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8 Academic Resume Examples & Guide...

8 Academic Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

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Do you have solid academic experience but still struggle to find a job?

Unfortunately, that’s something typical nowadays.

Isn’t it crazy that the people who drive innovations forward should fight for a stable income?

Therefore, you cannot rely on a bright mind and deep expertise only.

The secret key is to have the right approach.

Our firm belief is that tutors and researchers deserve to reveal their full potential.

That’s why we’ve built this ultimate 2022 guide on writing an exceptional Academic resume for you.

You can go through it and learn some tips and tricks to achieve you professional and personal goals.

In science the credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not to the man to whom the idea first occurs.

Sir William Osler, Canadian physician

The postsecondary teachers job market

The median annual wage for postsecondary teachers was $79,640 in May 2021.

There were almost 1,280,000 jobs in 2020.

12% is the expected growth in these professionals (from 2020 to 2030).

More than almost any other average occupation!

This data means only one thing: fierce competition.

That’s why you should learn all the required tactics to stand out and earn the desired job.

How to write a remarkable academic resume

There is one huge mistake that a lot of professionals make when building their academic resume:

They use complex sentences and knotty words that offer no value.

Einstein once said:

'If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don't understand it yourself.'

Of course, you should mention the terms and specifications of your job.

However, your duty is to explain them simply and winsomely.

Then, focus on an approach that will bring clarity and value to your work:

Provide evidence for your critical thinking/analytical skills and communication-crucial for the academic resume

Show a desire to learn and to share your knowledge with others

How to do this?

Write down high-performance metrics that present you as a self-motivated individual:

  • How many students did you lecture? What is the feedback?
  • Did you conduct any experiments? What are the outcomes?
  • Did you present the educational institution in any science competitions or forums?

Provide answers to these questions in the Experience, Education and Summary sections.

It’s vital to add a scientific project/experiment you worked on or mention some of your publications.

Thus, you show that you are the real deal.

Do you have any additional courses taken?

What are your strengths? What skills did you acquire?

Write them down immediately!

References from professors will give you an advantage.

Last but not least, tailor your resume to the job description and get hired!

Follow this academic resume guide and learn how to apply the tips above into practice!

Academic resume formats

You can fall into the following 3 resume format categories:

Two main factors could come upon the Internet:

  • Years of experience
  • Industry experience

You have 3 main options:

  1. Reverse-chronological resumes are perfect for professionals having some years in a specific niche.
  2. Functional resumes are suitable for people searching for a first job or career changers.
  3. Hybrid resumes combine the best of both worlds. They are great for entry-level and experienced candidates.

Give heed to the style and layout! Here are some resume tips:

If you want to become a brilliant researcher or lecturer, you should build a resume that includes Projects and Publications sections.

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Top resume sections:

  • Education-you should show evidence of your academic level
  • Include achievements, projects, experiments, publications in your experience
  • Write down a cohesive summary that presents you as an extraordinary professional
  • Projects & Publications indicate a strong presence in the science
  • Tailored strengths and skills are the secrets to success
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What recruiters want to see:

  • Convincing Education & Experience sections that underline your critical thinking, analytical and communication skills
  • What other skills did you gain from your experience?
  • Are students pleased with your tutoring? What’s the feedback from it?
  • Are you self-motivated? Did you represent the institution in science forums, competitions, etc.? Did you conduct any experiments or write any scientific papers?

Academic summary: easy tips & tricks

Do you know how a reputable professor would present themselves in a TED talk?

Answer: The same way they do it on their academic resume:

Highly specific sentences and facts about their educational and scientific performance.

Nobody is paying you for 2-page monologues or ideas backed up with no data.

After all, it is what it is.

Thankfully, we know what’s needed to write an exceptional introduction.

Here is some advice on writing your academic resume summary:

  • Mention years of experience and use quantitative data as much as possible
  • Include hard and soft skills that you excelled and could share with youngsters
  • Emphasize critical thinking and communication
  • Add key achievements that defined your career-awards, prizes and publications
  • Write down duties, responsibilities and projects/experiments you worked on

Try to avoid the following negative indicators:

  • Mediocre and general sentences that describe ideas, not facts
  • Facts or statements that are misleading or do not correspond to reality
  • Figurative languages, inappropriate jokes and complex terms that bring no value

Here are some academic resume summary examples that should be took into account:

