Big Data Resume: How-To Guide With Sample & Key Skills

Transforming unfathomable volumes of data into comprehensible solutions that change people’s lives? Easy. You do that every day. 

Writing a big data resume is somewhat similar—you take all your experience and skills and turn them into a structured data set. This guide will tell you how to do it efficiently so that no important values are missing. 

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How to Write a Big Data Resume

Here’s the pipeline to a perfect big data resume:

1. Pick a resume format. Here are the options:

• A reverse-chronological resume (classic and preferable, centers around work experience, the last job goes first) 
• A functional resume (focuses on transferable skills, good for entry-level candidates or career changers)
• A combination resume (a hybrid of the two)

2. Lay out your resume. That includes arranging the structure of your resume and its visual characteristics.  

• Select a professional resume font, set to 10–12 pts.
• Set 1-inch resume margins on all sides.
• Go with 1–1.5 line spacing for enough white space.
• Use headings, italics, and bold type to keep different parts of your resume separate.

3. Map out the mandatory resume sections. They are:

• Resume header
• Resume summary (experienced candidates) or resume objective (entry-level)
• Work experience
• Education section
• List of your professional skills

The order of your resume will depend on the format. If you want to be 100% sure your resume is ATS-friendly and that all the sections are there, use a reliable resume template.  

4. Create a resume header. It should include your name, job title, and up-to-date contact details (phone #, email, and LinkedIn link are usually enough.)

5. Write a summary or objective. Briefly describe your relevant work experience, outstanding achievements, and why you’ll be a good fit for the job. Aim at one paragraph and 3–4 sentences.

6. Give an overview of your experience. Consider the following:

• Your resume should go back 10–15 years max., with 3–6 bullet points per job and a key achievement. 
• For best results, tailor your resume to the job ad. 
• Provide examples of your qualifications that make you a viable candidate for the job, with measurable results to support each of your entries.

7. Mention your education. This is probably the easiest part to get right, as you only need to list the final stage of your studies (usually higher education). There’s no need to add anything besides the name of the degree and institution, plus dates unless it’s a resume for an entry-level candidate. In that case, add a bullet point or two about your academic achievements or awards, noteworthy projects, honors, etc.

8. List your skills. When you decide which skills to put on your resume, consult the job posting (more in the chapter below).

9. Don’t forget about additional resume details. You can highlight miscellaneous important achievements with the help of extra sections, such as:

• Ongoing education (online courses, training, etc.)
• Licenses or certifications, memberships
• Hobbies and interests
• Volunteering experience
• Publications, etc. 

10. Check and optimize. Here’s what you do:

• Proofread and check for errors and inconsistencies, incoherent formatting, etc.
• See if you’ve included resume keywords from the job ad.
• Review your big data resume again to see if you can replace some neutral phrases with power words.
• Rename your file as you’re saving your resume in PDF.

For more tips and best practices for every particular step, read this article: How to Write a Resume: General Guide 

Noticed a cover letter is required? Don’t worry. Here are the instructions on how to create one: How to Write a Cover Letter: Step-By-Step Guide

Key Skills to Add to Your Big Data Resume

Working in big data requires some serious technical skills. However, when assembling your big data resume, you should not just add all the hard skills you’ve acquired during your career. Study the position requirements carefully to create a truly targeted resume, and add a mix of hard and soft skills matching the expectations. Keep in mind that mentioning some soft skills of yours is equally important—you’re working with people too, after all, so interpersonal skills matter.

Feature these top 10 skills on your big data resume:

• SQL/NoSQL (Hadoop, Spark, etc.)
• Java/Python/other relevant programming languages and tools
• Machine learning/AutoML
• Data visualization/mining (add job-specific tools, like KNIME, Apache Mahout, etc.)
• Knowledge of cloud tech (AWS/Azure, Docker/Kubernetes, etc.)
• Analytical skills
• Problem-solving skills 
• Communication skills
• Collaboration skills
• Teamwork skills

Pro Tip: Holding a senior position or want to get promoted? Adding leadership skills to your list on top of in-depth IT expertise is always a good idea. Just remember to add some facts justifying these claims (in your resume or cover letter).

Looking for Something Else? We Have the Following:

• Data Entry Resume
• Data Analyst Resume
• Data Scientist Resume
• Data Engineer Resume
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• Kubernetes Resume Examples
• Microservices Resume Examples
• DevOps Resume Examples
• Software Engineer Resume Examples
• Solution Architect Resume Examples

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.

Thank you for reading our guide on writing a big data resume. Is there anything you think we should add? Feel free to start a discussion in the comments below.

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