Home Ecologist Resume template
Ecologist resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what ecologists actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most ecologists should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Ecologist with field research and data analysis experience across terrestrial and aquatic systems, translating survey findings into environmental impact assessments and conservation advice for government and industry stakeholders. Comfortable moving between fieldwork, statistical modelling and technical report writing.
Key skills
- Field research and sampling
- Statistical modelling
- Environmental impact assessment
- Policy analysis and advice
- Project management
- ArcGIS (GIS software)
- R or Python for statistical analysis
- GPS and field monitoring equipment
- SPSS or similar databases
Experience: example bullet points
- Conducted flora and fauna field surveys and collected biological specimens and environmental samples to support biodiversity assessments across multiple sites
- Analysed population and habitat trend data using R and GIS mapping, identifying patterns that informed conservation management plans
- Prepared environmental impact assessments and conservation management plans for referral to state and federal regulators, meeting statutory assessment timeframes
- Liaised with government agencies and community stakeholders on biodiversity protection projects, coordinating survey scheduling around approval milestones
- Presented ecological findings and management recommendations to non-technical audiences including landholders and council staff, supporting informed planning decisions
- Contributed to published research and technical reports, strengthening the evidence base used in regional conservation and land management planning
Education
Bachelor degree in ecology, environmental science or biology, with many ecologists going on to Honours or a Masters for research-focused or senior consulting roles.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- EPBC Act 1999
- Biodiversity Conservation Act
- environmental impact assessment
- flora and fauna survey
- threatened species licence
- conservation management plan
- state EPA referral
- ArcGIS
- R programming
- Python
- SPSS
- ecological consulting
- vegetation mapping
- Ecological Society of Australia
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.