Environmental Scientist Resume Example

This complete guide to an environmental scientist resume will equip you with the tools you need to compete in your applications. You'll find valuable tips on writing a resume that best showcases your unique skills and achievements. There is also extensive guidance on how to structure your resume to match the job description, and to reflect your experience levels to impress HR specialists and employers. Continue reading to find the best environmental scientist resume tips from careers experts at Jobseeker.

What to include in an environmental scientist resume

A successful environmental scientist resume will typically include each of the sections listed below, with some optional sections.

How you choose to present your resume is up to you. There are plenty of options for a professional resume layout and format, but every application should include the following:

Resume Header

Your environmental scientist resume header is the place to add your contact details. Start by adding your full name and underneath, include your email address, phone number and location. Adding your LinkedIn profile, if you have one, can help the employer get a better insight into your skills and industry expertise. You don't need to include any additional personal information or a photo. Keep your header clear and concise, with only the most necessary information included. Opt for a stylish, professional design that creates a strong first impression.

Use an email address that's professional and appropriate for professional communication. Typically this would be an email address based on your first and last name, or your initials. If necessary, you could include your profession or another unique identifier. Avoid using old email addresses that could be considered unprofessional or inappropriate. Additionally, always check your contact details before sending your resume to ensure they're up-to-date.

Resume Objective

In your resume summary, write a short paragraph that highlights two or three of your key achievements and skills for environmental scientist roles. You could also call this section 'resume objective' or 'personal profile'. A resume summary covers your career experience to date, while a resume objective focuses more on your ambitions for the future. However, make sure you keep your resume summary short and snappy, and focused on the skills and experience listed in the job description.

Alternatively, write a paragraph that concentrates on your career objectives and how this role fits with your wider ambitions and progression.

A great resume summary should highlight why you're an ideal candidate for environmental scientist roles by showing key skills and qualities that reflect the job description and provide evidence to support them. It should also introduce your personality and unique qualities to the reader, to help them start to form an opinion about you as a candidate. See below for some great examples of what to include in your environmental scientist resume summary.

Alternatively, a poor resume summary would include bland, generic information that does little to prove your suitability for the role, while failing to provide any useful insights on you as a person or as a candidate. The graphic above shows some of the pitfalls to avoid when creating your resume summary.

Employment History

In the next section, list your employment history focusing on the most relevant previous roles and achievements that showcase your environmental scientist skills. Include any relevant jobs you've held in reverse-chronological order. Start with your current or most recent roles and work back through previous roles. For each job, list your title, the name of the company, its location and the dates you worked there.

For each job listed in this section, add some bullet points so the employer can understand the skills you developed, and your achievements. Focus on showcasing the impact you made on the organization, and show evidence of how you made a difference.

A good resume work experience section includes your most relevant previous jobs and highlights your key achievements in each role. To make the best possible impression on hiring managers, make sure each entry in your work experience section references skills and experience listed in the job description, and shows how you added value to each role with quantifiable evidence and outcomes. There are some examples of strong resume work experience sections below.

In the graphic above, you'll see some examples of less effective resume work experience sections. Less effective resume work experience sections might take a more vague, descriptive approach to previous jobs. They focus on responsibilities and everyday duties rather than referencing career achievements and the value you've added for previous employers.

Educational Achievements

Under education, add details of any degrees or professional qualifications relevant to environmental scientist roles.

If you're applying for environmental scientist positions you'll typically need to have a degree. A Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science will usually help your chances of success. You could also list any qualifications that demonstrate your field sampling methods or GIS proficiency.

Enter the name and level of the qualification, the institution you studied at, its location and your dates of study or graduation. You could also add one or two bullet points to draw attention to your grades if they were particularly good, as well as any specialist subjects you studied. This will help the hiring manager understand your knowledge and special skills better.

Membership or leadership of any societies, clubs or causes while studying can also make a positive impression on hiring managers. Consider adding these to your education section for more insight into how you used your time as a student.

Publications and Projects

For environmental scientist applications, it can be useful to include a resume section outlining any key projects or publications. These will show employers the contribution you've made to the discourse, and your standing within your chosen specialism. Include a list of major academic projects you've been involved in, as well as a list of key publications that add to the knowledge base of your discipline. These could include books, chapters, journal articles, magazine articles or newspaper articles.

The two most popular citation styles for publications on a resume are the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA). MLA is more widely used for humanities, with APA used more commonly for science and engineering. Both citation styles include the same basic information, such as author name, year of publication, article title (if necessary), publication name, volume, issue, page numbers and publisher. See below for an appropriate (APA-style) publication example to include in your environmental scientist resume.

Hard and Soft Skills

The skills section of an environmental scientist resume is a chance to list any skills you have that match those of the job description. You could include field sampling methods, effective communication skills or any other skills that show you're a suitable candidate. Again, refer to the job description and make sure you include skills that the employer has listed as essential or desirable for employment as an environmental scientist.

