Data Scientist Resume: Sample & Writing Guide + Tips

P-Hats off. As a data scientist, you must be swimming in job offers. After all, it’s one of the most sought-after professions of the 21st century.

However, if you think that just sending your big smiling photo is enough to get the best jobs, you’re more naive than a Bayes classifier. Thankfully, you don’t need to name your firstborn son Max Pool to beat the competition. Just write a job-winning data scientist resume and let its AI work for you.

This guide will show you:

• A data scientist resume sample better than 9 out of 10 other examples out there.
• How to write a resume for data scientists that’ll land 10 times more interviews than any other
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a data scientist resume.

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Data Scientist Resume Sample

Now, read this guide to learn how to write a data scientist resume quickly and easily:

1. Use the Correct Format for a Data Scientist Resume

You enjoy it when data is properly organized, right?

Hiring managers enjoy it too. Chaos must be avoided when it comes to formatting a resume for a data scientist. Otherwise, it will create a confusion matrix and just make the recruiter move to the next candidate who knows better what a resume is and how it should be used.

That’s how you should format your data scientist resume template:

• Use the reverse-chronological format to make your most recent achievements shine.
• Pick professional resume fonts such as Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman, and Verdana.
• Set line spacing to 1 or 1.15 for great readability.
• Keep font size as 11–12 for the contents, and 13–14 for headings.
• Set the margins to 1 inch on all sides to ensure enough white space.
• Save your data scientist resume in a PDF format (or DOC when the job ad asks for it.)

As for the length, a one-page resume is the best choice for all types of jobs. There’s a misconception that the longer, the better—it’s untrue. Be selective and fit all relevant information on one page.

Your data scientist application must include the following resume sections:

• Your full name and contact information: Place them in the top-left corner of the document.
• Resume summary or objective: They sum up your qualifications and experience.
• Work experience: Highlight the most impressive achievements from your work history.
• Education: Show how you got your expert knowledge.
• Skills: Only the ones that are relevant to the job posting.
• Additional sections, such as languages, certificates, memberships, volunteering, and interests: Choose a few to boost your candidature.

If you want the sections to stand out, you can use modern resume icons. They may also add a dash of colour to a typical black-and-white resume, which may help you stand out from the crowd.

Save time on formatting your resume by using ready-to-use templates. Check here: Resume Templates in Word and PDF

2. Highlight Your Work Experience in Your Resume for a Data Scientist

Before you jump on a hyperplane and fly off to your dream job, you must craft the work experience section of your resume. But rather than describe every single thing you did at all your jobs, select the tasks and projects you’re really proud of. To write a good resume, think in terms of quality, not quantity!

Create your work experience section this way:

• Mention your most recent job title first.
• List the company name as well as the working period.
• Write 4–6 bullet points describing your duties and accomplishments.
• Use the Problem-Action-Result formula to show off achievements.

Check these best data scientist resume samples for inspiration:

Data Scientist Resume Sample: Work Experience

Sounds like a pretty successful person, right? Each achievement is proven with numbers. The bullets start with action words to make a great impression on the reader.

This candidate doesn’t know how to promote themselves yet. Without quantifiable achievements, the words sound just empty.

Now, what about freshers?

Writing a fresher data scientist resume can be tough. The lack of professional work experience sounds like a big obstacle on the way to a good job. But don’t worry—there is a solution to this problem! To create a good fresher resume format, just use your life experience to prove you’re not green behind the ears. Did you participate in academic projects? Do you collaborate with other people on GitHub? What about volunteering or internships? All of those experiences can prove valuable.

Check these entry-level data scientist resume examples:

Data Scientist Resume for Fresher: Work Experience

Like. A. Boss. See, even interns have something to brag about! 

Interesting? No. Impressive? Certainly not. There’s not enough information. This candidate will be quickly dismissed.

