What skills should a Zoologists and Wildlife Biologist put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, and Reading Comprehension 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 Zoologists and Wildlife Biologist list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Computer modeling software, Corel WordPerfect Office Suite, Database management software, Email software, and ESRI ArcGIS 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 Zoologists and Wildlife Biologist work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Conservation Biologist, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Fisheries Biologist, and Wildlife Biologist. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Zoologists and Wildlife Biologist need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 57% 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 Zoologists and Wildlife Biologist 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.

Zoologists and Wildlife Biologist resume example

A resume for a Zoologists and Wildlife Biologist needs to show the work itself: study the origins, behavior, diseases, genetics, and life processes of animals and wildlife. Day to day that means work like this: develop, or make recommendations on, management systems and plans for wildlife populations and habitat, consulting with stakeholders and the public at large to explore options; inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations. 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.

Conservation Biologist
Fish and Wildlife Biologist
Fisheries Biologist
Wildlife Biologist
Aquatic Biologist
Forest Wildlife Biologist
Habitat Biologist
Wildlife Refuge Specialist
Zoologist
Wildlife Tech
Animal Behaviorist
Animal Biologist
Behaviorist
Cryptozoologist
Dolphin Researcher
Entomologist
Ethologist
Field Naturalist

O*NET records 40 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.

Develop, or make recommendations on, management systems and plans for wildlife populations and habitat, consulting with stakeholders and the public at large to explore options.
Inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations.
Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife.
Study animals in their natural habitats, assessing effects of environment and industry on animals, interpreting findings and recommending alternative operating conditions for industry.
Disseminate information by writing reports and scientific papers or journal articles, and by making presentations and giving talks for schools, clubs, interest groups and park interpretive programs.
Study characteristics of animals, such as origin, interrelationships, classification, life histories, diseases, development, genetics, and distribution.
Perform administrative duties, such as fundraising, public relations, budgeting, and supervision of zoo staff.
Check for, and ensure compliance with, environmental laws, and notify law enforcement when violations are identified.
Analyze characteristics of animals to identify and classify them.
Conduct literature reviews.
Organize and conduct experimental studies with live animals in controlled or natural surroundings.
Coordinate preventive programs to control the outbreak of wildlife diseases.

14 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.

Develop, or make recommendations on, management systems and plans for wildlife populations and habitat, consulting with stakeholders and the public at large to explore options, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Inform and respond to public regarding wildlife and conservation issues, such as plant identification, hunting ordinances, and nuisance wildlife, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Study animals in their natural habitats, assessing effects of environment and industry on animals, interpreting findings and recommending alternative operating conditions for industry, 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.

Computer modeling software
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
Database management software
Email software
ESRI ArcGIS software
ESRI ArcView
Geographic information system GIS software
Geographic information system GIS systems
Global positioning system GPS software
HATPRO
IBM Lotus 1-2-3
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP
Microsoft Excel

27 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.

35 millimeter cameras
Adjustable widemouth pliers
Aerial nets
Air compressors
All terrain vehicles ATV
Animal transmitters
Animal traps
Archery bows
Axes
Benchtop centrifuges
Benthic samplers
Binoculars

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
supervise employees

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
04Judgment and Decision Making
05Reading Comprehension
06Speaking
07Science
08Writing
09Coordination
10Active Learning

Knowledge areas

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

Biology
English Language
Customer and Personal Service
Mathematics
Geography
Law and Government
Administration and Management
Communications and Media

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.

57%Bachelor's Degree
40%Master's Degree
3%Post-Doctoral Training

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 Zoologists and Wildlife Biologist do?: Study the origins, behavior, diseases, genetics, and life processes of animals and wildlife. Day to day that includes work like develop, or make recommendations on, management systems and plans for wildlife populations and habitat, consulting with stakeholders and the public at large to explore options and Inventory or estimate plant and wildlife populations.
What skills should a Zoologists and Wildlife Biologist put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, and Reading Comprehension 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 Zoologists and Wildlife Biologist list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Computer modeling software, Corel WordPerfect Office Suite, Database management software, Email software, and ESRI ArcGIS 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 Zoologists and Wildlife Biologist work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Conservation Biologist, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Fisheries Biologist, and Wildlife Biologist. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Zoologists and Wildlife Biologist need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 57% 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 Zoologists and Wildlife Biologist 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.