Researcher CV template, tips, 2025, online, guide, best

Crafting an impeccable Researcher CV that launches your career is a challenging undertaking.

The most successful Researcher CV’s are the ones that clearly highlight the candidates ability to collect, record, analyse and interpret data. With this is mind, it’s vital that your CV shows you as someone who has the investigative skills needed to carry out original and quality collaborative research.

Further to the above, given the sheer volume of applications each role receives, you’ve got to be able to do this whilst standing out from other candidates. One way to do this is by having a CV design that allows a recruiter to immediately gain an understanding of your expertise and experience. Thereby enabling them to quickly determine whether you are the right applicant for the vacancy.

It’s difficult to write a CV that doesn’t just get you noticed, but also remembered. This page will help you to write a concise and impactful CV that highlights your unique selling proposition. Follow its tips and instructions to create a job application that truly reflects your who you are and your potential.

By: Iejaz Uddin – Updated: 19 November 2024

Page overview

Researcher CV templates
How to write a Researcher CV
CV Structure
Contact details
Personal Summary
Work experience
Skills section
Education section
Hobbies and interests

Researcher CV templates

Jane Hardy
London
Phone: 123 456 7890
E: jane.h@dayjob.com

PERSONAL SUMMARY

An experienced Researcher who has the technical skills, knowledge, and ability to drive research projects to successful conclusions. Jane can turn data and information into insights to support decision making and commercial opportunities. She has a track record of finding answers or solving problems by studying materials and sources. Has experience across generative and evaluative research methodologies as well as knowledge of quantitative research, mixed-method research, experimental research, and case study research.

In addition to her technical competencies, she also has exceptional time management, planning and organisational skills along with the ability to manage demanding workloads with strict deadlines. Furthermore, you can rely on her to manage large amounts of information collected through using surveys, interviews and by reviewing existing material.

A critical thinker who can interpret and analyse information to form a particular judgement or evaluation. She always thinks rationally to better understand a particular topic and then come to a conclusion.

In her current role she works on high-profile projects delivering quality and accurate work. As part of her duties, she presents her findings, recommendations and insights to project stakeholders at all levels. Through her career she has gained experience of lab experiments, gathering statistical evidence, interview materials and researching through archives.

On a personal level she is an upbeat and persuasive individual who can work as part of a team

Right now, she would like to join a company that believes in its people, and which is committed to creating an environment where staff feel inspired and supported.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Company Name
RESEARCHER – 2019 – Present
Working within a multi disciplinary team carrying out research through data mining, telephone interviews etc on a variety of research projects.

Duties:

Analysing both qualitative and quantitative data to identify key findings and making policy and procedural recommendations based on them.
Involved in data analysis, proposal writing and questionnaire design.
Carrying out surveys of households, individuals and private companies.
Working closely with data consumers to elicit feedback and gain insights into their requirements.
Presenting research findings through clear, actionable recommendations, and compelling presentations.
Involved in working closely with clients and keeping hands-on with the projects.
Ensuring all research activities comply with ethical standards and regulations.
Summarising and analysing large amounts of information to draw out key insights.
Writing and designing emails for marketing campaigns.
Developing innovative solutions to complex data and research challenges.
Designing and developing research questionnaires and policy.
Compiling information from a wide variety of sources and then interpreting and presenting this.
Accurately monitoring, investigating and analyzing all statistical information.
Professional demeanour at all times and exhibiting politeness and courtesy in all interactions with the public.
Bringing up-to-date, high quality data to diverse audiences, such as the private sector, governments and civil society.
Taking end-to-end ownership of user research sessions from initial concept to implementation.
Utilising data analysis tools to identify patterns and trends in errors across the data set.
Keeping senior managers and researchers updated with progress or highlighting problems to them.
Professionally presenting information, reports and recommendations to a variety of audiences.
Accurately record information on computer databases.
Collating and analysing quality statistical data.
Providing mentorship to junior researchers and laboratory technicians.
Investigating and documenting key data and information at the request of senior researchers.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Research competencies:

Proven data gatherer who can obtain information from reliable sources.
Experience of exploring, investigating and processing research information.
Ability to work remotely whilst liaising co-operatively with a wider team.
Excel at preparing and reviewing research materials and data with accuracy.
Can build effective working relationships with both work colleagues and clients.
Performing telephone and face to face research to agreed standards and specific briefs.
Experience of applying for research funding grants.
Comfortable with statistics, and explaining complex issues to non-specialist audiences.
Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative database management systems.
Ability to identify and thoroughly investigate key issues.
Extensive knowledge of MS Excel and various other statistical software.
Having strong IT skills, along with proven administrative and organisational abilities.
Capability to convey the implications of research study clearly.
Inputting data into a CRM system.
High level of numeracy and accuracy in data inputting.

