Cheeky Logo
Ready To Get Hired?
Apply To Book A Free Call With Our Transition Specialist Team

How PhDs Should Structure Their Industry Resume Bullet Points

If you’ve been reading Cheeky Scientist blogs for some time, you probably know that the best way to get an industry job is by applying through a referral. 

That way, you can skip the resume submission step and move straight into a phone screen.

So, you’re probably thinking that you shouldn’t waste time on a targeted resume for each position you apply to.

But here’s the reality: even though you shouldn’t rely on resumes to get your foot in the door, employers will still want to see your resume and LinkedIn profile before they interview you.

I was recently talking to a member who has hired many PhDs since transitioning into industry and this is what they have to say:

Many times, your industry resume will make the first impression to an employer who is preparing to interview you or might have a say on whether or not you get hired.

I mostly hire writers, but I’ve gotten resumes that are targeted for R&D or clinical trial manager positions. When this happens, it makes me want to call out the interview altogether.

I don’t want to waste my time interviewing a candidate who doesn’t even know what position they’re applying for.

In contrast, when I see a well structured resume that is targeted for the position and includes tranferable skills and measurable results, I enter the interview in a good mood.

I feel like I know the candidate and have a better idea on how they can help the company achieve their goals.

So, no matter if you are applying through an online portal or through a referral, always make sure to submit a targeted industry resume if you want to get hired.

Why You Should Always Target Your Resume

For every open position, a company gets 250 resumes on average – big companies like Apple and Google can receive up to 2,000 resumes for each open position.

The hiring committee will shortlist 10 of those candidates to go through the interview process and only 1 will get hired.

Currently, more than 95% of fortune 500 companies use applicant tracking system software (ATS), an artificial intelligence programmed to select the resumes that better match an open position.

In companies that use ATS as part of their selection process, only 60 resumes out of the initial 250 will make it into the hands of an actual person. This means 4 out of 6 resumes are weeded out by the ATS.

If you don’t have a referral, you don’t stand a chance if you apply to a position with an untargeted resume that doesn’t have a proper industry format.

And as you saw from the story in the previous section, you can lose your chances at a job if you apply with an untargeted resume even if you have a referral by making the wrong impression to someone in the hiring committee.

So, how can you ensure your resume makes it past ATS and impresses every person who reads it?

You target your resume for each position by adding the right information in every single bullet point.

How To Craft High-Quality Bullet Points

If you’re doing your resume correctly, you will have many bullet points on it.

To start, you will have three in your resume summary, which is the most important section in the whole document. 

Then, you will have three or five bullet points for each previous experience, and at least one for each award and hobbie.

Each of these bullet points must be crafted with intention and show that you understand the needs of the company and that you are the best candidate for the role.

3 things your bullet points need to include

All the bullet points in your resume should follow the same structure. 

They should start with a transferable skill, followed by your technical expertise, and end with a quantified result.

Transferable skills are your biggest asset when it comes to looking for an industry job, and they are the most important skills that employers are looking for. 

That’s why they should come at the beginning of your bullet point, you should highlight them right away. 

Following your transferable skills, you should add a technical skill or technical expertise that relates to the target position. This means that you should use the key words included in the job posting or that you heard in an informational interview, even if they are not the terms you currently use in academia.

Keep in mind that sometimes the lines between tranferable and technical skills get blurred. For example, research on itself is a tranferable skill, but research experience in a specific knowledge domain might be a technical skill.

As long as you start your bullets focusing on skills that are necessary for the job and relate to the results at the end, you should end up with a high quality bullet point.

Once you have stated your skills, use transition language such as “as evidenced by” or “leading to” to introduce your quantified results.

Ending your bullets with quantified results serves two purposes. 

First, eye tracking studies show that people pause on numbers when skimming a document. So by adding numbers (not writing those numbers down), you’ll increase the time that employers spend looking at your resume.

Second, you show that you understand the language of industry. That you know that setting and accomplishing goals helps a company grow.

You might be thinking that you’ve spent your whole life in academia and don’t have any quantified results

This is simply not true, you are just not used to thinking about your experience in the context of achieved results.