Summary
Enthusiastic Neuroscience student with 2 years of experience from 300 hours of internship. Worked on innovative deep brain stimulation techniques and won the Future of Science Award. Strong working knowledge of all mental disorders, innate ability to recognize patterns in concepts and ideas.
RIGHT
Summary
Creative Assistant Professor with 5-year experience in making physics easy peasy for students. Represented Columbia University in the City of New York in 20+ international science forums, wrote over 30 original articles in the field of quantum physics and taught 1000+ students. Eager to join a team of passionate scientists as a Research Project Lead to drive innovation forward.
RIGHT
Summary
Princeton University MSc in Psychology graduate (4.0 GPA, Graduated Magna Cum Laude) with 5 years of experience in research projects. Got involved in 10+ behavioral experiments with 50+ participants, analyzed and evaluated complex data. Seeking to become an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan.
RIGHT
Summary
Resourceful Mathematician with 7 years of experience in the field. Excelled in algebra, game and number theory. Good at explaining complex theorems and axioms simply and engagingly. Taught 2000+ students; 97% passed their algebra exams at first try. Looking for a job as a lecturer in Princeton University to prove that math is the most exciting science.
RIGHT
Summary
Inspirational Lecturer with 8 years of experience teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate students in English Literature. Won the “Neustadt International Prize For Literature''. Wrote 12 original articles in peer-reviewed journals and wrote 14 essays. Looking for a position at Harvard University to inspire and motivate youngsters.
RIGHT
pro tip icon
Pro tip

If you are a high achiever with long expertise in academic circles, only 1-2 sentences are enough to list your awards, skills and intellectual labor. On the other hand, if you are a beginner, it’s a good idea to mention your duties in your previous job and mention what you are looking for.

Academic resume experience that describes success

You might ask yourself the following question:

“Why am I supposed to explain my previous academic positions?”

Being Associate Professor means you are a successful and reputable individual, right?

Hell, no!

Do not perceive yourself as someone special.

You might have the mental capacity of Einstein or Tesla, but if you offer no value, you are no one.

Educational institutions do not expect you to be a genius but an inspiring and self-motivated visioner.

So, here are some tips to have in mind when building your Experience section:

  • Describe yourself as a person who has deep knowledge and expertise and wants to share it with the young generation
  • Write down facts about your previous performance backed up with action verbs and quantitative data
  • Mention awards, projects, or publications to prove that you are a self-motivated and analytical person with a strong work ethic
  • Include extraordinary achievements or results from your experiments

Also, to build respect, you can always add skills and strengths that you excelled.

It’s a good idea to tailor them to the job description and other sections of the academic resume.

Remember that you are what you give to your students.

If you give value, you are a hidden gem.

Start asking yourself similar questions and then write down the answers:

How did my communication and teaching approach affect students' performance?

What extraordinary skills of mine facilitated the experiments I conducted?

How does my work ethic increase my productivity?

Academic resume experience examples

Experience
Title
Company Name
Location
Company Description
  • Improved accuracy of the data I collected
  • Worked in a team of other scientists
  • Designed a presentation for a conference
  • Used computational tools and methods
WRONG

We suppose that this candidate never read our guide.

Their bullet points are vague and offer no value.

Moreover, you should avoid using “I” in the bullet points.

As a researcher or tutor, it’s better to emphasize teamwork and group intelligence.

Thus, recruiters will know that you have positive personality traits.

Experience
Title
Company Name
Location
Company Description
  • Improved accuracy of data collected by 50% through proper administration of surveys, questionnaires and interview questions
  • Worked in a team of 5 chemists to develop lithium-sulfur batteries (3 publications in 2018, 2019)
  • Designed a presentation about lithium-ion batteries aimed for 300 conference participants
  • Used computational tools and methods like ab initio and reduced the the of experiments by 25%
RIGHT

Thankfully, some people prepare themselves before applying for a job.

The candidate followed our advice and built an admirable Experience section.

The interview call is on the way!

How to describe the duties of a teaching fellow on a resume

Give heed to the following Teaching Fellow responsibilities when producing your resume:

  • Design and teach undergraduate courses on specific subjects
  • Hold lectures and lead seminars, implement multiple curricula
  • Assist professors with courses: preparing/updating lectures, grading and maintaining online discussion
  • Assist professors in cultivating a positive learning environment, facilitate students as much as you can

It’s preferable to add these sections to your Entry-Level Teaching Fellow resume:

  • References: you need strong support from the academic society to build trust and respect
  • Publications: they prove that you have the practical knowledge to share with students

Take a risk and choose an unconventional approach to your resume: be as honest, direct and radiate ambition to share knowledge!

How to fill up the gaps in your resume

  • The well-built Achievements section is the perfect way to show recruiters that you can bring value
  • Awards are an obvious sign of respect
  • Additional training/courses are a clear sign that you are a passionate learner

Academic skills that speak volumes

Most candidates take the following approach:

Skip the research part. List unique technical skills acquired. Expect the call from recruiters.

Unfortunately, this method might be unsuccessful.

You need to mention skills relevant to the education institution/company you are working on.

Emphasize communication and critical thinking-these soft skills are a must!

Teamwork, writing and statistics will help you a lot as well!

Just make sure that your abilities correspond to the job description.

The important thing is to never stop questioning (or learning).

