Botanist Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Botanist resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Botanists study the world of plants—how they work, how they’re connected to other living things, how they interact with their environment, and how they evolved into the diverse array of species that exist today. If you have a passion for nature and enjoy learning about the natural world, a career as a botanist could be perfect for you.
If you’re ready to start looking for a job as a botanist or want to update your resume for an existing role, here are some tips and an example resume to help you write a winning botanist resume.
How to Write a Botanist Resume
Here’s how to write a botanist resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most effective way to showcase your experience and qualifications. But rather than simply listing your responsibilities, you can make your bullet points much more interesting and compelling by using specific details and numbers.
For example, rather than saying you “conducted research on plant species in the Andes Mountains,” you could say you “conducted research on plant species native to the Andes Mountains, identifying and cataloging more than 50 new species of flora.”
The second bullet point is much more interesting and specific, which makes it much easier for the reader to visualize your work. And that will help them understand how your experience and skills could be useful to their organization.
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you submit your resume online, it’s likely that it will be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. The ATS will look for specific terms related to the job opening in order to determine whether or not you have the right skills and experience for the position. If your resume doesn’t include enough of the right terms, your application might not even be seen by a human.
Because every job is different, it’s difficult to predict which keywords are most relevant for each application. However, there are some terms that are commonly used in botany-related positions:
- Botany
- Science
- Taxonomy
- Research
- Plants
- Biology
- Environmental Science
- Ecology
- Natural Resources
- Higher Education
- Field Work
- Conservation
- Mycology
- Forestry
- Plant Biology
- Plant Taxonomy
- Plant Identification
- Environmental Awareness
- Laboratory Skills
- Molecular Biology
- Herbarium
- Field Mycology
- Phytogeography
- Mycology
- Laboratory Skills
- Teaching
- Academic Writing
- Writing
- Teaching Writing
- Public Speaking
Showcase Your Technical Skills
Botanists use a variety of technology in their work to identify, collect, and study plant specimens. They are typically familiar with computer programs used for plant identification, like databases of plant morphology and herbicide resistance. Additionally, botanists may be called on to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software to map plant distributions or analyze land use changes. So if you have experience with any of these programs, be sure to list them in your technical skills section.