In short: A strong CV for scientists starts with knowing your skills and values. Researchers develop many transferable skills, such as project management, data analysis and communication, that they rarely describe well. An effective CV is tailored to each role, is easy to scan in seconds, and describes experience using the formula Competency | Description + Metrics. Chaperone delivers workshops on identifying skills, CV and cover letter writing for academic and non academic jobs to universities and research institutes, for audiences from master students to senior researchers.
You are not just doing a Western blot.
Every time you run one, you design an experiment, manage resources, handle instruments with precision, and collect, analyse and report data. That is project management, attention to detail and data analysis, practised dozens of times a year.
Most researchers never see it this way. And if they do not see it, recruiters will not either.
This guide brings together what we teach in our workshop on identifying skills, CV and cover letter writing for academic and non academic jobs: how to map your skills, align your job search with your values, and write CVs and cover letters that get you to the interview.
Why do scientists need to know their skills?
Scientists need to know their skills because modern research careers are non linear and highly competitive. Reflecting on your direction is no longer something you do once after graduation. It is a continuous need.
Commonly cited estimates suggest that only a small minority of PhD holders, often around 5%, end up in permanent academic positions. The rest build careers elsewhere, and job transitions are becoming more frequent at every stage.
If you aim to stay in academia, hypercompetition means every part of your fellowship and grant applications must be excellent, and your CV will always be needed.
If you aim to move beyond academia, you need to be convincing about transferable skills, often without ever having held a non academic role.
Either way, knowing your skills and writing an effective CV is a must have, not a nice to have.
Hard skills and transferable skills
Skills are knowledge or talents that allow us to perform a task well. They are usually divided into:
- Hard skills: technical abilities, such as programming, microscopy or statistical modelling.
- Soft or transferable skills: abilities that travel across roles, such as communication, leadership, critical thinking or time management.
Researchers typically underestimate the second group. In our work with thousands of scientists, we consistently find skills such as data analysis, project management, critical thinking, communication, accountability, continuous learning and conflict management well developed. Others, such as leadership, long term strategic thinking, financial literacy, negotiation and building high performance teams, are often less developed.
Skill sets also shift as careers move. Academic research builds data analysis, project management and critical thinking. Policy roles add negotiation, partnership building and the ability to influence. Entrepreneurship brings strategic thinking, risk taking, delegation and innovation. Same person. Very different toolkit.
How to build a skills inventory
A skills inventory is a structured list of your skills, each backed by evidence. Build it in three steps:
- 1) List your skills. Three good sources of inspiration: the Harvard competency dictionary, LinkedIn profiles of people in roles you admire, and real job specifications.
- 2) Write two or three examples that prove each skill. Examples from different roles are better. Examples with numbers are better still.
- 3) Practise describing each skill alone or with a colleague. Does it sound convincing?
Then run a skills audit. Pick the skills most relevant to your goals, such as collaboration, presentations, data analysis, time management, project management, scientific writing and programming, and score yourself from 1 (very little) to 5 (excellent). Draw it as a radar chart. Then do it again for where you want to be twelve months from now.
The highest score is likely one of your strengths. Use it deliberately. The biggest gap is your upskilling plan for the year.
Come back to this exercise at least once a year. Skills evolve, and the labour market rewards those who keep reskilling and upskilling.
Aligning your values with your job search
Skills tell you what you can do. Values tell you where you will thrive.
We use an adaptation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to reflect on work:
- Physiological: working hours, physical and mental comfort, holidays.
- Security: stability, salary, safe conditions.
- Social: relationships with colleagues and your supervisor.
- Esteem: recognition by peers, feeling heard and valued.
- Self realisation: challenging work, autonomy, learning, purpose.
Which levels are non negotiable for you right now? Which are you willing to trade?
Two further reflections we recommend. First, read about employer archetypes, for example Henley Business School’s work on the “omniployment” era, Bain & Company’s “The Working Future” and James Sale’s work on mapping motivation, and write a short description of what motivates you. Second, reflect on what keeps you from developing the skills you need. Shirzad Chamine’s Positive Intelligence framework of personal saboteurs is a helpful starting point.
“Industry” is not one place. A scientist at a large pharma company in Switzerland and a project manager at a foundation in Lisbon both work “in industry”, with very different cultures, salaries and growth paths. Knowing your values protects you from oversimplified career decisions.
What is the main goal of a CV?
The main goal of a CV is to get you selected for an interview. Not the job. The interview.
That changes how you write it. Think strategically and think about first impressions. Many CVs are rejected after less than ten seconds of reading in the first round. Recruiters scan; they do not read. Eye tracking research by Ladders (2018) shows that recruiters follow predictable patterns, so the position and order of information matter.
Before you send any CV, interview it as if you were the recruiter. Would you call this person?
CV design: a checklist
Use a simple, efficient and professional design that causes an immediate impact. Less is more.
- If you include a photo, choose it wisely.
- Use just one font.
- Do not include company or institution logos.
- Put the most relevant information first and align key points to the left.
- Avoid long blocks of text. Use columns, bullet points and bold for keywords.
- Number publications from most recent to oldest, with links in the PDF.
- Add page numbers in the footer, for example “Name Surname CV, Page 1/2”.
- Send a PDF with your name in the file name.
Chronological or competency based CV?
Chronological CVs list experience from most recent to oldest. They are the most common format and work well for linear academic careers.
Competency based CVs are organised around the competencies the employer is looking for. They are becoming more popular and are very effective for career transitions, because they lead with what you can do rather than where you did it.
Personalise every CV
Each application deserves a different CV. Our favourite reminder: it is not about you, it is about them.