Albert Einstein

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8 hard (lab) skills list:

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8 soft skills list for your academia resume:

Key Takeaways:

  • Emphasize critical thinking and communication-your teaching approach is crucial
  • Show that you have a strong work ethic and inspire youngster
  • Add Projects/Publications/References/ Awards to build respect and support your academic presence
  • Use action verbs and quantitative data to back achievements and high-performance metrics
  • Write down skills and strengths that correspond to other sections of the resume and the job description

Academic resume examples

Explore additional academic resume samples and guides and see what works for your level of experience or role.

By Role

Lecturer

A Lecturer should be knowledgeable about current and upcoming academic trends and research methods as these significantly influence teaching methods. When applying for a Lecturer position, it's important to showcase your expertise in a specific subject, your experience in curriculum development and your ability to convey this knowledge to students. It's also important to highlight your teaching and research experience relevant to the subject, including any articles and papers you've published in reputable journals. Don't just list your qualifications but demonstrate how they have contributed to your academic field, such as leading research or contributions to academic debates.
View Lecturer Resume

Professor

Just as a Product Manager's role emerged from the software engineering field, the position of a Professor emerged from the sphere of advanced studies and research. As a result, trends in higher education and research methodologies directly influence the professoriate.

When preparing your resume for a professorial position, consider the following tips:

  1. Highlight your experience with various advanced teaching methods like Active Learning, Problem-based Learning, and Inquiry-based Learning. Universities are constantly seeking innovative educators, hence showcasing your ability in these approaches can make your application more appealing.
  2. Do not merely state pedagogical skills, illustrate them. Detail how your unique teaching methodology significantly improved student understanding or led to higher grades. Follow the "skill-action-results" model.
  3. Display your research background. A good professor is often a good researcher. Demonstrate the impact of your research on your field and how your findings have been acknowledged by peers.
  4. Exhibit on your resume that you have mastered course-related technical skills, which will prove your ability to navigate and teach complex subject matters.

Remember, your resume is a testament to your knowledge, experience and innovative teaching methods, and it's these qualities that universities look for in a Professor.

View Professor Resume

Academic Advisor

As an Academic Advisor, you'll help students choose classes, guide them towards fulfilling their academic goals, and assist in solving any academic issues they face. By understanding educational policies, we can identify students' strengths and weaknesses and provide support where needed. This job often involves working with databases and computer programs to track students' progress, presenting seminars, and regularly meeting with students individually. It's essential to have good listening skills, be able to communicate clearly and organize well. Occasionally, you may need to collaborate with other staff, faculty or families to ensure the student's needs are met.
View Academic Advisor Resume

High School Academic

The High School Academic role serves as a link between middle school and tertiary education, playing a pivotal role in students' achievements through its unique educational skills and methodology.

Here are some suggestions on how to customize your High School Academic role application:

  • Highlight your familiarity with varied teaching techniques such as project-based learning, flipped classroom or blended learning. Mention these experiences in your resume as schools are in search for innovative educators.
  • Provide more than just a list of educational theories, such as Bloom's Taxonomy or Gardner's multiple intelligences. Show how you used these approaches to improve students' performance, e.g., "boosted student involvement by...", or "enhanced test scores through...”. Use the "skill-action-results" format.
  • Spotlight your specific subject expertise. Should you specialize in a certain subject as most high school academics do, indicate the positive effect this has had on your students.
  • Your focus should not only be on scholastic achievements. Demonstrate how you have assisted students in developing crucial skills such as leadership, societal contribution or intra/interpersonal skills, as schools deem these important in molding students.
View High School Academic Resume

College Academic

The job of a College Academic involves adapting to current trends in research and teaching. To stand out when applying for this role, it's necessary to demonstrate experience with different research methods. Focusing on specific methods you've mastered can boost your chances, as does showing multidisciplinary influences on your research. Instead of simply listing skills, illustrate how they've benefited your research. Highlight situations where specific skills improved study reliability or boosted participation for instance.

Grad School Academic

The Grad School Academic position is heavily linked with academia, teaching, and research. For applications, it's crucial to show your understanding of deep, analytical research models, like case studies or phenomenological research. Highlight your research experiences so you don't go unnoticed by the hiring team. Stand out by emphasizing your academic backgrounds and how they influence your teachings and research. Instead of simply stating your skills, showcase how they have advanced your research or enriched your students' knowledge following the 'skill-action-results' principle. For example, how you've increased citation counts or enhanced student comprehension of complex theories.

PhD

For those seeking roles after completing their PhD, it is critical to focus on the skills and knowledge acquired during the process. Be it in academia, research or industry, your PhD status is a reflection of your specialized subject matter expertise.

Here are a few tips while applying post your PhD:

  • Highlight your research, the discipline it falls under, and its impact. Avoid using jargon unless it is necessary.
  • You've developed outstanding project and time management skills during your PhD, ensure to feature them prominently.
  • Collaboration, networking, and team management skills should be highlighted if you have worked in labs or collaborated with other researchers or professors.
  • Don't forget to feature your written and verbal communication skills developed through presenting findings, writing dissertations, and teaching.
View PhD Resume
academic resume example

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