You can add to your resume number publications or presentations, number of methodologies you’ve improved or optimized, number of collaborations, amount of grant funding you’ve secured, number of patents… 

If you’ve reduced the amount of time it takes to run a protocol or the amount of money it costs to get a result, you can also add that.

Even if you think your results don’t sound impressive, remember that it’s not so much about the results, but about showing employers that you understand the importance of quantifying your achievements.

Organizing the 3 parts of your bullet point into a sentence

When it comes to crafting complete bullet points, I recommend getting note cards of three different colors and writing one component per card.

For example, all your tranferable skills in blue cards, your technical skills in yellow cards, and your quantified results in pink cards. 

Then, mix and match your cards until you come up with your biggest career highlights: bullet points that relate to each other, but also are specific for the job that you’re applying to.

Make sure that the three components of your bullet point make sense together, but don’t overanalyze it. 

I assure you that you can take almost any transferable skill you have with any quantified result and any technical experience and put them together in a meaningful way. 

After analyzing and playing with your cards for some time, you’ll be able to make a list of bullets that you can use in the different sections of your resume.

Below, you will find some finished bullet points you can use as inspiration. See if you can identify the tranferable skill, measurable results, technical skills, and the transition language that connects the components:

  • Knowledgeable innovator with expertise in drug discovery, resulting in 5 publications and 7 cross-functional collaborations.
  • Strong leadership skills and experience managing research professionals on collaborative projects, leading to 8 publications and $250,000 in lab grant funding.
  • Excellent relationship builder with advanced skills in biological and chemical systems, as evidenced by the optimization of 9 methodologies and the setup of 5 cross-functional collaborations, which led to €1.5 million in lab grant funding.
  • Excellent collaboration skills demonstrated by managing a multifaceted biochemical research project, resulting in the development of 3 international collaborations and £1.2 million in grant funding.
  • High level strategic planner with experience analyzing large scientific datasets, as demonstrated by the optimization of 3 high throughput methodologies, resulting in 2 new medical treatments.
  • Knowledge of current industry trends and experience communicating complex topics to diverse audiences, leading to 3 award-winning scientific presentations and the publication of 1 micro biology textbook.

How to create a professional summary with your bullet points

Your professional summary, which is composed of three bullet points, is the most important section of your industry resume.

Besides your contact details, your summary is the only section that will be at the top third of the first page of your resume. This region is called the visual center because that’s where people’s eyes spend most of their time when looking at your resume. 

It’s also the main part that the ATS will review, 80% of the keyword strength that most ATS algorithms designate is in the visual center.

The three bullet points of your professional summary must be your top career highlights and should give an idea of who you are and what you bring to the table as a job candidate.

The structure of your summary bullets should be the same as the rest of bullet points in your resume, but each of those bullets should communicate something slightly different.

Your first bullet should be similar to an elevator pitch. It should convey who you are, what you want, and why the employer should care. 

This means that you want to mention the job title in that first bullet point. The job title is by far the most important key word of your resume and far too many people fail to mention it. 

After the job title, include the most relevant transferable and technical skills to the specific role, and finish with a result that relates to the position. This is your star bullet point.

You should focus the second bullet point on the relevant technical skills for the position. You will also add transferable skills and measurable results, but focus on how your technical expertise makes you the best candidate for the role.

Finally, the third bullet point should focus more on the tranferable skills that make you the right fit for the job. 

If you do this correctly, every bullet point on your resume will be the highest quality possible, and all of them will come together to make a high quality resume that will get through the ATS, into the hands of an employer, and lead to a phone screen.

