research experience isn’t just for science and academia. Research is a valuable skill that’s required for a number of roles and industries, which means it almost certainly has a place on your resume. And no — that doesn’t mean writing “research” in your skills section and moving on.

Why you should list research experience on your resume

If you’re applying for a job that involves research, listing research experience is a no-brainer. Research-specific positions, scientific jobs like Research Assistants , Lab Assistants or Technicians, graduate school applications, and most jobs in academia all require evidence of research skills. Even outside these positions, research experience demonstrates valuable transferable skills, like critical thinking and attention to detail . Which is not to say that you need to include research experience on every resume — if it makes you a stronger candidate, include it, but if it isn’t relevant and doesn’t add anything else to your candidacy, leave it off.

Research experience resume example

Before we dive right in, here's a sample resume that emphasizes research skills. You can use this as a template or as inspiration to write your own resume from scratch.

Download: PDF | Google Docs

How to list research experience in your resume

Like a lot of desirable skills, research is a soft skill , meaning it’s not something you can claim as an objective fact on your resume without backing it up. What you can do instead is prove it — what previous role involved a lot of research? What resume accomplishments do you have that highlight your research experience? Showing how you used research skills in action is the best way to demonstrate the value you could bring to the company and role you’re applying for.

There are a number of ways you can highlight research experience on your resume:

In a dedicated section

In your work experience, in your education section, listing research publications, in a projects section, in your skills section, in your resume summary.

Let's take a look at each of these options in a little more depth. But first, let's look at an annotated example to help set the context.

If you come from a research background, you might want to title your work experience ‘Research.’ Alternatively, you could create two experience sections — one titled ‘Work Experience’ and one titled ‘Research Experience’ — if you also have a lot of non-research experience but want to highlight your most relevant experience first. You can go into more detail when applying for a research-focused role by describing the project and specifying the nature of the research and your role in it.

More information: How to title different sections of your resume

Including research experience in your main work experience section is appropriate if it was paid work or if it was your most recent and relevant experience. List the employer — for example, the university or research department — job title, dates, and accomplishments, just like you would any other work experience.

More information: How to list your work experience on your resume

If you’re a current student or recent graduate, you can list your education section at the top of your resume. You can also make this section a little more comprehensive if you don’t have a lot of work experience, by including things like awards, coursework, and academic research.

If you undertook research as part of your studies and it demonstrates skills relevant to the job you’re applying for, list your research accomplishments in bullet points under the education section of your resume.

More information: The must-haves when writing your education on your resume

If you have a lot of publications that came out of your research, and you want to draw attention to them — and if they’re relevant to the job you’re applying for — consider creating a separate publications section . Formal publications like these are an excellent way to add credibility to your research experience.

List each publication in a new bullet point with the title, year, and name of the magazine, website, or journal. Academic publications can be listed more formally if it’s relevant, like if you’re applying for graduate school or a role in academia.

When it comes to listing research on your resume, like other soft skills, you need to show you’ve used this skill in your previous roles by showcasing your research related accomplishments. Upload your resume to the tool below to find out if your resume highlights your most relevant research experience and achievements.

If your research experience is less extensive or wasn’t quite relevant enough to include alongside your work experience or education, you can still highlight it in a projects section. Keep this brief and include 1-2 bullet points showcasing your key research accomplishments.

More information: How to list projects on a resume

Research skills can go in your skills section — as long as they’re hard skills. Steer clear of listing generic skills like “Research” — instead, use our keyword finder to look for relevant skills and keywords and include specific hard skills like data analysis, project management, software proficiency, and certifications.

You can also use the skills search tool below to get a list of hard skills relevant to the research-focused role you’re applying for.

More information: How to write a resume skills section

If you’re applying for a position where research experience is essential, consider emphasizing your experience by including a short resume summary at the top of your resume. This should include the title of the job you’re applying for and a brief overview of your background and key skills.

