Scientific consultants act as leaders in the science industry. They work to provide guidance and advice to firms, businesses, and organizations that operate in science. When applying for a role as scientific consultant, it's important to learn what to include on your resume to get it noticed by hiring managers. In this article, we discuss what a scientific consultant resume is, the key skills of a scientific consultant, provide a template and show you how to write one.
What is a scientific consultant resume?
A scientific consultant resume is the document used by hiring managers to assess the eligibility of a candidate for a position. It acts as a summary of your skills, experience, and education that managers can use to evaluate you as a candidate. Candidates can customize their resume to each job applied for and highlight skills to make them an ideal candidate. For a scientific consultant position, hiring managers may look for previous experience, leadership and guidance skills, and a master's degree or higher at a minimum.
Key skills of a scientific consultant
Consider including these skills on your scientific consulting resume:
Attention to detail
Scientific consultants are required to have acute attention to detail. They often manage multiple clients simultaneously while having team members to guide. Being organized in your schedule and being able to not miss details is essential to balancing the schedule of a consultant. As consultants go into unfamiliar businesses and attempt to improve operations, businesses rarely give a lot of background information. Being able to note detail within a limited set of information is essential for excelling in the role of scientific consultant.
Problem forecasting
A large part of the scientific consulting role is forecasting future problems and establishing a plan to prevent them from occurring. Many consultants work with other businesses or organizations to reshape them and prepare them for the future. This involves forecasting potential errors and problems that may occur in the future so you can create a plan that solves them. Having the creativity and outward thinking required to forecast problems can help you succeed as a scientific consultant.
Problem solving
Besides problem forecasting, scientific consultants are required to have strong problem-solving skills. Many businesses hire consultants to solve the problems they are already experiencing. These problems can slow down their operations or affecting productivity, and your role as consultant is to develop a plan to resolve them. Being able to identify the issues a business is experiencing and develop creative solutions can help you to become a strong scientific consultant.
Change management
Change can be difficult to implement in an organization and having the skills to manage it is key to succeeding in the role of scientific consultant. Handling backlash from those who change affects is a large part of the role. Consultants may be required to handle tough situations, such as downsizing and restructuring. This can be a negative experience for a lot of employees, so having the skills to manage it can help make you a strong consultant. Consider practicing being a leader while showing empathy. This can make you a more approachable and well-received leader.
Leadership
Many consultants have assistants and junior consultants to assist them in completing their job. This is because of the high volume of researching and background work required in the consulting industry. Having strong leadership skills can help you communicate with your team members effectively, while ensuring you get the support you need in your role. Skills such as time-management, understanding, and delegation can help you lead your team members towards success.
Customer service
If you choose to work for a consulting agency, many of the clients you work with may be external clients. This means you may work to resolve the problems and implement change in a business that differs from the one that employs you. Customer service skills are important to help you communicate with clients and represent your employer in your operations. Skills such as persuasive speaking, empathy, and adaptability can help you effectively communicate with clients while remaining professional in the work you complete.
Experience
Scientific consultants are required to have an in-depth understanding of the field they consult in. To identify problems and implement change, consultants may need experience working in the field. This can work directly in the role, or shadowing another consultant to learn about the industry. Experienced consultants can understand current working environments and why the problems that exist do. Using this knowledge, they can use methods that have worked in similar situations to resolve the problems that businesses face.
How to write a scientific consultant resume
Consider following these tips when drafting your own resume for the position of scientific consultant:
1. List important information
Begin your resume by listing key contact information about yourself. This includes your first and last name, phone number, email address, and location, if relevant. Hiring managers can review this section to find out where to contact you if they have questions or would like to advance you in the recruitment process. This can also give managers insight on your location if the job has regional specifications or can allow them to give you the required information on relocation if you choose to do so for the role.
2. Add a personal statement
The personal statement you include on your resume can vary depending on the job positing, industry, and your previous experience. Your personal statement gives insight to the hiring managers why you are applying for the role and what you hope to get out of a potential position with them. Common personal statement reasons include looking to gain experience, looking to transition into a new industry, and looking to expand your responsibility within an organization. Your personal statement is one to two sentences and you can customize it to match the contents of your resume.
3. List any relevant skills
In the next section of your resume, you can list five to ten skills that you think would make you stand out as a candidate. These are skills you may have showed in previous roles or skills you've mastered in your personal life that help you be a strong employee in your field. Employers are often looking for specific skills in the candidates they hire, so consider pulling skills directly from the job posting. This can help you appear qualified for the role and competitive as a candidate.
4. List your education
You can list any degrees, diplomas, certifications, licenses, or other courses you've taken in this section. Be sure to include the name of the certification, year it was obtained, and the school program, or online source that issued it. Depending on the position you're applying for, there may be certain requirements of education for you to hold. Scientific consultants are typically required to hold a master's degree at a minimum. Many scientific consultants obtain a bachelor's degree in fields such as biology, chemistry, agriculture, or environmental science before advancing on to a master's or doctorate.
5. Add your experience
The last section of your resume is where you can include any relevant work or volunteer experience you have. List the titles from most recent to least and be sure to include the job title, your employer, the dates you held the position, and the location you worked at. Employers may look for jobs that have similar skills as the one they're hiring four or for jobs that would put you in similar situations to theirs. For scientific consultant positions, hiring managers may look for a similar experience in a consulting role and significant experience in science.
Example of a scientific consultant resume
Here is an example of a resume you can use as a scientific consultant:
Brian MacTier, MSc Biochemistry
(705)-889-0090, brianmt@gmail.com, Vancouver, BC
(705)-889-0090, brianmt@gmail.com, Vancouver, BC
Professional Summary
I am an experienced and passionate scientific consultant looking to advance my career in the field of biology. I am professional and knowledgeable, while being highly trained in consulting.
Experience
Scientific Consultant | September 2020 - Current
Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals, Vaughn, Ontario
Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals, Vaughn, Ontario
- forecasted, planned, and prepared change schedules for Johnson & Johnson
- lead a team of 4 junior consultants
- oversaw the implementation of quarterly goal planning and scheduling
Junior Consultant | October 2018- October 2020
Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals, Vaughn, Ontario
Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals, Vaughn, Ontario
- assisted with change implementation and planning
- took direction from senior consultants
- researched company success and planning
Consulting Lead | May 2016-July 2016
ScienceOne, Toronto, Ontario
ScienceOne, Toronto, Ontario
- acted on a team of consultants to process client requests
- worked with senior consultants to manage client load
- lead a team of 3 consultants to gain new clients
Key Skills
Communication, Forecasting, Problem Management, Organization, Leadership
Communication, Forecasting, Problem Management, Organization, Leadership
Education
High School Diploma, St. Andrews College - May 2009
Bachelor of Science - Biochemistry, Queen's University - May 2013
Masters of Science - Biochemistry, Western University - May 2015