Personal:

Possessing excellent communication skills, face to face, written and verbal.
A commitment to non-discrimination, respect and dignity for all..
Having a positive personality as well as being confident and outgoing.
Professional and friendly telephone manner.
Willing to work early evenings and weekend.
Comfortable with working in a target-driven environment and fast paced environment.
Well spoken with excellent communication skills and able to build a rapport with people quickly.

KEY COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

Data accuracy
IT database skills
Curious mindset
Research skills
Data analysis
Writing skill
Market research
B2B research

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

Evesham North University 2005 – 2008
BA (Hons) Business Studies

Coventry North College 2003 – 2005
A levels: Maths (C) English (C) Physics (B)

REFERENCES – Available on request.

How to write a Researcher CV

Many people think a CV is there to get them a job. They’re wrong. A CV is there to win you an interview and should always be written with that in mind.

It’s essentially a marketing tool that is aimed at getting you noticed. This means it has to be an easy to navigate map of your career history, work experiences and relevant skills. It should not just be a bland list of your competencies, which can make it sound like a dull job description.

For success it’s vital that you have one that impresses employers and gets them wanting to know more about you. It must be designed to demonstrate why you’d be a good fit for the role. This means mimicking what’s in the researcher job description and then laying out this information in a logical order of importance. When doing this always lead with your strongest points by putting them at the top of everything you write.

Tips on writing a Researcher CV:

Aim for brevity: Be as informative as possible without overwhelming the reader by keeping everything you write concise, impactful and focused on results.

Relevancy: Always think about whether what you are about to include is relevant to the job you are applying for. Although a broad range of skills and experiences might look impressive, prioritizing key points is more effective.

Target the vacancy: As much as possible match the jobs requirements in your CV. Do this by researching the role through the job description, visiting the employer’s website and talking to people in similar jobs. . The customisation of your application is essential for success.

Highlight key information: Highlight key information through italics, bolding, italics, underlining, and capitalized words.

Prioritize: Strategically place the most important information near the top or at the start of each section where it can be quickly spotted.

Avoid repetition: Do not repeat skills or experiences you’ve already given elsewhere in your CV.

Keywords: Integrate role specific keywords that are easy to spot by both the hiring manager and any ATS.

Action verbs: Include strong ‘Action words’ in sentences that will help you to create a powerful impression of activity and impact.

Headings: Organise your CV under different headings that will not only help you to group experiences into relevant categories but also make it more navigable. You can also optimise these further through capitalization, which is a great way to draw attention to specific section.

Guide overview:

CV Structure
Contact details
Personal Summary
Work experience
Skills section
Education section
Hobbies and interests
Researcher CV Frequently Asked Questions

CV Structure

Success is not just down to what you write in a CV, it’s also about how you present it. A perfectly laid out CV shows skills, experience, and potential in an organised and professional manner.

The structure forms the basic layout of your CV. It should therefore be planned in detail so as to create an eye-pleasing layout that makes everything on the page look inviting to read.

Why structure is important

A well organised layout displays your credentials to a recruiter in a professional and easy to scan manner. It shows you as a disciplined and organised person. Additionally, it also helps you to prioritise your most important information first by placing it at the top, start and beginning of each section.

So, before you do anything, decide on the structure of your CV.

What’s the best structure to use?

Start of by deciding whether to use a chronological, functional or combination format. What you select depends on the job you are applying for, your experiences and how much information you need to include. No matter which layout you choose, aim to maintain a simple and streamlined structure that is consistent throughout the document.

Tips on CV structuring

Break up your CV: Make your CV more readable and ‘user friendly’ through the use of plenty of white space to separate sections.

CV length: Your CV should be as short as possible and not a long rambling statement that lists everything you have ever done and every skill you possess. Recruiters are time constrained and just wants a document that is short and sweet.

CV structure sections:

Organise the information in your CV under the following relevant headings and sub-headings:

Contact Information: Make it easy and quick for employers to contact you by correctly including all your relevant contact information.

Personal profile: A short summary that introduces both you and your CV to a prospective employer. In a brief statement of no more than 150 words give a quick overview of who you are, what you bring to the role and your career goals.

Work experience: Outline your career history, work experience and provide a snapshot of your previous duties and responsibilities.

Skills: Give a detailed list of those relevant hard and soft skills which show you can collect, organize, analyse, and interpret data.

Education: Provide an insight into academic achievements, training, certifications and any other notable educational accomplishments.

References: Either give the names of referees or simply have a statement saying, ‘References available on request.’