More information: Generate a summary for your resume

Examples of listing research experience on your resume

No matter where you choose to include it, always list research experience in concise, accomplishment-focused bullet points . These should follow the structure of action verb + what you did + what the result was. Here are some examples of resume bullet points you can use or modify to suit your own research experiences.

Highlight research projects

• Assisted with cell development research projects as part of the Leukemia Research team — identifying cell changes, determining cell counts and coulter counters with 98% accuracy.

If you have significant research experience, describe it! The more relevant it is to the position you’re applying for, the more detail you can go into. Make sure to specify exactly what stages of research you worked on and what your contribution was.

Mention awards for your research

• Awarded “Total Quality Award” in recognition of consistent high standards of quality work for research excellence (only 3 awarded in class of 500).

If the high quality of your work has been acknowledged by an award, early promotion , or similar outside recognition, include it! In addition to the name of the award or accolade, don’t forget to specify context (e.g. 'out of class of 500 people' to increase its credibility.

Demonstrate technical expertise

• Created over 75 3D models with CAD tools such as Solidworks and ANSYS.

If you have experience with specific software or tools that you’ll be using in the position you’re applying for, include a bullet point accomplishment specifying how you’ve used them. While this isn't direct 'research' experience, it uses tools that are relevant to research projects — this is a good way of showing that you have research skill sets without having formal research experience.

Use 'research-focused' action verbs

• Researched and edited two articles and one book chapter on prenatal substance abuse, policy implication of Human Genome Project.

Use action verbs like "Researched" or "Scoured" which clearly emphasize research skills. In some cases (like in this example), you can list publications in your bullet points itself. If you’ve authored academic papers, books, or articles, this is a great way to show the validity and importance of your research.

Include accomplishments related to research studies

• Oversaw screening and recruitment of over 100 participants to study, liaised with laboratory personnel and site coordinators to ensure study is completed on time with 100% success.

Not all research positions involve pure research. Make sure you highlight appropriate related accomplishments, like managing research study participant data and enrolments or managing a team of research assistants.

Include accomplishments relating to research in your field

• Conducted legal research; organized and analyzed data and evidence for over 50 cases annually.

If research is part of the job description, make sure you include at least one bullet point highlighting how you’ve used those skills in the past. Including metrics, like the number of cases you’ve researched, contextualizes your accomplishments and helps them stand out.

• Conducted marketing research for both buy-side and sell-side resulting in 15 strong leads.

Research isn’t just limited to science and academia. Demonstrate your skills in action by the context and end results of your research, like the number of leads it generated or the increase in sales figures.

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How To Use a Thesis Statement for Employment

What Is a Thesis Statement for Employment?

How a thesis statement for employment works, examples of a thesis statement for employment.

Think back to when you learned to write an essay. Most likely, your teacher talked about the importance of a thesis statement, which sums up your essay. A thesis statement can also be helpful during a job search. 

Through a thesis statement, you can clarify your background as a candidate, what you want in a role, and how you'd fit in at a given company. This is, of course, valuable information for recruiters and hiring managers. 

A thesis statement for employment is a brief description of yourself, your characteristics, and your skills. 

Your thesis statement for employment is used to demonstrate your interest in a job and show how you would benefit an organization. Learn how to go about developing one. 

Key Takeaways

• A thesis statement for employment is a brief description of yourself, your characteristics, and your skills. It’s used to show how you would benefit an organization.
• You can use your thesis statement on your resume, in cover letters, in interviews, and during networking events. 
• A thesis statement should be brief, direct, and tailored to each position you apply for.

A thesis statement for employment is a one- or two-sentence statement of your qualifications.

Crafting this statement may take some time and thought. (That was likely true back when you were routinely writing essays, too.) Once you have developed a thesis statement, it'll come in handy at many points in your job search. You can use it: 

• Within your cover letters —place your thesis statement in the first paragraph, where you explain why you're applying for the role. 
• On your resume —include the thesis statement in your objective or summary section.
• During job interviews —to help explain why you're the right person for the job.
• When you're networking —with a thesis statement in mind, it's easy to respond when someone asks what type of job you want. 

