Marine Biologist Resume Example

This complete guide to a marine biologist resume will equip you with the tools you need to compete in your applications. The article will take you through the key steps of creating a resume that presents your key skills, qualities and career achievements in a format that employers favor. It will also help you tailor your resume according to your unique skills and experience level. Read on to learn the tips Jobseeker careers experts recommend as the best for your marine biologist resume.

Main elements of a marine biologist resume

The key sections to include in a marine biologist resume are similar to those for any role or profession.

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 with Contact Details

Your marine biologist resume header should contain your name and contact details. These include your email address and phone number. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can also add that, to give employers the chance to learn more about your skills and experience. It's not necessary to include a photo or any other personal information. 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.

Opt for a professional-looking email address based on your name. If your email address could be construed as unprofessional or inappropriate because it contains nicknames or unsuitable language, create a new, more professional email address for your job applications. Always check your contact details to make sure they're up-to-date before you send your resume.

Resume Profile

In your resume summary, write a short paragraph that highlights two or three of your key achievements and skills for marine biologist 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. In addition, your objective should highlight why you're an ideal candidate for marine biologist roles by showing key skills and qualities that reflect the job description.

Alternatively, use this summary to introduce your personal career ambitions and explain why marine biologist roles are a good fit for you at this stage of your career.

A strong resume summary focuses on two or three key skills and achievements that showcase your suitability for marine biologist roles in a clear, quantifiable way. It also gives an insight into your personal qualities, to help the reader understand why you're a suitable candidate. Take a look at some strong examples of how to approach a marine biologist resume summary in the graphic below.

Conversely, a bad resume summary might be too generic, lacking focus on the specifics of the job description. It will also fail to provide any useful insights on what makes you a unique candidate. In the graphic above you can find some negative examples of how to write a resume summary.

Work Experience

Under your work experience section, add any jobs you've had in the past that are relevant to the position of a marine biologist. Add each previous employment in reverse-chronological order. This means starting from your current or most recent role and working back in time from there. Include your job title, the company name, the location of the job and your dates of employment.

In addition, include a few bullet points under each job, highlighting your key achievements so the hiring manager can see how they led to successful outcomes. Back up each point with evidence to show how you meet the job description.

A good work experience section pulls the reader in with clear examples of where you've put the skills necessary for the job into good use in your career to date. This typically includes evidence of how your skills and activities contributed to positive outcomes for the organization. See the examples below for some ideas of what a great resume work experience looks like.

Above, you can see a weaker example of a resume work experience section to best avoid. 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.

Education

Under education, add details of any degrees or professional qualifications relevant to marine biologist roles.

A marine biologist role tends to require candidates to have a university or college degree, so make sure you list yours in your resume. A Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology degree or similar is the most suitable for this job, but you could also include any other relevant qualifications that show your statistical data analysis or molecular biology techniques.

For each entry in this section, add the name and level of your qualification, the institution you studied at, its location and your dates of study. You can enhance this section by adding bullet points that show any outstanding grades, awards or achievements and any specialist subjects you studied. These details can make you stand out from other candidates.

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 marine biologist resume, it's important to include sections outlining key projects and publications. For academic disciplines, these are valuable as they show your standing and reputation within your chosen field of expertise. Add any key projects you've led or been involved in, particularly if they made a significant contribution to the academic knowledge base. Add published works, such as books, chapters, academic journal articles or articles for newspapers and magazines.

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

Hard and Soft Skills

Adding a list of your key skills provides a quick reference for the reader of what you can bring to a marine biologist role. Skills such as scuba diving certification or attention to detail are particularly useful for marine biologist jobs. Again, include any skills that match those listed in the job description. Focus particularly on technical skills required for marine biologist jobs and transferable skills that show your qualities as a marine biologist.

Showcasing hard skills on your marine biologist resume

In your hard skills list, include any specific abilities related to the role you're applying for. These could be technical skills or industry knowledge that showcases your expertise in your chosen profession. Furthermore, your list of hard skills provides a strong indication to the reader of your expertise in marine biologist roles, and how well you'll fit into the position. It's best to aim for four or five key hard skills that match the job description. These can really showcase your suitability for the job.