Concluding Remarks

Whether you apply to a position through a referral or a job portal, a well crafted industry resume will increase your chances of moving to the next stage of the hiring process and getting hired. To ensure you have a resume that will make it past ATS and impress every person who reads it, you have to ensure every bullet point in your resume has the right information. A high-quality bullet point starts with a relevant transferable skill, followed by a technical skill mentioned in the job posting, and finishes with a quantified result with numerical values. You can write the separate components on note cards and mix and match them together to create impactful bullet points. Make sure to select the three best bullet points that show why you are the perfect fit for your summary section. This will ensure that you have a high quality resume that will convince employers to call you for a phone screen.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

Book a Transition Call
Get Free Job Search Content Weekly

ABOUT ISAIAH HANKEL, PHD

CEO, CHEEKY SCIENTIST & SUCCESS MENTOR TO PHDS

Dr. Isaiah Hankel is the Founder and CEO of Cheeky Scientist. His articles, podcasts and trainings are consumed annually by millions of PhDs and other professionals in hundreds of different countries. He has helped PhDs transition into top companies like Amazon, Google, Apple, Intel, Dow Chemical, BASF, Merck, Genentech, Home Depot, Nestle, Hilton, SpaceX, Tesla, Syngenta, the CDC, UN and Ford Foundation.

Dr. Hankel has published 3X bestselling books and his latest book, The Power of a PhD, debuted on the Barnes & Noble bestseller list. His methods for getting PhDs hired have been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Nature, Forbes, The Guardian, Fast Company, Entrepreneur Magazine and Success Magazine.

Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Here's What Others Are Saying

"Hi Isaiah - I just want to inform you that I've accepted a job offer from Sandoz, Inc. I want to say a special thank you to you and your dedicated staff for all your help and support throughout the job search stage."

Odeniel Sertil

Odeniel Sertil

Manager, Regulatory Affairs Biosimilars

at Sandoz, Inc.

"I just wanted to say that I officially accepted a job! I want to thank everyone at Cheeky Scientist for all the help and support. Overall, my job search went pretty smoothly and I have CS to thank for that. I am now convinced that making connections and networking is how you find jobs, and once I began implementing what CS teaches, I started to see more results. I hope this helps others who are in the job search process!"

Jack Schultz

Jack Schultz

Research Computer Scientist

at Southwest Research Institute

"Thanks to Cheeky Scientist, I now have an offer letter in my hand and a new career in the industry, which makes me incredibly happy and excited for the future. The training Cheeky Scientist provided was successful since it helped me to carefully consider my skills and improve how I approached my job search. I gained more confidence talking to recruiters and engaging in on-site interviews thanks to the many training modules and live sessions Cheeky Scientist offered. I had a lot of back-and-forth interactions with prospective employers as offers came in, and Cheeky Scientist helped me be a good negotiator. Through Cheeky Scientist, I could ultimately search for, negotiate, and select my best career route."

Vishnu Modur

Vishnu Modur

Clinical Trial Associate/Manager

at Medspace

"You will not believe it..... I got them up another 60K and they changed my title!"

Ryan Hendricks

Ryan Hendricks

Project Manager, Rapid Industry Solutions: On-Set Virtual Production

at SMPTE

"I'm excited to share that I'm starting a new position as Senior Filed Application Scientist at NanoString Technologies, Inc.!"

Alex Woychek

Alex Woychek

Senior Field Application Scientist

at NanoString Technologies, Inc.

"I got an offer at Estée Lauder! I accepted the offer since it is a great company and less than 15 min away. I don't have to worry about relocating."

Ivan Peran

Ivan Peran

at Estée Lauder

"I am happy to share that I'm starting a new position as a European Portfolio Manager at Scientific Instruments!"

 Shikha Acharya

Shikha Acharya

European Portfolio Manager

at Scientific Instruments

"Thrilled to announce that I have joined a new role as a Research Associate at HJF to work at the WRAIR. Very excited to join a dedicated and brilliant team working to eradicate HIV. Thanks to my family, friends, and fellow Cheeky associates for their support in my job hunt journey.""

 Lakshmi Rani Iyer

Lakshmi Rani Iyer

Research Associate

at HJF

"BIG NEWS!! Lufthansa offered me the gig!!"

Marco Milesi

Marco Milesi

at Lufthansa

"I landed a dream job as a revenue management analyst at british airways."

James Washak

James Washak

Revenue Management Analyst

at British Airways

"I would like to express my appreciation and assure that your school was eye-openning, thanks! I registered on your course 2 months ago and from total ghosting I ended up with a dream job in biotech."