Pro Tip: Got gaps in your work history? There’s no place for hidden layers in your resume. There’s nothing shameful about taking time off work to help a sick family member, recover after an illness, travel, etc. Just be honest about it. Try to show that this time taught you something. For example, taking care of a family member may have helped you become better at multitasking and problem-solving. Similarly, travelling could have taught you how to budget and organize your time effectively.

3. Make Your Education Section Work for Your Benefit

You might think that recruiters work like multi-armed bandits. But predicting their choices isn’t that difficult. They always look for certain things when scanning resumes. And one of the key things is the education section.

If you’re a data scientist, you most likely have a college degree or a certificate to prove it. So show it off!

That’s how to craft the education section in a data scientist resume:

• Start with your highest degree or qualification.
• Name the college, university, or school as well as the city.
• Add the months and years when you studied.
• Mention impressive academic achievements, school projects, or relevant coursework.

Check these examples to see how it’s done:

Data Scientist Resume Sample: Education

It’s as simple as that! Just make sure the information is easy to spot and understand.

This information is too vague, as there are different types of degrees associated with post-graduate studies. 

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

4. Create an Impressive Data Scientist Skills Resume Section

Data scientists are incredibly knowledgeable, there’s no question about that. But it’s not possible to list all the knowledge you’ve got in your resume. After all, your skill list could go on indefinitely, and the recruiter would get lost while reading your application!

The Most Important Data Scientist Skills

• Data analysis
• Machine learning
• Data visualization
• Deep learning
• Big data processing
• Probability and statistics
• Data wrangling
• Database management
• Programming
• Data modelling
• Pattern recognition

So, do you just copy this list and paste it into your resume?

Nope!

Hiring managers look for more than just a list of abilities. They need employees who are not only brilliant scientists but also know how to work with other people, solve problems, think independently, and possess other qualities. That’s why your resume skill list must include a mix of soft and hard skills.

How to craft your data scientist skills resume section:

1. List your hard data-science skills.
2. Make a list of your best soft skills and impressive computer skills for a resume.
3. Look closely at the job advertisement and highlight the required skills.
4. Combine your abilities with the resume keywords from the job ad.

Check the sample data scientist resume below to see it in practice:

Sample Data Scientist Skills in a Resume:

We’ve got a nice mix of common programming languages, software, data-science skills, and soft skills.

Well, that’s just not enough. Lazy data scientists aren’t welcome with arms wide open by hiring managers!

Is your job focused on data analysis? We’ve got a guide specifically for you! See here: Writing a Data Analyst Resume

5. Pick a Few Extra Data Scientist Resume Sections

Now you’re done with the main resume section, it’s time to add some flavour to your job application. You may think that additional resume sections are there just to stuff the space with something, but that’s not true. They can make a true difference! When recruiters look at hundreds of job candidates, they want to find the one that stands out from the rest.

Prove you’re more than just a machine that learned to perform data analysis with these resume sections:

• Licences and certificates: Virtually all data scientists have a degree, but not all have a certificate in Python, Java, data engineering, Agile project management, and other subjects. You can easily get certified online, for example with a Professional Data Engineer exam from Google Cloud.
• Volunteering: Around 80% of Indians believe that charities have a positive impact on their communities. Volunteering can not only bring a change to people’s lives but also teach you valuable skills. You may try contacting the Punjab-based Sabudh Foundation which uses data science for social benefit.
• Languages: Seeking a corporate job? Then the English language is a must. Remember to always list the proficiency level, such as Advanced, Intermediate, Fluent, etc.
• Memberships: Professional associations such as The International Society of Data Scientists are a good place to start networking, learn about developments in the industry, and even discover attractive job offers.
• Conferences: Going to a conference offers a chance to learn something about the industry. However, speaking at a conference is a totally different story! Being a guest speaker means that you’re a true professional.
• Interests: Listing relevant interests in a data scientist's resume shows that you’re not also a scientist but also a human being. Relevant interests are somehow connected to your field. For example, you may work on independent projects on GitHub, write a blog about big data, or create fascinating infographics in your spare time.