The best resume hard skills sections focus on specific technical skills necessary for the job, showcasing skills that you have particular expertise in. There are some examples of valuable hard skills for a marine biologist resume below.

Soft skills on your marine biologist resume

Soft skills are the personal skills and qualities that make you a good fit for the job. They include transferable skills and strengths that help you settle into the role, adapt to new challenges and build effective working relationships. Indeed, as the nature of work changes, soft skills are growing in importance, so make sure you include them in your resume. In this section, add four of five transferable skills that match the job description.

A strong soft skills section should play to your strengths, listing skills that reflect your personal qualities while also reflecting the skills listed in the job description. For some examples of good soft skills for a marine biologist resume, see below.

Licenses and Certifications

In this section, include any marine biologist certifications, training or licenses you hold that are relevant to the job. You could list accreditations for certain professional roles or licenses for certain activities that help to make you a strong candidate. Therefore, add any professional licenses or certifications, along with valid dates that show they're still valid.

Below you can find several examples of certifications for a marine biologist resume:

Optional Sections

As well as the main sections of a marine biologist resume, optional sections can help you prove your credentials to employers. Take a look at the sections below and add any that help you show how and why you're right for the job.

Personal Interests

Adding your hobbies and interests is a legitimate way of showing off your skills and personal qualities. Hobbies can help you show different sides of your personality and make your resume more memorable to hiring managers. They're ideal to include if you're a junior candidate who might lack real world marine biologist experience. 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.

Volunteering

Adding voluntary roles can be a useful way of showing relevant experience and skills for marine biologist roles beyond your main employment history. 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 a marine biologist resume, but some employers might ask for them. Don't add references unless requested by the employer. Before adding any referees to your resume, ask them for their assistance and prepare them for contact by the employer.

Best action words for your marine biologist resume

Add strong verbs to your work experience section to show the hiring manager the impact you made in your previous roles. Choose verbs from the suggestions below that highlight your key skills or those mentioned in the job description.

Jobseeker's clean, attractive resume formats can help your applications make a strong impression on employers. Check them out for help designing a winning resume, and see our cover letter templates to help win over recruiters and hiring managers.

Example of a marine biologist resume

Using each of the sections above, we've created this example marine biologist resume, to help guide you when creating your own:

Guide to making your resume ATS-friendly

Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are one of the key ways recruiters and employers manage the hiring process. The systems can screen candidates by scanning and ranking resumes based on each candidate's likely suitability for the vacancy. There are several things you can do when writing your marine biologist resume, to give yourself the strongest chance of ranking highly in the ATS stage and progressing through the recruitment process.

Follow these guidelines to create the best ATS-friendly resume:

• Use a traditional resume format, such as reverse-chronological or functional. These will give your resume a structure that's easier for ATS systems to scan.
• Add keywords that match the job description throughout your resume, as ATS applications scan for these and well-placed, considered use can help your resume rank more highly.
• Add each section with clear headings that match the established resume conventions, so ATS software can easily identify each part of your resume.
• Use design elements that help make your resume more readable. These might include white space, clear, professional fonts and subtle color accents to help certain elements stand out.
• Keep your resume as concise as possible, to make it easier to read, and for ATS software to scan.

Key takeaways for your marine biologist resume

Writing a strong, impactful resume is about using your experience to demonstrate your relevant skills and achievements. You can do this through your work history or other resume sections. Choose a resume structure that makes the most of your relevant experience, whether through work or other activities, and be sure to tailor your resume to match the job description.

HR-approved resume templates and other tools by Jobseeker are the easiest way to create a winning job application. Sign up and follow the simple instructions to complete a resume that stands out from the crowd. Jobseeker's expert-designed cover letter generator can help your applications make a strong first impression on hiring managers. Find detailed cover letter examples to complement your resume and get your application noticed.

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