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Data Scientist Resume Keywords

The skills 8,584 Data Scientist job postings ask for, next to what 2,799 candidates' resumes actually list. The difference is where most resumes lose the match.

Updated September 2026 · From 8,584 job postings and 2,799 resumes

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Data Scientist

job postings analyzed
8,584
Each counted once
candidate resumes
2,799
One per candidate, the latest
most requested skill
Python
In 82% of jobs
biggest gap
Mathematics
33% of jobs, 10% of resumes

What the numbers say

The widest gaps on Data Scientist resumes are academic words, not tools. Mathematics is in 33% of jobs and on 10% of resumes, and quantitative skills in 27% against 9%. A resume that lists a degree title such as "M.S., Data Science" can still miss "mathematics" and "quantitative" entirely. Name the fields and the methods in words.

The tools are table stakes. Python is in 82% of jobs and on 76% of resumes, machine learning in 69% against 62%, and SQL in 64% against 55%. Everyone lists them, so they rarely set a resume apart.

The biggest change is artificial intelligence: it went from 20% of jobs to 51% in a year, the largest one-year move of any skill for this role. Data pipelines (11% to 16%) and data engineering (9% to 14%) climbed too, so jobs increasingly want scientists who ship models, not only build them. Senior jobs ask for artificial intelligence (43%, against 29% at entry level) and quantitative skills (34% against 21%) most.

All keywords

Data Scientist keywords, ranked by how many jobs ask for them

Each row shows two numbers: the share of Data Scientist job postings that ask for the skill, and the share of candidates' resumes that had it when scanned against those job postings.

Data Scientist: skills in job postings vs on resumes

The share of 8,584 Data Scientist job postings that ask for each skill, next to the share of 2,799 candidates' resumes that list it. The gap is the difference in percentage points.

Share of job postings asking for it Share of resumes that had it
Skill Asked for in jobsListed on resumes Gappts
1

