Data Scientist Resume Example

As technology continues to advance and more and more companies and businesses use it on a daily basis, employment opportunities for data scientists grow.

Data scientists are individuals responsible for gathering and analyzing large sets of structured and unstructured data and analyzing and modeling data, which they then interpret.

Now, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, systems and computer administrator positions have been on a steady 2.4% growth rate, and currently, in the United States, there are over 59,680 jobs available for individuals in this career.

Now, to become a data scientist, the following is required:

• Minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in a field related to computer science
• For more experienced, higher positions, a minimum of 5 years experience in the field

If you're a data scientist looking to work with a new company or just trying to update your resume, then you've come to the right place.

In just 7 steps, we are going to help optimize your resume through the following:

1. Formatting your resume
2. Writing an impressive resume summary
3. Describing your work experience
4. Listing your key skills
5. Including your certifications
6. Adding your education
7. Describing conferences, if applicable

1. Format your resume like a professional

There's quite a bit of competition in the ever-growing technological world, and when it comes to applying to jobs and actually getting hired, there's just as much.

To truly impress hiring managers, it is crucial to correctly format your resume.

Be sure to include the following sections in your resume:

• Resume summary
• Contact information
• Skills
• Work experience
• Education
• Certifications

Tip: If you're part of an organization relevant to the field or have spoken in any relevant conferences, if you've got the space, feel free to create sections for them in your resume.

There are three ways to choose from to correctly format your resume:

1. Reverse-chronological, which emphasizes your previous work experience
2. Functional, which highlights your key skills
3. Hybrid, which combines the previous formats

As a data scientist, choosing the hybrid format will really help to showcase your experience and skills, which may help you land the job.

Tip: If you're a new data scientist and have more skills to offer than actual experience, considering selecting the functional format.

Since the field is growing, hiring managers may be receiving tons of resumes and applications for the job. Look over the job listing and implement some details and keywords listed on your resume to ensure it is seen.

Take a look at our guide on how to format your resume if you want to learn more.

2. Write an impressive and professional resume summary

We live in a busy world, and techs are busy, too. Oftentimes, resumes are only looked at for only 6-7 seconds. Therefore, providing hiring managers a resume summary shows them you appreciate their time.

A resume summary is a 1-2 sentence blurb that summarizes the important stuff on your resume. It also makes your resume look more professional, which can help you land the job.

There are elements you should always incorporate into a resume summary, including:

• Years of experience
• Type of experience
• Achievements or relevant certifications, if applicable
• Personal characteristics
• Goals and objectives

Tip: Sometimes, it's easier to write your resume summary after you have already written your resume. That way, you can pick and choose what you want to include.

Here's an example of what your resume summary can look like as a data scientist:

Microsoft certified principal data scientist with 10 years of experience creating models that predict stock prices and investment returns. Achieved 23% higher improvement and accuracy. Seeking to expand in a growing field.

Need more help writing a professional resume summary? Our guide on writing resume summaries has tons of examples.

3. Describe your work experience efficiently

You don't need a dozen bullet points detailing everything you've done on a job.

4-9 bullet points describing what you've done will suffice.

Now, to become a data scientist, it is preferred you have at least 2 years of experience working in the field.

With that said, it's finally time to go over what you should be putting in the work experience section of your resume.

Tip: When listing your work experience, it is important to go in reverse-chronological order. This shows hiring managers your most recent job experience and what you learned or mastered in that job. It's also important to highlight the specifics you did on the job and use good verbs.

