What skills should a Forester put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Forester list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes ESRI ArcGIS software, ESRI ArcView, Forest Metrix, Forest vegetation simulators, and Forest yield software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Forester work?

O*NET records 34 titles for this occupation, including Area Forester, Silviculturist, Timber Sales Administrator, and Timber Sales Admin. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Forester need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 84% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Forester role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Forester resume example

A resume for a Forester needs to show the work itself: manage public and private forested lands for economic, recreational, and conservation purposes. Day to day that means work like this: monitor contract compliance and results of forestry activities to assure adherence to government regulations; negotiate terms and conditions of agreements and contracts for forest harvesting, forest management and leasing of forest lands. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Area Forester
Silviculturist
Timber Sales Administrator
Timber Sales Admin
District Forester
Fire Prevention Forester
Forest Practices Field Coordinator
Procurement Forester
Service Forester
Timber Marker
TMA
Consulting Utility Forester
Debris Monitor
Environmental Protection Forester
Extension Forester
Forest Ecologist
Forest Examiner
Forest Manager

O*NET records 34 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Monitor contract compliance and results of forestry activities to assure adherence to government regulations.
Negotiate terms and conditions of agreements and contracts for forest harvesting, forest management and leasing of forest lands.
Plan and implement projects for conservation of wildlife habitats and soil and water quality.
Establish short- and long-term plans for management of forest lands and forest resources.
Plan cutting programs and manage timber sales from harvested areas, assisting companies to achieve production goals.
Determine methods of cutting and removing timber with minimum waste and environmental damage.
Perform inspections of forests or forest nurseries.
Map forest area soils and vegetation to estimate the amount of standing timber and future value and growth.
Monitor forest-cleared lands to ensure that they are reclaimed to their most suitable end use.
Develop techniques for measuring and identifying trees.
Supervise activities of other forestry workers.
Plan and direct forest surveys and related studies and prepare reports and recommendations.

25 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Monitor contract compliance and results of forestry activities to assure adherence to government regulations, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Negotiate terms and conditions of agreements and contracts for forest harvesting, forest management and leasing of forest lands, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Plan and implement projects for conservation of wildlife habitats and soil and water quality, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Establish short- and long-term plans for management of forest lands and forest resources, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

ESRI ArcGIS software
ESRI ArcView
Forest Metrix
Forest vegetation simulators
Forest yield software
Fountains Forestry TwoDog
Geographic information system GIS software
Geographic information system GIS systems
Global positioning system GPS software
IBM Notes
Mapping software
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
Microsoft Excel

22 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

All-terrain vehicles ATV
Backpack sprayers
Brush chippers
Bucket trucks
Chainsaws
Computer data input scanners
Computer laser printers
Digital clinometers
Forestry axes
Four wheel drive 4WD vehicles
Global positioning system GPS devices
Hand pruners

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

ESRI ArcGIS
Geographic information system GIS systems
cultivate land

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Active Listening
02Complex Problem Solving
03Critical Thinking
04Reading Comprehension
05Speaking
06Judgment and Decision Making
07Monitoring
08Writing
09Systems Analysis
10Systems Evaluation

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Customer and Personal Service
English Language
Administration and Management
Biology
Law and Government
Mathematics
Geography
Public Safety and Security

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

84%Bachelor's Degree
13%Associate's Degree
1%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Considerable Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Common questions

What does a Forester do?: Manage public and private forested lands for economic, recreational, and conservation purposes. Day to day that includes work like monitor contract compliance and results of forestry activities to assure adherence to government regulations and Negotiate terms and conditions of agreements and contracts for forest harvesting, forest management and leasing of forest lands.
What skills should a Forester put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Forester list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes ESRI ArcGIS software, ESRI ArcView, Forest Metrix, Forest vegetation simulators, and Forest yield software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Forester work?: O*NET records 34 titles for this occupation, including Area Forester, Silviculturist, Timber Sales Administrator, and Timber Sales Admin. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Forester need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 84% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Forester role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.