How to include hard skills on your environmental scientist resume

Hard skills are specific skills related to the job you're applying for. They include particular abilities, technical skills and industry knowledge that relate directly to jobs as an environmental scientist. Furthermore, it's important to show these skills in an environmental scientist resume as they provide a strong indication of your experience in the sector. Aim to include four or five key hard skills. If you have space, explain how and where you've used that skill to create successful outcomes in your career. These skills will demonstrate your credentials and show how you meet the job description.

Your resume hard skills list should reflect your unique and specific industry expertise and experience, while also fulfilling the requirements listed in the job description. See the examples below for an idea of what an effective environmental scientist resume hard skills list looks like.

Soft skills on your environmental scientist resume

Your soft skills are the core qualities and personal characteristics that make you a good employee. They tend to apply to multiple professions and jobs, though the soft skills you'll require may change as you move from junior to senior positions. In fact, as technology develops, soft skills are growing in importance for recruiters and employers, so be sure to add several of these to your resume. Think of your best soft skills and add up to five that match the requirements of the job description.

An effective environmental scientist resume soft skills section should be targeted to include skills that reflect your personality and unique characteristics, while also matching the job description. The graphic below includes some examples of good resume soft skills.

Licenses and Certifications

Under certifications and licenses, add any further qualifications that show you're a good fit for the job. These could be official licenses required for the job or certifications that improve your employability. Therefore, include the details of any licenses and professional certifications required for environmental scientist roles, along with completion dates so employers can see you're up-to-date.

Review the list below for some suitable certifications for an environmental scientist resume:

Optional Sections

There are several additional sections you could add to an environmental scientist resume, to improve your chances of success. Add any of the sections below that help you showcase your key skills and experience.

Hobbies and Interests

Listing your hobbies and interests can reveal key qualities that some employers may value. They also help to show a different side of your personality, and can help your resume create a more memorable impression on hiring managers. If you're short on real world work experience, hobbies and interests can be a useful way of providing more information about your qualities. If you're thinking about adding hobbies and interests, just make sure they add something unique to your application, and showcase your personality and interests in unique and interesting ways.

Voluntary Work

Voluntary work can help you develop useful skills, so it's a valuable addition to your environmental scientist resume. Add your volunteer job title or role, the name of the organization, its location and the dates you were involved.

References

It's not typical to include references in an environmental scientist resume, but some employers might ask for them. Don't add references unless requested by the employer. Add two or three professional references, and be sure to approach each referee before you include them.

Best words to use in an environmental scientist resume

Add strong verbs to your work experience section to show the hiring manager the impact you made in your previous roles. Choose from the list of words below to make the best possible impression.

For help creating an eye-catching resume design to catch the attention of hiring managers, see Jobseeker's professional resume layouts. You can also use our clear, effective cover letter templates to complete your application.

Example of an environmental scientist resume

Now we've covered the main sections to include in your environmental scientist resume, let's take a look at how it all comes together in the example below:

How to make your resume ATS compliant

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are increasingly taking responsibility for the management and processing of job applications, helping hiring practices to become more efficient. This can include screening resumes by scanning and ranking each application according to how closely it matches the job description. When you're writing your environmental scientist resume, there are several things you can do to make sure your resume stands the best chance of passing the ATS stage.

Here are a few quick tips for creating an ATS-friendly resume:

• Choose a resume structure that matches the traditional, reverse-chronological layout or alternatively, the functional resume structure. This should make your resume more readable for ATS applications.
• Use keywords throughout your resume that reflect the job description, so ATS resume scanners can recognize a strong connection between your skills, and those in the job description.
• Include clear headings in each section that match the traditional resume structure and format. This will make it easier for the ATS software to scan your resume.
• Adopt a resume design that uses clear, professional design principles and leaves white space for your content to breathe. Use the most readable fonts and incorporate subtle design elements to enhance the readability of your document.
• Use concise language to keep the length of your resume to between one and two pages. This will make it easier to scan for ATS applications.

Takeaways for your environmental scientist resume

The key to a strong resume is to showcase your relevant skills and achievements through your work experience and other activities. Pick a resume format that matches your experience levels, and tailor the content of your resume to reflect the details of the job description.

Jobseeker has a wealth of resume tools, including resume templates and examples, to help you create a winning job application. Sign up today to get started. To make the best possible impression with your applications, write a cover letter with the help of Jobseeker. You can also find plenty of expert-designed cover letter examples for inspiration.

Sources:

(1) Resumes & Cover Letters for PhD Students, Hardvard University: https://careerservices.fas.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/161/2024/08/2024-GSAS_phd_resume_cover_letters-1.pdf

(2) Guide to Résumés and Curricula Vitae, National Institutes of Health: https://www.training.nih.gov/documents/16/Guide_to_Resumes_and_Curricula_Vitae.pdf