I'd like your resume critique please! (btw I hope this is not too long to post on here. I see other people's postings are quite short with links to their resumes but I just excerpted some sections of my resume to give you a general impression rather than posting the whole thing for privacy reasons. Also this is all usually Latexed into a pdf. )
A bit of background: I recently graduated with a degree in Physics. I've discovered that marketing yourself to employers with a degree in Physics can be a challenge because although the problem solving and analytical skills are deeply applicable and great asset employers can be impatient to see how you can immediately contribute or have immediately applicable skills. This not being a cookie cutter degree for jobs where employers can't immediately picture you perfectly fitting into a role can be our Achilles' heel. Physics is a broadly applicable degree but since the degree is so broad (and more theoretical than computer science or engineering) a lot of employers don't immediately see how you can contribute or apply your skills to their company. I was doing a chronological resume, emphasizing my work history and someone suggested that I change my resume to a functional form to emphasize my skills like the one below. What do you think of this (pulling key words from the job posting and putting them in the bullet points)? Does this sell me better and look like I'm more of a practical fit for what THEY NEED rather than someone who is more theoretical ? I was advised to do this by a job office and I think it looks better but I want to confirm that it is a good idea. Given the advice above would you recommend I take out the objective and reorder putting education at the top ? Thanks!
OBJECTIVE: Highly passionate and inquisitive physicist seeking to obtain the full time Quantitative Analyst position with indeed.com where I may apply my strong mathematical abilities and analytic capabilities. SUMMARY OF SKILLS: • SQL and Python experience • Knowledge of C++ and R • Graphing expertise using Gnuplot, Excel and Octave • Matlab, Mathematica and Maple • Bash scripting • Algorithm experience • Wrote scripts to automate scientific data collection • C and Java programming, numerical methods and optimization PRACTICAL SKILLS: • Performed electrical lab using Python scripts to run reoccurring experiment and collect data • Superior level of statistics knowledge and training • Experience utilizing visualization and presentation tools such as Latex and Beamer to present results to groups • Graphed data using Gnuplot and Excel after performing least square fit calculations on experimental data and selecting the best model • Formulated, debugged and implemented programs in Java and C to operate a robotic arm, print a series of shapes according to user specifications, calculate a mortgage, control LED lights and collect hardware data • Communicated technical and scientific ideas in simple terms, orally and using presentations and hands on demonstrations in Physics outreach • Tutored Math and Physics breaking down complex concepts to improve comprehension LEADERSHIP SKILLS: • Simulated partial differential equations with a numerical recipe in C, simplifying assumptions and using the 1 dimensional heat equation, performed error analysis and presented the results graphically • Worked with various teams and research groups providing simple solutions to complicated matters
WORK EXPERIENCE: ------------ (I have this section but I'm excluding this on here for privacy reasons) EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE: ------------ (I'm excluding this on here for privacy reasons, thanks for giving me your thoughts.)