Creating a Convincing Engineering Resume
Tips and Techniques to Improve Your Resume and Land that Engineering
Mar 24, 2009
Creating a resume is a vital portion of the job search process. It can often be difficult for engineers to distill their experience into a static document that gives enough detail to satisfy hiring managers while keeping the content straightforward enough for human resources personnel to understand. Here are a few tips on what to include in an engineering resume.
Engineering Resume Sections
An engineer’s resume should include the following sections:
- Objectives – This section is where the applicant defines his goals and outlines his ideal position.
- Education – Include college degrees as well as any certificates, relevant continuing education, or other training programs
- Work Experience – Present work experience in reverse chronological order. Provide a summary of projects and experience at each position.
- Hardware/Software Experience - List hardware and software programs that are at least minimally relevant to the job and include certifications if available.
- Publications – If applicable, list journal articles, published reports, patents, books, and other credited works.
There is some flexibility in the order of resume sections, but the Objectives section should always come first, and publications should always come last.
Customized Engineering Resumes
In this present job market, applicants have to take greater care in their response to job solicitations due to the large number of potential applicants for any one job. Resumes should be customized for each application to show the company that the applicant understands the open position and is uniquely qualified for that position.
Depending on the applicant’s background and skills, he may be applying for jobs in a variety of industries. Since different industries may have different requirements, such as software/hardware experience, professional affiliations, or certifications. If an employer requests a specific skill, that skill should be on the resume. The stated objectives should mesh well with the company and the specific advertised position.
Engineering Resume Length
A general rule of thumb is that a resume should not be more than two pages. However, in the engineering profession, there are some exceptions. Some engineering positions require publishing experience, conference or presentation experience, or patent experience. Listing publications can often fill many pages. For positions where publications are useful but not critical, It is best to include only the top ten most relevant publications. By titling this section “Selected Publications”, it infers that the applicant has other publications that are not included.
Beyond the tips provided here, it can be useful to have a resume reviewed and critiqued by another engineer, who can look at the resume with a fresh set of eyes and potentially identify typos or lacking information or descriptions. Because a resume may often be the first impression an engineer provides to a company, it should be flawless, address the needs of the company and position, and highlight the strengths of the engineer applicant.
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