Petro Starokadomskyy

Petro Starokadomskyy

Senior Scientist

at Kyverna Therapeutics

"Hi Isaiah, I got hired yesterday!....Thanks for all of your encouragement provided by way of your presentations."

Beverly Brereton

Beverly Brereton

Compliance Manager

at Enel North America

"One thing I feel I did great was joining the association as a Diamond member. Modules and Classes helped me to prepare ahead of the search- to do and to go right. The other useful thing was the accountability forum....your classes and modules really helped me to believe in myself and have confidence in myself. I value myself as a PhD. I gave a shot for a senior scientist position, and got one!"

Nabina Paudyal

Nabina Paudyal

Senior Computational Scientist

at Colossal Biosciences

"I accepted my job offer today. I was able to get 5k more + the exact PTO package I wanted. I am very happy and very thankful for everything that I learned through the event. I plan to stay involved with Cheeky Scientist as I love what y'all are doing and I'm still learning."

Tracy Gardner, PhD

Tracy Gardner, PhD

Senior Measurement Advisor

at Pearson

"Extra thrilled...I now have a full-time job lined up before I even graduate. Yay! Cheeky Scientist helped me get my internship, 3 offers, and the offer I wanted at a competitive salary because I had other offers to leverage. All before I even graduated."

Srishti Dasarathy, PhD

Srishti Dasarathy, PhD

AI Research Engineer

at Lockheed Martin

Similar Articles

Your Job Search a Disaster So Far? Here's How to Clean Up the Mess (and Land the Job You Deserve)

Your Job Search a Disaster So Far? Here's How to Clean Up the Mess (and Land the Job You Deserve)

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“I’ve had several first-round interviews, Isaiah, but no callbacks,” a frustrated PhD candidate recently confided in me.  “Do you have any idea why?” I asked.  Everyone’s job search is unique, of course, so there’s no one answer to this question. But there are two that I hear more than most.  One is: “Employers say they’re looking for someone with more experience.”  The other? “Employers keep asking me why I’m leaving academia.”  Put another way, these two reasons are a reflection of PhDs being seen as either underqualified or overqualified.  The transition from academia to industry can be a minefield, and…

How PhDs Can Avoid The Overqualified Label To Get Hired

How PhDs Can Avoid The Overqualified Label To Get Hired

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“We regret to inform you that we will not be moving forward with your application due to concerns that your qualifications exceed those required for the role.  We feel it would not be a good fit. Thank you for applying.”  Oof, that’s part of a rejection email a PhD sent me. An employer had sent it to them after the first interview.  Another PhD told me this recently… “I feel like I’m both overqualified and underqualified for the jobs I apply to Isaiah.”  Which do you feel is more of a problem for you? I asked.  “At first I thought…

How To Answer “Why Are You Leaving Academia?” (& 4 Scientific Ways To Convince Employers To Hire You) 

How To Answer “Why Are You Leaving Academia?” (& 4 Scientific Ways To Convince Employers To Hire You) 

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“‘Why do you want to work here more than anywhere else? And why are you leaving academia?’ Those are the questions I got stuck on, Isaiah.  I told them why I liked their company, mainly because it was aligned with my values, but I also wanted to be fair and ethical so I told them that I was considering other companies. Then I explained that academia was no longer a good fit because I wanted to do more than write grants all day.”  “Okay, I replied, anything else? What did you say after that?” “I asked them a few clarifying…

Should You Apply To More Than One Job At A Company? (& 3 Other Tough Job Search Questions Answered)

Should You Apply To More Than One Job At A Company? (& 3 Other Tough Job Search Questions Answered)

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“Isaiah, I applied to ThermoFisher two weeks ago and a hiring manager got in touch with me and I had my first interview…. But then a second hiring manager reached out to me about another job I applied to there.  I started talking to this second manager and they asked if I applied to any other positions there.  I couldn’t lie so I told them about the other job and the other hiring manager.  Now, neither of the hiring managers will get back to me.  What should I do?”  This is what a PhD told me over the phone last…

