A strong resume can mean the difference between getting passed up for an interview and landing your dream job. When applying for engineering roles, you need a resume that showcases your technical expertise and problem-solving skills while also demonstrating how you can add value to the company.
How, then, can you structure your engineering resume to highlight your technical competencies and position yourself as a strong candidate? Check out these tips for crafting your ideal engineering resume.
How to structure your engineering resume
Your resume needs to be easy to read and organized. You’ll also want to tailor it to the specific job you’re applying for. Here are some essential sections to include:
Contact information
Include your name, phone number, email address, and LinkedIn profile at the top of your resume. Choose a legible and professional font that’s easy to read.
Professional summary
A professional summary gives the hiring manager a brief (two to three sentences) overview of your key skills and career objectives. Use this section to highlight your technical expertise and problem-solving abilities. Tailor your summary to each role you apply for by focusing on the skills and experiences mentioned in the job description.
Skills section
List the abilities you possess that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for. A few examples may include programming languages, experience with CAD software, or knowledge of engineering principles. The skills section on your resume might look like this:
Skills
- CAD software (AutoCAD, SolidWorks)
- Programming languages (Python, C++, MATLAB)
- Data analysis tools
- Project management software (MS Project, Trello)
You should always use bullet points for this section to make the content easy to skim. Limit it to around four to seven points.
Work experience
The work experience section is where you’ll showcase your technical and problem-solving skills. Include a bullet point that details your responsibilities. Link your experience to a specific impact you made on the business. Check out this example:
- Developed automated control systems that reduced production errors by 15%
- Implemented a new design process that cut development time by 20% and improved product quality
- Led a cross-functional team to troubleshoot and resolve a major system failure, preventing a $50,000 loss in downtime
Use metrics and specific outcomes to demonstrate your effectiveness. Anyone can say that they reduced errors or improved quality. Exact numbers help hiring managers understand the scale of your work and its impact on the organization.
Education
Your education section should include any degrees you’ve obtained and the universities you attended. Include your graduation year and highlight any specializations, majors, or relevant coursework, especially if you recently graduated.
Certification and licenses
If you have any certifications, like a Professional Engineer (PE) license, include them in this section. You can also list any software certifications here to differentiate yourself from other candidates.
Projects or portfolio
Showcasing specific projects you’ve participated in or led can be a great way to demonstrate your real-world skills and problem-solving abilities. Include brief descriptions of your role in each project, the tools and methods you used, and the outcomes.
How to highlight your problem-solving skills
A hiring manager wants to know that you possess problem-solving skills and can think outside the box. Here are a few ways that you can create a resume that reflects your ability to think critically and resolve challenges:
Create a great professional summary
Position yourself as a problem-solver at the very beginning of your resume. Discuss your passion for tackling tough challenges and thinking outside the box to solve complex problems.
Don’t just rattle off your work experience. For example, you could say something like, “Passionate about using engineering principles to solve complex problems and enhance system performance.”
Use specific examples
The average candidate will make vague claims and use generic verbiage to discuss their experience. Instead, you should show the hiring team that you possess tangible skills by using specific examples in your work experience section.
Describe instances where you identified a problem, came up with a solution, and implemented it successfully. Here are a few examples:
- “Identified a recurring issue with overheating in production machinery and designed a cooling system that reduced downtime by 30%”
- “Led a project to troubleshoot software bugs, reducing system errors by 25%”
Both those examples use power verbs that put you at the forefront of the statement. Words like “identified,” “led,” and “developed’ make you the hero. After you’ve taken ownership of the success, quantify it with hard data that supports your claims.
Incorporate problem-solving in the projects section
The projects section of your resume is one of the prime locations to showcase your problem-solving abilities. You can give real-world examples of what you’ve done and the challenges you’ve overcome.
Did you find a way to streamline a process? Did you come up with a creative design solution that improved performance? Showcase these abilities to give hiring managers a clear picture of your abilities.
Use a tailored resume to maximize your odds of success
Every engineering job is different. That’s why you need to customize your resume for each individual application.
Carefully read the job description and integrate some of the language the hiring manager used to demonstrate that you’ve researched the role you are applying for. Focus on the specific technical skills and problem-solving abilities the job requires and highlight relevant achievements.
For more tips on creating an engineering resume, see the resume example on Jobseeker.com. You’ll find engineering-specific templates and documents to help inspire your resume writing process.