Read the job post carefully and identify what really matters for that role. Then personalise:
The summary. A short snapshot of who you are, your main achievements and your interests, aligned with the job spec and the cover letter. It makes the recruiter’s job easier. An example for a project manager role in a health company:
I am a highly experienced Project Manager in Health across academic, governmental and industry contexts. I have managed more than 10 multi year projects with combined funding of over 2M euros, involving renowned international pharmaceutical companies and universities. This is combined with experience in business development and leadership as co founder of two professional associations and a fast growing startup.
The key competencies. Pick the three or four the role demands and build the CV around them.
The design. Personalisation can also be visual. Look at the organisation’s website and communication style, and align your materials with it.
How to describe your experience: Competency | Description + Metrics
This is the single change that most improves the CVs we review. Compare:
Before: “Volunteer at a research institute on a Covid-19 project.”
After: “Project management | Designed a project, assembled and led a team of 15 international researchers from Biology, Physics and Chemistry to produce more than 2,000 units of personal protective equipment using 3D technology, donated to 3 local hospitals and used in the diagnosis of more than 10,000 patients.”
Same experience. Completely different message.
Getting there is usually a conversation. A consultant asks: what skills does the employer want? What exactly did you do? Who was on the team? What was produced? How many? For whom? Each answer adds a layer.
Use active verbs. Replace “responsible for” with managed, led or raised. Replace “duties included” with optimised or spearheaded. Replace “excellent communication skills” with influenced, advised or negotiated.
Career gaps, honesty and feedback
Career gaps. You do not need to make them evident. Research by the Behavioural Insights Team (Nicks et al., 2021) found no harm in writing durations, such as “2 years | Researcher at…”, instead of exact dates.
Be factual. Never oversell or lie. It will surface at the interview, if not before.
Get feedback and proofread. Do not underestimate either. Ask colleagues, mentors and career professionals. AI can help too, with clever prompting and a critical eye on what it suggests.
Use your CV as a growth tool. A CV is not only for job applications. Reviewing it every six months is a powerful way to monitor your goals and plan your next steps.
How to write a cover letter that gets read
A CV shows qualifications, experience and skills. What it does not show are your values, personality, motivation and passion. That is the job of the cover letter, and in many selection processes it is the deciding factor.
Recruiters are asking three questions: Do you have the skills? Do we like you? Will you fit our team?
Address it to a real person: the PI or group leader named in an academic announcement, or the recruiter or head of department in a company.
Structure it in three parts:
- Opening. Grab attention. A short story that reveals your passion, your motivation for the role, and evidence that you know the organisation’s mission.
- Body. Why you are the best person for the job. Show specifically that you have the skills they want and how you developed them.
- Closing. As important as the opening. Show motivation, trust and enthusiasm, and politely ask for an interview.
A weekly process beats an application quota
Many scientists we talk to set targets like “ten applications this week”. By the tenth, they are copy pasting cover letters and quality collapses.
We suggest a process instead, roughly six hours a week: research openings and pick two favourites; reach out to one or two people in those organisations; personalise your CV and cover letter; then review with fresh eyes before sending. Quality and consistency make you stand out.
Why institutions invest in skills and CV training
For universities, research institutes and doctoral programmes, employability is a core outcome. Researchers who can articulate their transferable skills move faster into the next role, inside or outside academia, and become strong ambassadors for the institution that trained them. This training also supports the commitments of the European Charter for Researchers on career development.
How Chaperone’s skills and CV training works
Our workshop “Identifying Skills, CV and Cover Letter Writing for Academic and Non Academic Jobs” is delivered online or in person, as a webinar, workshop or course, and tailored to master students, PhD candidates, postdocs or staff scientists. Participants list and audit their skills, score real CVs for real job specs as if they were recruiters, and rewrite their own experience using the Competency | Description + Metrics formula.
Every workshop and course ends with an Impact Assessment Report for the institution. Researchers who want personal feedback can book 1:1 CV and cover letter sessions with our consultants, and institutions can purchase session packs as vouchers for their researchers.
Key takeaways
- Every research task hides transferable skills. Name them and prove them.
- Audit your skills and values at least once a year.
- The goal of a CV is the interview. Make it scannable in seconds.
- Tailor every CV and describe experience as Competency | Description + Metrics.
- Use the cover letter to show what a CV cannot: motivation, values and fit.
Frequently asked questions
What transferable skills do PhD students and postdocs have?
Common transferable skills include project management, data analysis, critical thinking, written and oral communication, time management, accountability, continuous learning, teaching and mentoring, and often conflict management and collaboration across disciplines.
How long should a CV be for a non academic job?
For most non academic roles, one to two pages. Prioritise the most relevant experience, use bullet points and metrics, and leave the full publication list for academic applications.
Should a scientist use a chronological or a competency based CV?
A chronological CV suits academic applications and linear careers. A competency based CV is more effective for career transitions, because it highlights the skills an employer needs.
Does Chaperone offer CV writing workshops for researchers?
Yes. Chaperone delivers skills, CV and cover letter workshops for universities, research institutes, doctoral schools and funders, online or in person, and offers individual 1:1 CV review sessions with experienced career consultants.
About Chaperone
Chaperone is a social impact company democratising access to high quality career development in science. With over 50 international career consultants and trainers, Chaperone provides group training, 1:1 career sessions through the first online marketplace of its kind for scientists, institutional consultancy and scientific talent recruitment. Chaperone has empowered over 5,000 scientists from more than 40 countries and is trusted by institutions such as EMBL, Karolinska Institutet, the European Commission Joint Research Centre and the Gulbenkian Foundation.
Want to boost the employability of your researchers? Email hello@chaperone.online and we will tailor a session for your institution.