Microbiologist CV example

Scientific skills alone unfortunately aren’t enough to secure a new role – how you present them matters just as much. A well-structured, carefully tailored CV can help you stand out from equally qualified peers and make an immediate impact with recruiters.

In the sections below, you’ll find guidance on structuring and writing a CV, selecting the right information to include, and framing your background so it resonates with employers in your field.

Just as experiments follow a logical methodology, your CV should follow a clear and accessible structure. Recruiters and hiring managers will quickly dismiss a document that feels disorganised, even if the skills are there. Present your career in a way that allows them to locate the most relevant details with ease.

Here’s the structure to follow:

• Name and contact details – Display your personal details clearly at the top so employers can get in touch easily. Including a photo is entirely optional.
• Profile – Begin with a concise summary that highlights your expertise and what you bring to the role.
• Core skills – Highlight your strongest skills that align with the role’s requirements.
• Work experience – Start with your most recent role and work backwards, showcasing achievements and responsibilities.
• Education – Mention your degrees, certifications, and any training that supports your career path.
• Additional info – Include any additional details, like awards, professional memberships, or hobbies that highlight your skills or personality.
  

When it comes to presentation and layout, aim for a format that is as professional as it is easy to read. Use bullet points to break down text, separate sections with clear headings, and maintain a clean, readable font. Keep the CV length within two pages, but make good use of white space so your skills and achievements have room to stand out.

Think of your CV profile as your abstract – the concise summary that encourages someone to read further. It should capture your most relevant experience and the value you bring to an employer, whether that’s advancing research or ensuring compliance. This is your chance to set the tone for the rest of your CV by making clear what you can contribute.

Here’s what to include in your profile:

• Where you worked – Outline the settings in which you’ve gained experience, such as academic research institutions, commercial laboratories, or healthcare facilities.
• Your top qualifications – Mention your most relevant degrees, accreditations, or certifications in microbiology or related disciplines.
• Essential skills – Summarise your key professional abilities in a way that aligns directly with the role requirements.
• Specialist areas or focus – Highlight any subfields or technical methods you’ve worked with extensively, such as environmental microbiology, molecular diagnostics, or antimicrobial resistance studies.
• Value delivered – Explain how your work has supported scientific goals, regulatory compliance, or operational efficiency.

The core CV skills section gives recruiters a rapid overview of your capabilities. In highly competitive scientific roles, this can be the deciding factor in whether they keep reading.

Concentrate on tangible, measurable skills that are relevant to the specific microbiology role you’re targeting. Adapt these to match the job description and employer focus – the closer the alignment, the stronger your application will appear.

Your work experience section demonstrates how you’ve applied your expertise in practical settings. Employers will want to see how you’ve contributed to research objectives, improved processes, or supported regulatory and quality requirements.

Present your roles in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. For each, provide a short summary of the position and the organisation before detailing responsibilities and achievements in bullet points. Make sure your examples highlight both technical competence and the impact of your work.

• Outline – Introduce the organisation, your role, and the purpose of your position, noting who you reported to and the type of projects or work undertaken.
• Responsibilities – Describe your main duties, using action words like “analysed” and “developed.” For example: “analysed bacterial cultures for contamination risk” or “developed testing protocols for quality assurance.”
• Achievements – Provide measurable achievements, such as reduced processing time, successful regulatory audits, or contributions to published research.

In a field as technical as microbiology, qualifications play a major role in demonstrating your credibility. Include your degree(s) and any postgraduate or specialist training, as well as industry-recognised certifications.

List your education in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent. If you’ve undertaken significant research projects, dissertations, or further training relevant to the role, include brief details to show depth of expertise and continuous professional development.