CV Layout

A well written and perfectly laid out CV shows recruiters you’re the right person for the job. It does this by selling your skills, experience, and potential to them in an organised and professional manner.

A CV layout is basically the format on which it is built. To maximise its impact, it should use ample spacing, clear section headings and a logical order to keep things clearly catalogued.

A good structure is not just important for catching the recruiter’s eye, it’s also vital to getting past any Applicant Tracking System.

CV length

Your CV should be as short as possible and not a long rambling statement that lists everything you have ever done and every skill you possess. Remember that the reader is going to be time constrained and just wants a document that is short and sweet.

Related: How long should a CV be?

Contact details

This information sits at the top of everything and is seen as the title of your CV. It should include your name, address, email, and phone number. It’s also acceptable to have your professional job title next to your name. There is no need to add your full postal address, just the town or city of residence will do.

Include the following basic information:

Your name: This is your personal brand and should not be lost in the ‘noise’ of your CV. As it’s the first thing an employer will see, it must be at the very top of your CV (either cantered or left-aligned), in a clear and readable font.

Job title: Just below your name state the job title you are applying for, in this case ‘Researcher’. By doing this you’ll immediately let the recruiter and any ATS know that you’re a match for their position.

Mobile number: Double check any phone number you give, the last thing you want is to be uncontactable because of a simple typo. Also note to only give one number and not two or three, as this can confuse the recruiter.

Email: Always use a professional sounding and conservative looking email address that ideally includes your first and last name.

Address: These days it’s not necessary to include your full postal address, just giving your City, State or County should do. You only need to give your full your address to an employer if they’ve offered you the job.

LinkedIn: Further expand the way recruiters can contact you by giving them a link to your LinkedIn profile.

What not to include in your contact details:

Age
Date of birth
Marital status
Nationality

Researcher CV contact details example:

Researcher CV Personal Summary

Almost all CV’s start with a personal profile. It’s a short paragraph of a few sentences that introduces the candidate and gives a brief overview of their strongest points. Also known as a personal profile, personal statement or career objective, it is the gateway to your CV. This is the place where you speak directly to the employer and draw attention to the main reasons you should be considered for the role. An opening statement sums up:

Who you are.
What you can do.
Why you should be hired.
Your career objectives.

It’s a key part of hooking the recruiter and getting them to take an interest in you. Written properly it can encourage them to delve deeper into who you are. Furthermore, as the first thing, a prospective employer reads about you, it sets the tone for the rest of your CV and answers the following question:

“Why should I hire you?”

Employers need to see evidence of your suitability for their position. Give it to them by not only explaining who you are, but also emphasizing your most relevant competencies, best achievements, future potential and career ambitions.

Use your personal summary to:

Illustrate your competence.
Showcase how well you did something and the impact it had.
Provide an overview of your research interests and objectives.
Give an insight into your academic focus and future research direction.
Summarize your crowning achievements.
Prove you are fully prepared for the rigors of this role.

Final thoughts

How you write your profile can be the difference between success or failure. A successful personal summary is one that is written for a specific job in mind. The best way to do this is to review the job description to identify the key skills and experience required for the position. Then including these prominently in your summary. It’s as simple as that.

Researcher work experience

In this section you focus on your career history and use your past jobs to get your next role. It’s one of the most important parts of your CV, where every prospective employer goes to when they want to know where an applicant has previously worked.

As a candidate it’s a great place to give prospective employers more reasons to employ you. Do this by providing examples of your analytical prowess, intellectual curiosity and previous on-the-job successes. Make the reader take note of your application by giving concrete evidence of what you’ve achieved rather than having a random list of past responsibilities.

Why your work experience is important

Recruiters use your employment history to gain insights into your understanding and familiarity with their specific industry. They check your previous duties and responsibilities to see if they are similar to what they want you to do. If they are, you’re in, if they’re not, you’re out.

Work duties and responsibilities

Make your application really shine by following the below tips:

Start each bullet with a strong action verb.
Give details of the outcomes and results of your efforts.
Pick ones that resonate most with the responsibilities of a Researcher.
Explain how well you carried out your duties, this will reinforce your competency.

List your career achievements

When describing your career achievements emphasise the importance of what you’ve accomplished. Describe concisely but in detail how it contributed to your employers’ operations and positively impacted on their bottom line.

Include three bullet points to list your best measurable achievements. Use numbers, percentages and statistics to show how well you performed and what the end result was.

Examples of researcher achievements:

Raising Funds: Successfully bided for and raised £10,000 for an important research project.

Efficiency: Developed a new method for checking the accuracy of data which resulted in data discrepancies being reduced by 34%.

