One interview after 3 months? Don’t worry! Keep your biostatistics resume as is. As you can see, by the end of the year you’ll be inundated with interviews…
The Harsh Truth About Biostatistics Resumes
It’s no secret that the biostatistics job market can be a tough one. If you’ve spent time on the r/biostatistics subreddit, you’ve probably seen job search Sankey diagrams that paint a harsh picture.
For example, one Reddit user applied to 300 jobs before landing a single job offer. In their words:
“TLDR; it’s rough out there folks.”
Or as another user, who applied for 330 jobs before they got a job offer, shared:
“I’ve been on the job hunt since early 2023 somewhat casually with some more serious portions of the search. I sent out a bunch of apps for jobs I probably wasn’t qualified for so that inflated the number, but it was brutal.”
Wow, that’s over a year and a half looking for a job!
The biggest hurdle in your job search? The application stage. In fact, over 90% of these applications are either ghosted or rejected*. This is an extremely high number when you consider how much time and effort you put into your job search, that is essentially, wasted.
(*93.65% based on the posts quoted above.)
So, how do you increase your chances of getting interviews? By reducing the amount of applications that get ghosted/rejected at this stage. Close this gap, then you stand a better chance at actually getting a job.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this hard. With the right tweaks, your resume can stand out from the pile.
I know this because I’ve done it. The last time I applied for jobs, I got multiple callbacks and landed a senior role, in a highly competitive remote position – plus a 37.8% salary increase.
A mistake a lot of biostatisticians make is to think their resume is just a summary of what you’ve done.
It’s not.
Your resume is a marketing document with one goal in mind – to get you interviews in a highly competitive field. And it needs to be written that way.
Is Your Resume Really a Problem?
You’ve applied to 30 jobs. Zero callbacks. Is your resume the problem? Probably.
A source suggest that you need to send around 10-15 resumes to get one callback. If you’re not hitting this callback rate, you probably need to start making some tweaks to your resume.
I know what you’re thinking, “I’ll just apply to more jobs and keep my current resume. Statistically speaking, I will get a interview eventually”.
I won’t argue with the stats but I will argue that this approach is a huge waste of your time and effort.
Instead, you can significantly increase your chances of getting an interview by just making one simple change to your resume!
Your Current Resume is Boring
Most biostatistics resumes read like job descriptions rather than success stories.
Here’s an example of a weak bullet point:
“Performed data analysis using R and SAS.”
I will say on behalf of everyone who has to read a resume like this, *yawn*.
This is vague, uninspiring and indistinguishable from every other resume. Hiring managers see hundreds like this.
This is a chance to sell yourself to the recruiter, not regurgitate your last job description or university project.
Fact is, a lot of applicant have the same background on paper when you look at them through this lens.
Every applicant has experience with programming and stats, has done the titanic survival analysis and has a degree.
This does not set you apart from other applicants and will not help you get that interview.
Your resume should sell you, not just list what you did.
The Anatomy of an Interview-Winning Biostatistics Resume
So how do you make your resume stand out from the rest? By transforming your experiences into quantitative, results-orientated actions.
Use this formula:
Action Verb + What You Did + Result (with Numbers)
For example:
Before: “Performed data analysis using R and SAS.”
After: “Analyzed clinical trial data using R and SAS, improving model predictive accuracy by 20%, leading to better patient outcome forecasts.”
Much better! The quantitative result makes it stand out.
You might ask, “What if I don’t have any clear, quantifiable outcomes?”. In that case, add a quantitative action instead.
For example:
Before: “Created statistical analysis plans based on study protocols.”
After: “Developed statistical analysis plans for five high-impact studies, aligning methodologies with trial protocols to enhance research validity.”
Even in academia or non-profits, results matter. All organizations need to save money or generate funding, and your work contributes to that. Showcase it.
Here’s an example:
Before: “Worked with a senior researcher on the analysis of progression time to Alzheimer’s Disease.”
After: “Collaborated with a senior researcher on the analysis of progression time to Alzheimer’s Disease by automating statistical processes to reduce the estimated analysis time from 4 weeks to 2 weeks.”
This highlights efficiency and impact – things every employer values.
Don’t have much work experience? No problem! Use examples of university projects, coursework and personal side-projects.
Why This Works
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It shows not just what you did, but why it mattered.
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Numbers grab attention. They’re easy to scan and prove real impact.
- It differentiates you from other applicants. Your experiences are unique – your job description or university degree is not.
Try it Out For Yourself
Pick one bullet point from your current resume and rewrite it using the formula above. Describe the action you took. Show a quantitative result.
- If you improved a process, how much faster did it get?
- If you built a model, how accurate was it?
- If you worked on a big client project, what was the value of it?
Simple.
Conclusion
That’s it – just one tweak. But it’s powerful. Apply this across your entire resume, and you won’t just “get through the system” – you’ll get noticed.
Most biostatistics resumes read like dry job descriptions. Don’t make the same mistake. Stand out, and land more interviews.
There’s more where that came from.
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