Here are some job descriptions you can include in your resume under work experience:

• Developed a vision, framework, approached and planned for each of your projects
• Set milestones as project goals, provided direction, gave team the ability to understand what is expected of them to move the projects forward
• Set and communicated the desired outcome of the projects is a critical part of your role
• Built and maintained broad process and technology development and implementation skills
• Led & supported the development, optimization and migration of new or existing technologies
• Brought the technology challenges into R&D through translating problems to implementation
• Developed technology concepts and guided equipment selection
• Assisted in implementation of technology from R&D to launch
• Supported intellectual property, marketing and sales departments with relevant expertise
• Defined projects and led small project teams to develop innovations
• Designed new statistical and physiological features for time series data
• Evaluated algorithm performance in offline (in silico) and live (in vitro, in vivo) environments
• Collaborated with software teams to implement algorithms on embedded hardware
• Maintained concise descriptions of algorithm design specifications and performance evaluations
• Performed variability analyses for model optimization
• Quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated new ML/AI techniques and integrate into algorithm design
• Communicated algorithm designs and performance results to cross-functional stakeholders
• Provided thought leadership to deliver transformative AIOps solutions on our SaaS platform
• Provided strategic direction to the planning, design and architecture of high quality, complex software systems
• Worked with customers and product experts to blaze a trail in autonomous data center management
• Solved customers' complex IT problems using innovative analytical processes and techniques

Want more tips and tricks on how to write your work experience description? Check out our guide on describing your work experience.

4. Include your key skills

Key skills just may be what makes you a more suitable candidate for the position, and listing them on your resume shows hiring managers what you are capable of.

Tip: Listing impressive and relevant skills gives hiring managers more reasons to hire you because, based on your resume, they know you have the qualities they may be looking for.

Here are some examples of key skills you can include in your systems administrator resume:

• R Studio, Python, Cloudera
• Data Visualization
• Modeling
• Machine Learning
• Statistics
• Problem Solving
• Critical & Creative Thinking
• Communication
• Organization
• Time Management

Tip: Feel free to organize your key skills as hard skills and soft skills. This will give your resume an extra professional touch.

Having trouble identifying your skills? We have a guide with 100+ key skills you can include in your resume.

5. Include your certifications

You don't necessarily need to be certified to be a systems administrator, but having certifications may help you succeed, and adding them to your resume definitely helps you showcase your expertise and land you the job.

Tip: You can include certifications in your resume summary, too.

Here are some certifications you can get and include in your resume as a data scientist:

• Microsoft Professional Program Certificate
• Certification of Professional Data Engineer

If you're looking for more information on how to include certifications to include in your resume or want to know how to correctly list them, check out our guide.

6. Include your education on your resume

To become a data scientist, you do need to have a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree in a field related to computer science. Let hiring managers know your education by including it in your resume.

With that said, here is how you should be listing your education in your resume:

Bay Path University
Longmeadow, MA
2008 — 2010
Master's in Data Science
GPA: 3.8/4.0

Becker College
Worcester, MA
2004 — 2008
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
GPA: 3.6/4.0

Tip: Some companies may want to see your grade point average (GPA). So, be sure to include that as well, especially if it is above average.

Need more helping listing your education? We have a guide that will help you list your education in 2021 with examples and tips.

7. Describe your conferences, if applicable

While not entirely necessary to include on your resume, if you have attended and spoken at relevant conferences, it is a nice touch to your resume. This shows hiring managers that you are passionate about your career and the field of technology.

Here are some examples of conferences that are relevant to the career of a data scientist you can include in your resume or plan to attend:

• The Machine Learning Conference
• Data Conference
• Data Science Salon
• InformaConnect
• Institute of Computer Vision and Applied Computer Sciences
• NeoNorm

Tip: Be sure to include what year you attended the conference as well, and if you'd like and have space, a small description, too.

Need more help writing the perfect resume? We have a guide that can help you do just that.

Key Takeaways

Following our guide, you're sure to optimize your resume for any job as a data scientist.

Here's a recap of everything we've covered:

1. Format your resume like a professional
2. Write an impressive resume summary
3. Describe your work experience
4. List your key skills
5. Include your certifications
6. Add your education
7. Describe conferences, if applicable

Now, you'll be helping organizations and companies operate in no time with a professional resume in the bag. Good luck!