Elena Prokopets
When most people think of research, they think of scientists in labs or graduate students trying to complete a thesis or dissertation. The truth is research comes in many types and forms.
Have you ever analyzed how target audiences interact with your product? Have you ever cross-checked product prices among the competition or compared which features their applications have? That’s also research.
The point is this: Many organizations are looking for people with strong analytical skills and research experience, even in areas that do not directly relate to the product or service they provide. Why? Because “research” is a skill that carries over into all academic, scientific, and business endeavors.
So whenever you’re perusing job posts, always check if mentioning your research experience may be helpful. If so, you will need to know how to include your research experience on a resume.
How to Put Research Experience on Resume?
Research experience belongs to the Work Experience section of your resume. Depending on your field of work, you can either mention some of your research skills when describing your work duties and accomplishments.
Or, if you’re working on a scientific resume for an academic position, you can set up a separate Research section on your resume (or even share your research work as a separate attachment).
At any rate, your research experience must be presented in a logical and coherent manner. Here’s how you put research on your resume:
- List all research work you have done previously, no matter what kind it may have been. It may have been academic research from your schooling. It may have been market research you did in your previous positions.
- Take a lingering look at the job description for the role you’re after. Scan the applicant requirements section for specific research skills.
- Cherry-pick the most relevant research experiences to include in your resume (yes, every resume has to be customized to the job description!).
- Include all your research directly in the sections of your resume that summarize your current and previous positions. If you can quantify the results of your research, do so. Employers like to see actual numbers.
Sample Entry for Research Experience on a Resume
Let’s say you’re after a Product Marketing Manager position with a SaaS company. The job ad says they’re looking for candidates, experienced in doing market research, segmented customer demographics studies, and brand messaging split testing. You have those skills. Here is how you might include them in your resume.
XYZ Corp.
2018-Present
Position: Market Researcher
Responsible for analysis of customer satisfaction with current products
- Conduct product satisfaction surveys on a weekly basis
- Analyze survey results using Power BI tools to understand the trends in user engagement, satisfaction, and attrition.
- Source additional qualitative data from customer support and sales teams to provide a more comprehensive analysis.
- Collaborate with the Product Owner and Program Manager on inputs for new product features.
ABC Corp.
2018-2019
Position: CRO Specialist
Responsible for conceptualizing and implementing CRO strategies for e-commerce websites.
- Google Analytics, heatmaps, and session recording data to create conversion benchmarks for main landing pages.
- Make recommendations for changes in microcopy, CTA placements, and information layouts, page-by-page.
- Have improved the conversation rate by 23% for an international food retailer.
- Generated over $100K in revenue from one promotional landing page for a coffee retailer.
Sample Undergraduate Research on Resume
Here’s another option: You want to talk about relevant coursework in college. Any research you did as an undergraduate related to your career can be relevant, especially when you’re an entry-level candidate.
Again, read the job posting carefully, and see what will fit. Here’s a sample of how you can include it on your resume.
Education
University of Missouri
2020 BS in Agriculture
Additional Information: Research Project
Conducted original research on the effects of phosphorus and nitrogen in soil samples on the growth of corn. Concluded with recommendations for percentages of each in the soil to achieve maximum growth.
How to Put Research Skills on Your Resume
First, understand this: Research experience and research skills are two very different things. Experience is actual research work that you have done. Skills indicate your ability to conduct research.
So you’ll want to list your skills separately from your academic or work projects. A good way to do so is by creating a featured skills section on your resume. Depending on the resume template you use, you can locate it in the sidebar area or header.
Good Research Skills for a Resume
Need some ideas? Here are several examples of resume-worth research skills:
- Research question development
- Field data collection
- Data aggregation and analysis
- Statistical models in Matlab
- Custom analytics projects in PyTorch
- Customer survey development
- Interview techniques
- Qualitative research design
- Experiment designs
Conclusion
Research experience is an important qualifier for so many career positions today. If you feel comfortable working with data and know a thing or two about statistical analysis, your value to any employer increases manyfold. So always give your research skills a prominent placement on your resume!