How LinkedIn Ranks Job Seekers With PhDs, EdDs & Other Degrees

How LinkedIn Ranks Job Seekers With PhDs, EdDs & Other Degrees

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“Be real Isaiah, there’s not a government bureau keeping track of how our resumes perform.”  This is what a frustrated job seeker said to me recently.  “What do you mean I have a reputation score?” they asked.  “Of course there’s not a bureau dedicated to this, at least not yet” I said.  “But you absolutely are being scored and ranked” I went on, “and your ranking is used to indicate how reputable you are as a job seeker.”  This is what I’ve explained to countless people looking for a job in today’s job market, most of whom were getting initial…

How The Academic PhD Job Market Was Destroyed

How The Academic PhD Job Market Was Destroyed

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“I spent over a year looking for a job in academia and flew to multiple interviews. I didn’t get one offer.” A PhD told me this recently and many other PhDs have told me similar stories.  Of course, the stories involve more than just looking for a job for a year.  They involve living on a meager academic budget, trying to support themselves and their families, often in very expensive cities where many of the biggest universities are located.  They involve decisions to never go on a vacation, to feed their kids cheaper, less healthy food, and to work all…

Give Yourself The Gift Of Leaving Academia Forever

Give Yourself The Gift Of Leaving Academia Forever

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

My last year in academia, I didn’t have enough money to fly home for Christmas. So I spent it in Iowa City, mostly alone.  I was broke (of course) so I decided to shovel snow out of driveways for $10 per driveway. I remember thinking how ridiculous it was to be a PhD shoveling snow for money. “What I wouldn’t give to have a better job”, I thought.  That was the gift I wanted for Christmas and the holidays.  A better job.  Not to be a student or a postdoc or an academic PhD getting paid less than I was…

The Ideal Keyword Density For Targeting Your PhD Resume To An Industry Job Posting

The Ideal Keyword Density For Targeting Your PhD Resume To An Industry Job Posting

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Writing a resume for an industry job is one of the biggest sticking points I see with PhDs entering the job market.  What worked even a year ago is not working today due to recent and rapidly accelerating advances in Applicant Tracking Systems.  These systems, called ATS or just AI today, are software tools used by companies to filter resumes.  They scan for specific keywords related to the job role, abilities, credentials, and qualities desired in a candidate.  As a PhD seeking very competitive roles, including relevant keywords in your resume is essential to pass through these systems and get…

AI Is Replacing Recruiters. Here’s How PhD Job Seekers Should Adapt

AI Is Replacing Recruiters. Here’s How PhD Job Seekers Should Adapt

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

“I had a recruiter reach out to me, Isaiah, and after I gave them my resume and answered their questions, they never got back to me. What should I do?”  I hear this a lot.  I also hear, “Isaiah, I was on the phone with a recruiter and as soon as they heard that I needed a visa, they hung up” …”or as soon as they heard I had no industry experience, they hung up.”  Man, I personally hate this. What a waste of time. The recruitment industry is broken.  The good news is its being devoured by Artificial Intelligence,…

Our Members Get Hired At Top Industry Companies

Top Industry Career eBooks

63 Best Industry Positions For PhDs

63 Best Industry Positions For PhDs

Isaiah Hankel, PhD & Arunodoy Sur, PhD

Learn about the best 63 industry careers for PhDs (regardless of your academic background). In this eBook, you will gain insight into the most popular, highest-paying jobs for PhDs – all of which will allow you to do meaningful work AND get paid well for it.

Industry Resume Guide for PhDs

Industry Resume Guide for PhDs

Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Learn how to craft the perfect industry resume to attract employers. In this eBook for PhDs, you will get access to proven resume templates, learn how to structure your bullet points, and discover which keywords industry employers want to see most on PhD resumes.

AI & ATS Resume Filters

AI & ATS Resume Filters

Isaiah Hankel

In today's competitive job market, understanding the impact of AI is crucial for career success. This involves ensuring your resume stands out in the digital realm, mastering your online presence, and being aware of how AI assigns reputation scores. Discovering how to leverage AI to your advantage is essential, as it plays a pivotal role in shaping professional opportunities.

Complete LinkedIn Guide For PhDs

Complete LinkedIn Guide For PhDs

Isaiah Hankel

The LinkedIn tips & strategies within have helped PhDs from every background get hired into top industry careers.