Python

Core

1.4× per job that asks
82%
76%
 +6 pts
2

Machine Learning

Core

2.4× per job that asks
69%
62%
 +7 pts
3

SQL

Core

1.2× per job that asks
64%
55%
 +9 pts
4

Analytics

Core

2.1× per job that asks
50%
35%
 +15 pts
5

Programming

Common

1.2× per job that asks
36%
26%
 +10 pts
6

Algorithms

Common

1.5× per job that asks
34%
21%
 +13 pts
7

Mathematics

Common

1.2× per job that asks
33%
10%
 +23 pts
8

Data Analysis

Common

1.3× per job that asks
32%
24%
 +8 pts
9

Artificial Intelligence

Common

3.6× per job that asks
31%
24%
 +8 pts
10

Testing

Common

1.4× per job that asks
30%
19%
 +11 pts
11

Data-Driven

Common

1.3× per job that asks
27%
19%
 +8 pts
12

Quantitative Analysis

Common

1.3× per job that asks
27%
9%
 +18 pts
13

Data Visualization

Common

1.3× per job that asks
24%
18%
 +6 pts
14

Coding

Common

1.4× per job that asks
23%
10%
 +13 pts
15

Database

Common

1.3× per job that asks
22%
13%
 +8 pts
Show all 50 keywords
16

AWS

Common

1.4× per job that asks
22%
12%
 +10 pts
17

Business Intelligence

Common

1.4× per job that asks
21%
17%
 +4 pts
18

Tableau

Common

1.2× per job that asks
21%
14%
 +7 pts
19

Optimization

Common

1.4× per job that asks
20%
10%
 +10 pts
20

Dashboarding

Common

1.3× per job that asks
19%
14%
 +5 pts
21

Finance

Common

1.6× per job that asks
19%
9%
 +10 pts
22

TensorFlow

Common

1.1× per job that asks
17%
13%
 +4 pts
23

scikit-learn

Common

1.1× per job that asks
17%
14%
 +3 pts
24

Microsoft Azure

Common

1.5× per job that asks
17%
9%
 +9 pts
25

Programming Languages

Common

1.1× per job that asks
17%
8%
 +9 pts
26

Deep Learning

Common

1.3× per job that asks
16%
13%
 +3 pts
27

pandas

Common

1.1× per job that asks
16%
15%
 +1 pts
28

PyTorch

Common

1.1× per job that asks
16%
11%
 +5 pts
29

Statistical Analysis

Common

1.1× per job that asks
16%
8%
 +8 pts
30

Querying

Common

1.2× per job that asks
15%
8%
 +8 pts
31

Forecasting

Common

1.5× per job that asks
15%
8%
 +7 pts
32

Big Data

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
15%
8%
 +7 pts
33

Power BI

Specialist

1.3× per job that asks
14%
12%
 +2 pts
34

Mining

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
13%
7%
 +6 pts
35

Learning Techniques

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
13%
4%
 +9 pts
36

Marketing

Specialist

1.7× per job that asks
13%
5%
 +9 pts
37

Data Pipeline

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
13%
6%
 +7 pts
38

NLP

Specialist

1.5× per job that asks
13%
9%
 +3 pts
39

NumPy

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
12%
12%
 0 pts
40

Exploratory Analysis

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
12%
8%
 +4 pts
41

Cloud Platform

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
12%
5%
 +7 pts
42

Google Cloud Platform

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
12%
5%
 +7 pts
43

Data Analytics

Specialist

1.3× per job that asks
11%
7%
 +5 pts
44

Data Mining

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
11%
6%
 +5 pts
45

Data Engineering

Specialist

1.3× per job that asks
11%
4%
 +7 pts
46

Clustering

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
11%
5%
 +6 pts
47

Statistical Modeling

Specialist

1.2× per job that asks
11%
5%
 +6 pts
48

Git

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
10%
7%
 +4 pts
49

Versioning

Specialist

1.1× per job that asks
10%
4%
 +7 pts
50

Data Modeling

Specialist

1.3× per job that asks
10%
3%
 +7 pts

Source: skillsyncer.com/resume-keywords/data-scientist · CC BY 4.0

Which of these keywords does your resume already have?

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The gap

The keywords resumes miss most

Asked for far more often than candidates list them. If you have these skills, these are the words most likely to be costing you the match.

Mathematics

+23 pts
33%
10%

33% of jobs ask for it, but only 10% of resumes list it.

Quantitative Analysis

+18 pts
27%
9%

27% of jobs ask for it, but only 9% of resumes list it.

Analytics

+15 pts
50%
35%

50% of jobs ask for it, but only 35% of resumes list it.

Algorithms

+13 pts
34%
21%

34% of jobs ask for it, but only 21% of resumes list it.

Coding

+13 pts
23%
10%

23% of jobs ask for it, but only 10% of resumes list it.

Testing

+11 pts
30%
19%

30% of jobs ask for it, but only 19% of resumes list it.

Find out if your resume is missing these for the job you want.

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Trends

Which skills are rising and falling

Share of job postings asking for each skill in the last 12 months against the 12 before. Artificial Intelligence and Coding are climbing; Data Visualization and Programming are fading.

Data Scientist: skills rising and falling

The share of Data Scientist job postings asking for each skill in the previous 12 months (hollow dot) and the last 12 months (solid dot). Only skills that moved at least 3 points are shown.

Previous 12 months Last 12 months
0%35%70%
  1. Artificial Intelligence +31 pts
  2. Data Visualization -7 pts
  3. Programming -7 pts
  4. Mining -6 pts
  5. Coding +6 pts
  6. Tableau -6 pts
  7. Algorithms -6 pts
  8. Finance +6 pts
  9. Big Data -6 pts
  10. Programming Languages -6 pts
Show all 25 skills
  1. Data Engineering +5 pts
  2. Versioning +5 pts
  3. Data Pipeline +5 pts
  4. Quantitative Analysis +5 pts
  5. Testing +5 pts
  6. Forecasting +5 pts
  7. Data Mining -4 pts
  8. Optimization +4 pts
  9. Dashboarding +4 pts
  10. pandas +4 pts
  11. Analytics +4 pts
  12. Deep Learning -3 pts
  13. Database -3 pts
  14. SQL -3 pts
  15. Exploratory Analysis +3 pts

Source: skillsyncer.com/resume-keywords/data-scientist · CC BY 4.0

By seniority

What changes from entry level to senior

Share of job postings asking for each skill, split by the level in the job title. Darker means more job postings at that level ask for it.

Data Scientist: skills by seniority

The share of Data Scientist job postings asking for each skill at each level, with the level read from the job title. Darker cells mean more job postings at that level ask for it.

Skill Entry level 1,651 jobs Mid level 6,125 jobs Senior 808 jobs
Python 82% 81% 87%
Machine Learning 71% 68% 74%
SQL 61% 64% 66%
Analytics 45% 51% 56%
Programming 38% 35% 33%
Algorithms 33% 35% 34%
Mathematics 34% 32% 36%
Data Analysis 38% 31% 26%
Artificial Intelligence 29% 31% 43%
Testing 27% 30% 34%
Data-Driven 25% 28% 26%
Quantitative Analysis 21% 27% 34%

Source: skillsyncer.com/resume-keywords/data-scientist · CC BY 4.0

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Copy list

Every keyword, grouped by how expected it is

Use the exact wording, and only for skills you can talk about in an interview.

Core 4

In 40% or more of job postings. Expected on almost every resume for this role.

  • Python
  • Machine Learning
  • SQL
  • Analytics
Common 27

In 15 to 40% of job postings. Worth listing whenever you have them.