Your thesis statement should intrigue potential employers, so they want to learn more about you and your credentials. Keep in mind that your thesis statement should be dynamic, evolving to fit the needs of the role at hand. 

The first step to developing your thesis statement is to think about the positions you want to apply for, what you have to offer a company, and why employers should hire you.

Here are some tips for developing a strong thesis statement:

• Be direct : Your thesis statement should be simple and to the point, as hiring managers don’t have time to figure out what you’re trying to say. This isn’t the time to show off your extensive vocabulary. The same strategies you used to craft an elevator pitch will come in handy when you're thinking through your thesis statement. 
• Tailor your statement : Start by developing a general thesis statement, and then tweak it to target the job you're applying for. You may have an IT certification and also be a strong presenter, but if you're applying for a job as a computer technician, the IT certification is more important to mention. If you're applying for a position as a sales representative at a software company, you'll want to emphasize your presentation skills.
• Frame your skills as benefits to the company : One goal of a thesis statement is to make it readily apparent to a hiring manager how hiring you will be beneficial. For example, you might say that your management skills will help you develop and train an exceptional sales team that will meet or exceed company sales goals. You may need to research a company to find its goals and priorities.

A summary statement is similar to a thesis statement, but it focuses on factual experience without the emphasis on benefits. For example, you might say, "Executive assistant with seven years of experience maintaining schedules, arranging travel, and handling correspondence."

If you’re not sure what to include in your thesis statement, these examples can help:

• I'm writing to apply for the administrative assistant position at ABC company. My strong communication and organizational skills, and my ability to create order out of chaos make me an excellent match for this position.  
• My fascination with numbers, combined with my strong accounting skills and mathematics minor, enables me to make a solid contribution in this role.
• My ability to successfully implement current web design technology, as well as develop and maintain sites for start-up IT companies, enables me to contribute to XYZ company.
• My fluency in Spanish and strong marketing and communication skills would be an asset to your company, allowing me to build trusting relationships with clients.
• I have created sales strategies that have achieved 40% revenue growth per year. I can motivate sales teams and design incentive programs to achieve short- and long-term sales goals.

The University of Arizona. " Writing a Thesis Statement ."

Chron. " Preparing a Thesis Statement Concerning a Job Interview ."

U.S. News. " What Is Your Job Fit Thesis ?"

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4 Resume Mistakes to Avoid When You Don’t Have Much Experience

• Irina Cozma

A good resume can set you apart and help you land that interview.

Understanding the common mistakes job candidates make on resumes, and how to overcome them, can set you apart from your competitors. The first mistake is including irrelevant work experience. Instead, only add roles that are relevant to the position you’re applying for. The second is customizing your resume. While it’s in your benefit to adjust your resume to better match the job description, over-tuning your resume for every application can be a waste of time — and end up slowing down your search. This is especially true if you’re focused on securing a particular position that has a standard job title like “marketing coordinator” or “sales associate.” The third is overdesigning your resume. Recruiters only spend a few seconds scanning it, so keep the format simple and straightforward. The fourth is coming off as a novice. For example, don’t use an ancient email address — update it to something that sounds more professional, and give your resume a specific name so it’s easier to identify.

Resumes. Love them or hate them, you will probably need one when you apply for a job. The resume has a specific tactical role to play in your search — to get you the interview. You need to make sure it checks a few boxes to do that work because, even if you take advantage of your network, sooner or later, you will need to share your resume with the hiring manager.

• Irina Cozma , Ph.D., is a career and executive coach who supports professionals to have better career adventures. She coached hundreds of Fortune 500 executives from global organizations like Salesforce, Hitachi, and Abbott. Irina also coaches startups and the Physicians MBA at the University of Tennessee. Download her free career guide to help you prepare for your next career adventure.

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