Data Scientist Resume: Examples & Writing Guide

The term "data science" is getting popular recently with the implementation of technology in every corner of our lives. it's a fusion of algorithms, tools, and machine learning principles to extract information from hidden patterns in its raw data form. Data scientists "wrangle" big data to make relevant discoveries for businesses to achieve their goals. In addition to this, they combine programming, statistics, analytics, and math to create algorithms, design data modeling processes, and build machine learning pipelines for a better understanding of their customer base and competitors.

Despite how skill-related a data scientist's job is, just having the skills is not enough. A precisely tailored data scientist resume is also essential to ensure that you stand out among other applicants and leave a good impression on the hiring managers

Before you enter your "job-hunting mode," it's important to note several elements to take note of and know to enhance your overall resume writing experience.

Data scientist CV and data scientist resume, are there any differences? Although both are interchangeable terms in some instances, it's vital to know the differences to avoid submitting the wrong kind to your prospective employer.

A data scientist CV …

• is more detailed and has a simple structure
• is over 2 pages long
• and mostly used in academia, medicine, or science fields

Whereas a data scientist resume …

• emphasizes more on relevant information for a specific job and has various layouts
• is within 2 pages long
• and primarily used for a job application

They say that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but a hiring manager WILL judge you by your resume. For your data scientist resume, there are 4 data scientist resume formats that you can use: chronological, functional, hybrid/combination, and targeted. Ensure that the format of your picking is suitable for both your data science-related experiences and the job itself.

If you're unsure of how to start writing your resume, you can look up data science resume templates and data scientist resume examples online as references. Remember to keep a lookout for both the strong points to emulate and weak points to avoid in these data science resume examples.

Don't copy and paste these references' content, adjust it to your own specific experiences and the job description itself.

Your data scientist resume should never be a "one-size-fits-all" resume. Thus, it's best not to use an entry-level data scientist resume for a position that requires you to possess extensive experience.

Your past resumes can be a starting point, but you should always continuously add your relevant data science-related responsibilities and achievements to your resume. By the time you're close to the top of your career ladder, you should be able to build an experienced data scientist resume.

Similar to your resume, tailor your cover letter for a data scientist position instead of making a general cover letter.

A cover letter is your chance to showcase your enthusiasm and explain why and how your profile and data science skills make you a great fit in their company's data scientist role.

As tedious as proofreading may be, it's a necessary extra step that you should take to ensure that no careless spelling or grammatical mistake exists on your data scientist resume.

Different data scientists might have different data scientist resume templates. As one tries to stand out with their data scientist resumes, they might forget to include crucial information. The following are sections that you should always have in your data scientist resume:

1. Resume Profile (Personal Information)

2. Resume Headline for Data Scientist

A data scientist resume headline is a one-line and concise description to quickly inform the hiring manager of who you are, your strengths and relevant experience, and why you're the perfect fit for the position. Use keywords that you may find in the job advertisement.

3. Data Scientist Resume Summary

A data scientist resume summary is a continuation of your resume headline. Ideally, it's around 2-3 sentences highlighting your data science skills, experience, and qualifications.

4. Career Objective for a Data Scientist 

What is your career objective as a data scientist? Your resume objective should answer this in 2-3 sentences. You can incorporate this in your resume summary.

5. Skills for a Data Scientist Resume

Your skillset is one of your main selling points as a data scientist candidate. The skills that you possess serve as an indicator for the hiring manager of your potential fit for the position. Your listed skills for a data scientist resume should be relevant and be kept short. If you're still unsure, you might find it helpful to look online for a data scientist resume sample or refer to the job description.

You might find plenty of companies requiring candidates to be proficient in programming languages such as Python for a data science entry-level job, and an understanding of NLP for a data science senior level job; these are keywords that you should include if you do possess said skills to make you more valuable as a candidate.

6. Work Experience

The experience section is definitive proof of your suitability and qualifications for the role, especially for a senior data scientist resume. Include your previous organizations' names, job titles, brief descriptions of responsibilities, achievements, and employment period in your data scientist resume. 

7. Education

Your education is formal proof of your skills and credentials; this is especially crucial if you're building a data science student resume, a data science intern resume, a data science fresher resume, or a data science resume with no experience. Combined with experience (if any), it can make an entry-level data scientist resume look even better.

8. Additional Information: Certification

Although your data science skills are mainly attested by the projects you have done and/or your previous work experience, there are data science certifications that can help you stick out from the crowd. Including certifications can help improve your data science resume. Some certificates that you can consider are:

As the first document a potential employer will look over when reviewing your job application, you would want to write a strong data scientist cover letter to help you stand out from other candidates by leaving a good first impression.