Data Scientist Resume Sample and Tips from HR Pros

Need help with writing your Data Scientist resume?

Our HR experts have put together a sample resume for you — the one that the hiring manager at your dream company is sure to appreciate.

Go through the sample below and read on for more professional HR tips on how to compose your perfect Data Scientist resume.

Let’s go over the key sections of the resume above. But, before that, let’s take a closer look at the job of a data scientist. What will be expected of you? What career prospects are there to look forward to? How much money could you potentially make? We’ll answer these and more questions below.

Data Scientist job description

In short, the job of a data scientist is to process and interpret large amounts of data. Someone employed in this position will need to use their statistics and programming skills to collect and analyze information and then use this information to solve business-related challenges.

Data scientists can work in a variety of fields, including business, education, finance, and more.

To become a data scientist, you will need a bachelor’s degree in computer science, math, statistics, or economics.

Salaries for data scientists vary. However, you can get a general idea of the salary range by taking a look at some statistical salary information in your home country. In the United States, for instance, the median salary for data scientists was reported to be around $98,000 per year in 2020. The top experts in the field were paid over $130,000, while the lowest salaries stood at around $72,000 according to USnews.com.

If you want to become one of the highest-paid data scientists, writing an effective resume is an important first step in landing a promising job offer. Below, we will go over the key sections that you should include in your Data Scientist resume to make sure it looks professional and has all the information a hiring manager might need.

Name and contact info

It’s obvious that you should start your resume with your name and contact details. This lets the hiring manager know whose job application is in front of them and how to get in touch with you if they need more information or would like to invite you for an interview. While this is the simplest and most basic part of your resume, the tips below might help you make your introduction clear and complete:

1. Start with your full name and add your educational and/or professional credentials like CAP, CCA, CCP, DASCA, SDS, PDS, etc.
2. Include your city (optional) and the most reliable phone number that you can be reached at.
3. Add your email address and include a note if this is the primary way in which you want to be contacted.
4. If possible, add a link to your profile on LinkedIn or other professional social media. This will give your potential employer a chance to quickly go over your work experience, references and more. This is also an opportunity for you to add information to your profile that you might want your potential employer to know but don’t have the space for in your resume: work projects you are most proud of, future career aspirations, hobbies, and more.

See below what this section may look like on a Data Scientist resume:

Knowledge and experience

Right after your name and contact details, it’s a good idea to include a quick summary of your skillset and knowledge that would be most relevant to the job you are applying for. This way, you will be able to provide a short yet informative introduction of who you are.

Make sure that this section doesn’t simply repeat the information you will be covering later in your resume. The main goal of this section is to get your potential employer interested in what’s to come next: it’s a good place to be specific, use numbers, refer to your certification, and more.

Professional Experience

At the first glance, this may seem like another no-brainer: you simply list your work experience in reverse chronological order. But did you know that the way you describe your work experience can have a direct effect on whether your application even makes it to a recruiter’s desk?

The thing is that most large companies these days use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to sort through resumes. Understanding how these systems work and adjusting your resume accordingly can, without exaggeration, make or break your application.

So, what is an applicant tracking system (ATS)? Applicant tracking systems make it easier for HRs to go over lots of resumes and create a shortlist of applicants that they would like to consider further. Because of applicant tracking systems, hiring managers don’t even get to see the majority of applications that come in. Thus, the first goal of your resume is to actually pass the “ATS test” so that an HR professional gets a chance to see it.

How do applicant tracking systems work? They are designed to screen resumes based on the specific requirements outlined by HR professionals for this position. An HR manager would first enter the specific job requirements into the system, and all the resumes that are received are then checked against this list. If no matches are found, the resume will probably be rejected.

Why does this happen? Well, for instance, the ATS probably won’t recognize that a “data guru” is a “data scientist” — which means that you should try to use very specific keywords in your resume that wouldn’t “scare off” applicant tracking technology. In fact, the best strategy here would be to use practically exactly the same wording as in the job description — as this is probably what the ATS will be set up to target. Also, make sure you title each section of your resume in a very straightforward way like “Education”, “Professional Experience”, “Data Scientist Certification”, etc.

The format you use is important too. Keep these things in mind:

• A recruiter probably won’t read your whole resume — at least at first. Instead, they will scan it looking for keywords and information they are interested in. Knowing this gives you a chance to strategically organize the content in your resume so that the right words jump off the page.
• Mention certification, numbers and specific facts whenever possible — this will catch a hiring manager’s eye and get them more interested in going over your resume in more detail.
• List your working experience so that it’s easy to read: use a bulleted list, highlight key information in bold, etc.
• Avoid using bright colors and unusual fonts as they may not be recognized by applicant tracking systems.

Education

This section should include all the degrees, courses and other qualifications relevant to the position you are applying for. Start with the most relevant and recent courses you’ve taken or certification you’ve received. On the other hand, unnecessary extras, like information on where you went to high school or what classes you took as a hobby, shouldn’t take up space in your resume.

Additional information

This section is a great opportunity to add extra information that can make you stand out among other applicants. What you mention here depends on the specifics of the job you are applying for. As an example, this can include any rewards you’ve received, foreign languages you speak, professional or personal qualities you would like to highlight, and more. Go over the job description one more time and consider what other skills your potential employer might appreciate you have.

HR managers also advise mentioning professional references in this section. Alternatively, you could say references are available upon request.

And here’s a bonus tip.

Keep your resume to one page. Hiring managers are generally quite busy and won’t have the time for a long read. Instead, keep your resume brief, with the most relevant information easily accessible. Every HR professional will appreciate a job application that is concise, to the point and highlights all the important details. Naturally, if you have a lot of professional experience and are applying for a senior position, you may need more space to make your resume complete. In this case, a two-page resume would be acceptable — but do your best to keep the most essential information on the first page.

To sum it all up, an ideal Data Scientist resume is ATS-friendly, neat, clearly formatted and tells the recruiter why you are the best candidate for the job. If you are interested in more tips on writing the perfect resume, click here. Plus, make sure to check out our expert HR guide on how to craft an effective Data Scientist cover letter to complete your application.

Happy job hunting!