Research projects: Was commended for my part in an important research project that resulted in the completion of a major contract 1 month ahead of schedule.

Publications: I published an article in the ……….. journal that was well received and widely commented on by industry peers.

Awards: In June 2023 I received the Researcher of the Month Award from for my employers.

Focus on recent jobs

Prospective employers are interested in the current you, not the old you. Then want to know about your most recent work experience, so it’s advisable to start with your present or last-held job and work backwards. Give more space, time, and effort to your contemporary roles and not so much to those over 10 years ago. This is known as a reverse chronological order, where you put your most relevant or recent experience first, and then work backwards.

For your present or most recent jobs you should include:

Job title: job positions should be referred to by the titles specified by the employer.

Employer name: Appear more professional by using the company’s full name and not acronyms.

Location: No need to give the full postal address, just the City, County or town name will do.

Employment dates: Not need to the months, just the years with do.

Work duties: Through a maximum of 6 bullet points try to mirror your duties with the specific requirements of the vacancy, thereby reinforcing why you’re the perfect fit for it.

Accomplishments: List activities you did which have had a positive impact on your employers’ operations. Back these up with facts and figures.

For previous roles more than 10 years old, simply list the:

Employer name
Job title
The dates you worked there

Past and present tense

Remember to write the job duties of your current role in the present tense. Whereas the jobs duties of all your past roles should be written in the past tense. Although a small point, it can impress a recruiter with your attention to detail.

Researcher CV Skills

Boost your chances even more by adding a researcher skills section to your CV to put more distance between you and other equally qualified contenders. Then zoom in even more by giving the proficiency level for each skill.

Instead of mentioning every skill you possess, curate a selection that mirrors the job requirements. This way you further align your capabilities with the demands of an intensely result-driven field like research. For instance don’t just outline your technical and analytical capabilities, also showcase your proficiency with research methodologies, statistical software and lab techniques etc.

In your CV show you can:

Carry out office based online and field research to gather, appraise, and summarise information.
Cultivate and build close relationships with external organisations to gather data.
Keep up to date with the latest developments and trends in the field of research.
Interview a target group and then accurately compile their responses for data analysis.
Contribute to the publication of reports, articles, and data.
Use the latest modern research tools and techniques to understand a current and future marketplace.
Respond quickly to internal and external queries about research.
Act as a source of advice and information to others.
Manage your own research and administration activities to the required standards.

Areas to focus on when writing a Researcher CV:

Experience of designing research studies using a range of the latest methodologies.
Your ability to think creatively to solve complex technical research problems.
How you can work with a team of other researchers on projects by planning research objectives and test parameters.
Show your experience of presenting findings to peers at conferences or in published articles.
Ability to work to tight deadlines.
You are prepared to be the ‘go to’ person and first point of contact for all research-related enquiries.
Able to supervise and mentor junior staff with regards to all aspects of research design and delivery.

Hard skills for your CV

Researching projects

Leading and supervising research project with the aim of accomplishing specific objectives.
Deciding on which research methods, variables, data collection techniques and analysis methods to use on a project.
Formulating the topics that the research projects needs to focus on.

Data collection

Gathering relevant data for the research project using various methodologies and sources.
Designing bespoke surveys and preparing questionnaires to gather data.

Analysing data

Able to organise, analyse and evaluate large amounts of complex quantitative data.
Identifying and interpreting patterns, insights, solutions, and trends.
Using statistical tools to make sense of the data that has been collected and come up with findings and conclusions.

Market Research

Conducting accurate, effective, and collaborative research on a consistent basis.
Interpreting any data that has been collected and drawing inferences and conclusions accordingly.
Experience of asking, as well as answering, meaningful and impactful questions.

Report writing

Collating and then writing up high quality research papers for submission to decision makers, stakeholders, or relevant publications.
Able to clearly communicate material of a specialist or highly technical nature to professionals in their field.
Generating reports from single or multiple systems.

Research methodologies

In depth understanding of the latest research methodologies.
Gathering data from the internet, books, published articles, surveys and interviews.
Applying statistical analysis techniques to identify patterns and relationships in data.

Soft skills for your CV

Communication skills

A natural communicator who is comfortable dealing with senior level professionals.
Ability to present complex information clearly and effectively to both individuals and groups.
Presenting findings and schedules in a professional manner to management and other stakeholders.

Personal skills

Having an open-minded approach to a project and prepared to change opinions with new evidence and data.
A willingness to learn new things and adapt to changing environments.
Enjoy conducting experiments to unearth information and test existing hypotheses.