  • Programming
  • Algorithms
  • Mathematics
  • Data Analysis
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Testing
  • Data-Driven
  • Quantitative Analysis
  • Data Visualization
  • Coding
  • Database
  • AWS
  • Business Intelligence
  • Tableau
  • Optimization
  • Dashboarding
  • Finance
  • TensorFlow
  • scikit-learn
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Programming Languages
  • Deep Learning
  • pandas
  • PyTorch
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Querying
  • Forecasting
Specialist 19

Under 15%. They set you apart for the jobs that ask.

  • Big Data
  • Power BI
  • Mining
  • Learning Techniques
  • Marketing
  • Data Pipeline
  • NLP
  • NumPy
  • Exploratory Analysis
  • Cloud Platform
  • Google Cloud Platform
  • Data Analytics
  • Data Mining
  • Data Engineering
  • Clustering
  • Statistical Modeling
  • Git
  • Versioning
  • Data Modeling

In context

Bullets that use these keywords

A keyword counts for more inside a bullet that shows what you did with it than in a list at the bottom.

  • Built a machine learning churn model in Python (scikit-learn, XGBoost) that flags 62% of cancellations 30 days early; retention offers based on it save $1.4M a year.

    Machine Learning Python

  • Compared three generative artificial intelligence models for support summaries, designing the testing set and human review that picked the one now in production.

    Artificial Intelligence Testing

  • Led the quantitative analysis for 11 pricing experiments, using Bayesian statistics to call results with half the traffic of the old method.

    Quantitative Analysis Statistics

  • Moved feature generation from notebooks into a scheduled SQL and Python data pipeline, cutting model refresh from a day to 40 minutes.

    Data Pipeline SQL

Get bullets like these written from your own experience.

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Resume examples

Data Scientist resumes built from this data

Entry level, mid level and senior example resumes using these keywords, each measured against the Data Scientist job postings at its level, with notes on why each section is written the way it is.

See the resume examples

Related roles

Roles whose jobs ask for similar skills

Measured by overlap in the skills their job postings request, not by job category.

Data Analyst resume keywords

From 31,011 job postings

  • SQL 71%
  • Business Intelligence 54%
  • Dashboarding 52%

Software Engineer resume keywords

From 31,939 job postings

  • Coding 61%
  • Testing 53%
  • Java 49%

Business Analyst resume keywords

From 12,695 job postings

  • Testing 40%
  • Microsoft Excel 38%
  • Business Requirements 36%

Project Manager resume keywords

From 7,516 job postings

  • Budgeting 55%
  • Project Planning 39%
  • Finance 32%

Method

How these numbers were counted

  1. 9,731 scans
  2. 50 keywords
  3. 2,799 resumes
  4. 8,584 job postings

Every figure on this page comes from resumes people scanned against Data Scientist job postings between September 2024 and September 2026: 8,584 distinct job postings and the resumes of 2,799 candidates.

A job posting counts once, however many people scanned it. Each candidate counts once too, with the most recent resume they scanned for this role, so someone who applied to fifty jobs does not outweigh fifty people who applied to one.

Nothing here identifies anyone. These are counts across many people. No resume or job description text, names, contact details or employers are published, and a job title only appears once at least 10 different people have scanned it. See our privacy policy.

Job titles are grouped: "Senior Data Analyst", "Data Analyst II" and "Data Analyst (Remote)" all count here. Keywords are matched against a library of known skills, with different spellings of one skill counted together, so "MS Excel" and "Excel" are one keyword.

Download this data as a CSV. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0, with a link back to this page.

Refreshed every quarter from new scans. Last updated September 2026; next update December 2026.

Common questions

What keywords should I put on a Data Scientist resume?

Start with the core skills, the ones at least 40% of Data Scientist job postings ask for: Python, Machine Learning, SQL and Analytics. Use them in the job posting's exact wording, and only for skills you actually have.

Which Data Scientist skills do resumes most often leave out?

Mathematics, Quantitative Analysis and Analytics. Mathematics appears in 33% of job postings but only 10% of resumes.

Which Data Scientist skills are employers asking for more?

Over the last 12 months, Artificial Intelligence, Coding and Finance grew the most in share of Data Scientist job postings.

Is my resume published here?

No. Your resume is only ever counted, never shown. This page reports percentages across at least 10 different people per job title, and no resume or job description text, names, contact details or employers appear anywhere in it.

How often is this data updated?

Every quarter, from new scans. This page was last updated in September 2026 and the next update is due in December 2026.

Is this the same as ATS keywords?

Close. An applicant tracking system searches your resume for the skills in the job posting, so the skills job postings ask for most often are the ones an ATS is most often looking for. The only way to know for one job is to check your resume against that job posting.

Which of these is your resume missing?

Scan your resume against a real Data Scientist job.

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