So, which are you going to choose for your data scientist resume? Remember to pick 2–3 of these additional sections, depending on the space left in your application.

Have a look at the samples below:

Data Scientist: Sample Resume (Additional Sections)

Seems like a pretty great person, right? Having certifications shows that they continue developing their knowledge, which is crucial in ever-changing fields such as data science.

Ummm… No. Just no. Listing languages without indication of the proficiency level is just a waste of time. And interests like that don’t make anyone unique.

Thinking you might need a CV rather than a resume? See here: Definition of Curriculum Vitae

6. Wrap it Up with a Data Scientist Resume Summary or Objective

Now, this is the last section of your resume. And it goes at the top of it. You might be scratching your head now and wondering why you’re supposed to write it now, and not at the beginning.

It’s trivial—you’ll use what you already have created to compose your resume summary or career objective!

The point of including a resume summary or objective is to promote yourself. As most recruiters spend just a few seconds on an application, they will certainly have a look at this section. So it’s worth making it perfect.

But wait. What’s the difference between a resume summary and a career objective?

• A resume summary is an overview of the candidate’s experience and achievements. It’s best for candidates who have 2+ years of experience in their field.
• A resume objective focuses on the candidate’s educational accomplishments, knowledge, and career goals. It’s best used in a resume for freshers.

Once we’ve got that covered, let’s have a look at a job-winning formula for writing resume profiles.

How to write a resume objective or summary:

1. Begin with a strong adjective, such as motivated or meticulous.
2. Add your job title or college degree.
3. Add the years of experience or what you specialize in.
4. Specify what you want to achieve for the employer.
5. Show off your biggest career or academic accomplishment.
6. Use a third-person narrative to sound professional.

In all, your resume objective or career summary should be around 3–4 sentences long.

Check the examples below for inspiration:

Data Scientist: Resume Summary

The hiring manager will grab the phone immediately after reading that. The candidate highlighted their achievements and said exactly what they can do for the company.

Yaaaawn. First, using first-person narrative is a big NO. Second, this person says what they want, but not what they can do for the company.

Are you writing a data scientist resume for a fresher candidate? Check the examples below to see resume objectives for entry-level positions.

Objective for Data Scientist Resume for Freshers

As you can see here, even freshers can be impressive job candidates. This one can probably beat the competition of even more experienced applicants!

It’s not bad—it’s just too short and too vague. It’s much better to describe one’s achievements and specific, job-related goals, rather than just repeat something from the skill section. 

Thinking of moving to project management? That can be a great career choice. See here: Sample Project Manager Resume

7. Finish with a Matching Data Scientist Cover Letter

Thinking that cover letters are a thing of the past, like floppy disks and CD-ROMs? Well, think again. Many recruiters still expect job candidates to attach cover letters to their job applications. Writing one usually takes less than an hour and significantly boosts your chances of getting that dream job.

These steps will tell you how to write a cover letter for a data scientist:

1. Use the correct cover letter format, similar to the one for your data scientist resume.
2. Open your data scientist cover letter by greeting the hiring manager.
3. Grab the recruiter’s attention with a powerful opening sentence.
4. Present your qualifications in the second paragraph.
5. Demonstrate how your skills can translate into the company's success.
6. Finish the cover letter with a tempting offer.

And that’s the best cover letter format. Pretty simple, right?

A great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

Wow, you’re done! I hope you found this guide helpful.

To sum up, this is how to write a successful data scientist resume:

• Use the reverse-chronological order to show your most recent achievements first.
• Match your skills with the keywords from the job advertisement.
• List your biggest accomplishments in the work experience section.
• Highlights your academic achievements in the education section.
• Add a few extra sections to prove you’re better than other candidates.
• Write a matching data scientist cover letter for an extra boost.

That’s it! Now, it’s time for you to share your thoughts:

- Is it easy to find attractive data scientist job offers?

- What’s the most difficult part of writing a resume for a data scientist?

- Do you have any tips for fellow data scientists writing their job applications?

Let me know in the comments below!

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