Core Skills

The world of research is constantly changing, and so are the skills required by researchers. On many occasions researchers have to try to figure out what, how and when to research in a constantly evolving environment. To do all of this in a fluid sector requires very specific key skill sets.

The keywords and phrases below describe competencies that are specific to the field of research.

Data collection
Report writing
Field surveys
Data analysis
Fieldwork
Survey reports
Data quality
Research methods
Database management
Analytical intelligence
Critical thinking
Time management
Problem solving
Giving presentations
Taking notes
Digital research
Presenting findings

Include an Education section

For a technical roles like this, recruiters want to know what you’ve specifically studied at college and university, along with the qualifications gained, grades achieved and dates attended.

This section is more than a history of your academic journey, its a platform that underscore your expertise, understanding and dedication to the field of research. Having an education part reassures recruiters that you possess the formal knowledge needed to carry out your duties competently. In this way it can aid your job application, and should therefore be included in your CV.

Focus on relevant qualifications

Highlighting these will give you the edge in the event of a tie between you and other equally qualified candidates. Additionally, if it includes keywords of required skills (matching those in the job description), it can help you get past the dreaded Applicant Tracking Systems.

Researcher degrees

Ideally the degree you put in your CV should be relevant to the job you are applying for.

Research scientist: Ideally you would want a first or 2:1 (upper second class) degree in a science subject. Most prospective employers require candidates to have either a research-based MSc or a PhD, or to be working towards one. Some research scientists go further and continue to study for a postgraduate qualification like a PhD whilst gaining hands-on experience through work or apprenticeships.

Market researcher: It’s an advantage to have an undergraduate degree in a specific subject linked to the job you are applying for or related in some way to communication and analysis. Postgraduate qualifications are usually not needed for this position.

Quantitative researcher: As this involves working with statistics, analytics and percentages, a numerical degree is useful in subjects like economics, mathematics and statistics.

Qualitative researcher: Recruiters prefer candidates who have degrees in fields such as anthropology, geography, psychology and sociology etc.

Where to put the Education section

Most people position it under the skills section and above the references. However, if you lack work experience and your educational background is your strongest selling point, then it should feature prominently at the top of your CV below the Personal profile.

Hobbies and interests

Including this is your CV really depends on the availability of space in it. That’s why not many people add this often-neglected section. If you do, then harness its full power by describing hobbies that shows you are a sociable person and team player.

Do not just answer the recruiters ‘What do you do in your spare time?’ question. Instead use your hobbies to sell yourself to a prospective recruiter. Do this by stressing the transferable skills you have gained and trying to relate these to the role you are applying for.

Tips on hobby writing

Below are some points to consider on whether it’s worth including these in your CV or not.

Research the recruiter

A good way to align your interest with the employer is to check out their company. Through their job advert, website, and social media accounts find out their culture and what they may do as individuals or as a group. See if their off-work activities align with yours, and if so, it may be worth mentioning them. For instance if they have a company 5 aside football team, and you also play for one, then you have a shared hobby that could interest them.

Same hobby as the recruiter: Remember that you could strike lucky and have the same interests as the hiring manager. As humans are naturally drawn to those with similar tastes, your application will be more positively looked upon and it’ll be easier to bond with them in an interview.

Fill in empty space on your CV

If you have a blank space at the end of your CV, then rather than leaving it empty, fill it up by explaining your hobbies. This is better than a wall of white space, which can signify to a recruiter that you have nothing to say about yourself.

Team sports

This demonstrates a candidate’s teamwork as well as communication and leadership skills. All ideal competencies for roles where you have to operate as part of a group.

Solo and team hobbies for your CV:

Researcher CV Frequently Asked Questions

1. What should a Researcher CV include?

At its core your CV should mimic the requirements of the job description. For a researchers position this usually means being able to find, locate, analyse, and interpret data. These competencies should then be tweaked to the industry that you want to work in, be it finance, science or medicine etc.

A CV should present all the above information in a structed format where your strongest points can be easily found. It must have separate sections for your contact details, personal profile, work experience, skills and academic achievements.

2. What is the job role of a Researcher?

They can either work alone or as part of a team gathering, recording, analysing, and presenting data for range of projects. All of this must be done whilst adhering to required methodologies, and within set time, quality, and budget constraints.

From the information they analyse they come up with ways to solve problems, predict trends or check the viability of business ideas. Researchers must also be good communicators who are able to share their findings with colleagues and present their conclusions to research teams.

Additionally, they need to have good planning and management skills to achieve complex research objectives.

3. Where do Researchers work?

There is huge and growing demand for researchers in both the public and private sectors. With many employers paying researchers a salary that is above the national average, and with so many broad areas to work in, there are a multitude of industries you can build a career in.

Different types of researchers: