Chemist Resume Example
Working as a chemist can provide a rewarding career, involving conducting laboratory experiments and analyzing chemical data. If you want to stand out with your chemist applications, you'll need to create a professional resume that makes a strong impression on employers. In this article, we'll explain how to write a winning resume for chemist applications that best showcases your skills and experience.
After reading this article, you'll feel confident creating a chemist resume that effectively showcases your relevant skills and experience. 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 access expert insights from Jobseeker that will help you create a winning chemist resume.
Main sections of a chemist resume
It's essential to include a few core sections in your chemist resume, while there are also a few optional sections.
A functional or skills-based resume format might be best for applications where you have little or no relevant chemist experience. This layout prioritizes your skills and education sections above your work experience. Draw attention to your soft and transferable skills, as employers will value these highly for entry-level roles. You could also mention any internships, training or volunteer work that helps you showcase skills relevant to the position.
If you're already working as a chemist, concentrate on proving your credentials with your work achievements. Use a reverse-chronological resume format to place work experience prominently in your resume. In your resume work experience section, outline your relevant achievements and showcase the impact you've made in your career to date. Make sure everything you include is relevant to the job description.
If you're applying for senior chemist positions, you'll want to list career achievements and successes that emphasize your senior status. Use a reverse-chronological format and add extra sections to show key career highlights. It's likely that your senior resume will be longer than a standard resume of one-to-two pages. This is because you'll be listing additional achievements beyond your work experience, such as awards, publications and professional memberships.
While the content and format of your resume may vary depending on your experience levels, it's important to always include the following sections:
Resume Header
The resume header is the place to add your name and contact details, along with your LinkedIn URL if you have a profile, so employers can find more information about your career journey and skills. You don't typically need to add a photo, or any other personal information to this section. Make your resume header clear, concise and as brief and compact as possible. Consider different layouts that spread the information horizontally across the page rather than using a different line for each piece of information.
Make sure your email address appears as professional as possible, and doesn't include anything like nicknames, inappropriate language or personal information. If it does, set up a new email account with an address based on your name or initials, and use that for your job applications. Always double-check your contact details are up-to-date before sending your resume.
Ryan Brown
ryan.brown@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
12 Grimmauld Place, Brooklyn, NY
linkedin․com/in/ryan–brown123
Resume Summary
Following your resume header, write a resume summary to introduce yourself and showcase some of your key skills and achievements. Alternative names for this section are 'resume objective' and 'personal profile'. While a resume summary focuses on your career experience, a resume objective covers your ambitions and career plans. However, make sure you keep your resume summary short and snappy, and focused on the skills and experience listed in the job description.
Alternatively, use this section to emphasize your career objectives and explain how and why this role is a suitable step 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 chemist 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. You can see some positive examples of a resume summary for chemist jobs below.
Good example:
Detail-oriented chemist with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and extensive experience as an Analytical Chemist. Proficient in conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses, utilizing advanced instrumentation such as HPLC, GC-MS, and ICP-MS. Demonstrated expertise in method development, validation, and data interpretation to ensure compliance with regulatory standards. Strong problem-solving skills and a proven track record of driving efficiency and accuracy in laboratory settings
Bad example:
Chemist with a background in chemistry and experience in lab work. Familiar with using some lab equipment and doing different types of tests. Have worked on creating and checking methods to make sure things are done right. Good at solving problems and have helped make lab work more efficient and accurate
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. The visual above includes some examples of what not to do with your chemist resume summary
Work Experience
In the next section, list your employment history focusing on the most relevant previous roles and achievements that showcase your chemist skills. List each relevant role in reverse-chronological order starting with your current or most recent role. Add your job title, the organization name, its location and the dates you worked there.
Add some bullet points under each job entry, explaining your achievements in the role, so the reader can see how you contributed towards success for the company. Provide evidence of your impact and make sure each point addresses a requirement listed in 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. Take a look at the examples below for some guidance on what works best for your work experience section.
Good example:
Analytical Chemist, January 2022 - Present
Alkali Innovations Ltd, Minneapolis
- Developed a novel analytical method that increased detection sensitivity by 30%, leading to significant improvements in quality control
- Authored and published 5 peer-reviewed research papers in high-impact journals, advancing the field of environmental analytical chemistry
- Successfully managed a cross-functional team to complete a $2M government-funded project 6 months ahead of schedule
Bad example:
Analytical Chemist, January 2022 - Present
Alkali Innovations Ltd, Minneapolis
- Improved processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in laboratory operations
- Contributed to scientific literature through various publications
- Led team efforts to achieve project goals and objectives
In the graphic above you can see a great example of what to avoid when writing your resume work experience section. Ineffective work experience sections tend to focus too much on everyday responsibilities over skills and achievements. If you use vague descriptions of activities and fail to back up your achievements with evidence, you're likely to fail to make an impact on the reader.
Education
In this section list any educational qualifications or degrees that are relevant to chemist roles.
Typically, working as a chemist requires a university or college degree, which you'll need to list on your resume. If you're working in this sector, it's usually a good idea to highlight your Bachelor of Science in Chemistry degree or other relevant qualifications. Focus on qualifications that showcase your analytical techniques proficiency or instrumental analysis expertise.
Enter the name and level of the qualification, the institution you studied at, its location and your dates of study or graduation. Include bullet points to show any specialist modules you studied, awards or exceptional grades and achievements that can set you apart from other candidates. These will all contribute to creating a positive impression on employers.
If you took part in any volunteering or you were a leader or member of any university societies, you could also mention these in your education section.
Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, 2017 - 2020
University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming
Skills
Listing your key skills can help to prove your suitability for chemist jobs. These could be lab safety protocols, time management or various other relevant skills. Again, refer to the job description and make sure you include skills that the employer has listed as essential or desirable for employment as a chemist.
Listing hard skills on your chemist resume
For your hard skills list, include any technical abilities or specific industry knowledge that's essential to working as a chemist. These could be skills gained through work experience or qualifications. Furthermore, your hard skills list helps to show employers how competent and experienced you are at key chemist duties and responsibilities. Add up to five key hard skills that show you're an ideal candidate for the role. It can also be beneficial to add context to each skill, showing how you've used it to positive effect in your career to date.
You'll make more impact with your resume hard skills list if you focus on technical skills that reflect your unique expertise and specialism, and that match the key requirements in the job description. See the graphic below for some tips on hard skills for a chemist resume.
- Analytical techniques proficiency
- Instrumental analysis expertise
- HPLC/GC operation
Listing soft skills on your chemist resume
In your list of soft skills, add any personal strengths, qualities or transferable skills that make you a good fit for the job. Soft skills are often less specific to different industries, but that doesn't make them any less important. 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. 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 chemist resume, see below.
- Attention to detail
- Problem-solving skills
- Teamwork and collaboration
Certifications and Training
In your certifications section, list any professional certifications or licenses that are relevant to working as a chemist. These could be official licenses required for the job or certifications that improve your employability. Therefore, list any official licenses and certifications, along with their dates, so employers can assess whether you've got the necessary qualifications to work as a chemist.
Review the list below for some suitable certifications for a chemist resume:
- ACS Certified Chemist, 2022
- OSHA HAZWOPER Certification, 2022
- GMP Certification, 2022
Optional Sections
To provide further information on your suitability for the role, you could add some optional sections to a chemist resume. Pick from the optional sections below to help show the employer you have the skills and experience for the job.
Hobbies and Interests
Including your hobbies and interests can be a valuable way of showing your key skills and qualities. 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. Just make sure any hobbies and interests you include in your resume add genuine insight into your personality, in ways other sections of the resume can't.
Volunteer Experience
If you're lacking relevant chemist work experience, volunteer work can help to show you still have the relevant skills. Add any voluntary roles, including your position, the name of the organization, the dates of your voluntary work and a brief explanation of your responsibilities and achievements.
References
Standard chemist resumes don't tend to include references, but you might find them requested occasionally. Check the job advert to see if you'll need to add references to your resume. Only include referees that you've had prior approval from, and notify them to expect contact from the employer.
References are available upon request.
Best strong verbs for your a chemist 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 increase the impact of your work experience section.
- Analyze
- Synthesize
- Characterize
- Calibrate
- Formulate
- Optimize
- Troubleshoot
- Investigate
- Purify
- Quantify
Jobseeker's resume templates were created by careers experts to help you produce a professional resume in minutes. You can also find cover letter templates to complete an eye-catching job application that gets you noticed.
Sample resume for chemist positions
The chemist resume example below includes all the sections above, so you can see how a completed resume looks:
12 Grimmauld Place, Brooklyn, NY
•
ryan.brown@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/ryan–brown123
Detail-oriented and highly skilled Analytical Chemist with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and extensive experience in conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis. Proficient in utilizing advanced laboratory equipment and techniques to ensure the integrity and accuracy of chemical data. Demonstrated success in method development, validation, and troubleshooting within strict regulatory environments. Excellent problem-solving abilities, strong attention to detail, and a proven track record of contributing to successful research and development projects.
Analytical Chemist
2020
-2022
ChemAnalytica Solutions (Newark)
- Developed and validated analytical methods that improved detection sensitivity by 30%, enhancing product quality control
- Led a cross-functional team to implement a new chromatography technique, reducing analysis time by 50%
- Authored 5 peer-reviewed publications on advanced analytical techniques, contributing to industry best practices and knowledge
Analytical techniques proficiency
Instrumental analysis expertise
HPLC/GC operation
Attention to detail
Problem-solving skills
Teamwork and collaboration
ACS Certified Chemist
OSHA HAZWOPER Certification
English - Fluent
Spanish - B2
Do's and don'ts of a chemist resume
Tips for best resume practices
- Use a professional resume format with clear headings, a defined structure and consistent margins for optimum readability.
- Mention key skills that show you're suited to the job throughout your resume, as well as in the dedicated skills section.
- Tailor your resume to make it as relevant as possible to the role you're applying for. Consult the job description and adapt your resume to reflect the required skills and experience.
- Use reverse-chronological order for your work and education, starting with your most recent employment and education.
- Aim for a brief, concise chemist resume. One page is ideal for junior roles, while two pages are more suitable for senior positions.
Avoid these common mistakes on your resume
- Don't write any unnecessary personal details on your resume. Details such as age, gender or nationality can lead to unintentional recruitment bias.
- Don't include irrelevant work experience in your resume because it takes up valuable space and is unlikely to improve your chances of success.
- Don't use overly decorative formatting and layouts that can detract from the content and make your chemist resume harder for scanning by applicant tracking systems (ATS).
- Don't use passive language - steer away from phrases like 'I was asked to' and use action words instead.
- Don't fill up your chemist resume with unnecessary information that contributes nothing to your chances of success.
Tips on creating an ATS-optimized resume
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is just one of the tools employers and recruiters can use to streamline their hiring practices. This typically includes screening candidates by scanning and ranking their resumes based on their likely suitability for any vacancy. If you follow a few simple tips when writing your chemist resume, you'll give yourself a better chance of ranking highly in the ATS screening and progressing to the next stage.
Follow these simple rules when writing your resume, to make sure it's ATS compliant:
- Opt for an established, traditional resume format such as a reverse-chronological or functional structure. These will ensure your resume includes all the necessary details ATS systems scan for.
- Use of job description keywords throughout your resume will help it rank higher in the ATS scanning stage, as it will more closely match the requirements laid out in the job description.
- Add each section with clear headings that match the established resume conventions, so ATS software can easily identify each part of your resume.
- Utilize a clean, clear resume design that helps make your content more readable. Use simple fonts and subtle color accents and design elements that don't detract from the written content.
- Make sure your resume is as concise as possible, so ATS applications can easily scan and identify the required details.
If you need help creating a professional resume, take a look at our expert career articles and variety of resume examples created by careers experts.
Frequently Asked Questions for a chemist resume
As well as writing a professional chemist resume, you'll need a cover letter to introduce yourself and emphasize your credentials.
Check the job description to see whether a full, formal cover letter is necessary. In some situations, it might be more suitable to simply send a brief email to introduce yourself and accompany your resume.
For a full, traditional cover letter, follow formal letter-writing conventions with your header, address line and greetings. The main text of the letter tends to be split into three short paragraphs. Firstly, introduce yourself, confirm the role you're applying for and explain why you're applying for the chemist role. In the second paragraph, highlight your skills and experience that are most relevant to the job description. The third paragraph gives you the opportunity to express your enthusiasm for the role and your gratitude to the employer, while leaving a call to action which encourages them to make contact with you.
You can create a professional cover letter in just a few simple, easy-to-follow steps using Jobseeker's tried and tested cover letter templates.
There are plenty of ways to still make a positive impression with your chemist resume, even if you lack relevant work experience. Use a skills-based resume format to highlight your relevant skills and education. This is more suitable for junior or entry-level roles where you might not have much work experience to showcase. Additional resume sections such as volunteer work, hobbies and interests, certifications and internships can all help you showcase your relevant skills. These can be more prominent in your resume if you haven't got a lot of work experience.
If you want to create a strong first impression in your chemist application, a resume headline can help. Resume headlines can also help you pass the ATS stage of the selection process, by highlighting the job title and one or two key details. Take the time to draft a concise, eye-catching headline which includes the job title, one or two key skills and reference to either your experience level or track record.
You can use this example resume headline as a template for creating your own:
- Aspiring Junior Chemist Seeking Opportunities
- Innovative Analytical Chemist with Expertise
- Senior Analytical Chemist and Researcher
The top resume format for your applications will vary according to a couple of factors. First, how much professional experience you have. Second, what type of job you're applying for and its seniority level. If you're applying for a junior position or changing careers, you might want to consider a functional resume. This highlights your skills and education over your work experience. Once you have some relevant work experience, and for senior positions, a reverse chronological resume format is typically best. This emphasizes your work experience, which will probably be the key thing employers want to know about.
Takeaways for a winning chemist resume
An effective resume is a concise, professional summary of your relevant skills and career achievements, showcased through a chronology of your career history. Use a suitable resume format and tailor your resume for every application you submit.
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. A stylish, professional cover letter can make all the difference to your job prospects. See Jobseeker's cover letter examples, written by careers experts, to help you craft an eye-catching application.
Sources:
(1) Tips for Writing a Federal Resume, U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/general/jobs/tips-for-writing-a-federal-resume
(2) Resume Tips, Duke University: https://careerhub.students.duke.edu/resources/resume-tips/
