An engineering resume objective is a two or three sentence statement at the top of your resume that says what engineering role you want, the skills or credentials you bring and what you will do for the employer. It works best for entry level engineers, interns, career changers and anyone relocating. Experienced engineers are usually better served by a resume summary.
Key takeaways
- Use an objective when you have little direct experience, are changing disciplines or are moving to a new city.
- Keep it to two or three sentences and 25 to 50 words.
- Name the exact job title from the posting, one or two technical skills and one concrete result or project.
- Swap it for a summary once you have three or more years of relevant engineering experience.
- Rewrite it for every application. A generic objective adds nothing a recruiter will read.
What is an engineering resume objective?
A resume objective is a short statement of your career goal, written for one specific job. On an engineering resume it sits under your name and contact details and above your education or experience. Its job is to tell a recruiter in about six seconds which role you are applying for and why you are a credible fit, before they read anything else.
A strong engineering objective has three parts: the role you want, your most relevant qualification (a degree, an EIT or FE pass, a software skill or a project) and the value you will add. Anything else is filler.
Should you use an objective or a summary on an engineering resume?
The choice comes down to experience. An objective looks forward and focuses on the job you want. A summary looks back and focuses on what you have already delivered. Recruiters screening engineering resumes want proof, so once you have real engineering experience a summary almost always does more work.
| Situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Student or new graduate | Objective | You have projects and coursework, not a track record |
| Internship or co-op search | Objective | Tells the employer your discipline, graduation date and availability |
| Changing disciplines | Objective | Explains why a mechanical engineer is applying for a controls role |
| Relocating | Objective | States your move date so you are not screened out as out of area |
| Three or more years of engineering experience | Summary | Your results carry more weight than your goals |
| Senior, lead or manager roles | Summary | Hiring managers want scope, budgets and team size |
If you decide a summary fits better, our guide to writing a professional resume summary walks through the format.
How do you write an engineering resume objective?
- Start with the job title from the posting. Use the employer’s wording, such as “entry level civil engineer” or “manufacturing engineer II.” Applicant tracking systems and recruiters both look for it.
- Add your strongest credential. For a new graduate that might be an ABET accredited degree, an FE exam pass or EIT status. For a career changer it is the skill that carries over.
- Name one or two technical skills the posting asks for. SolidWorks, AutoCAD Civil 3D, PLC programming, MATLAB or GD&T are more useful than “strong technical skills.”
- Include one concrete result or project. A senior design project, an internship outcome or a measurable improvement makes the objective believable.
- Finish with what you will do for the employer. Tie your goal to their product, projects or customers.
Put together, the formula looks like this: [Job title] with [credential] and [skill], seeking to [contribute something specific] at [company].
Recruiter tip: Read the objective out loud and delete every word that could appear on anyone’s resume, such as hardworking, motivated, detail oriented and team player. What is left should only be true of you.
Engineering resume objective examples by discipline
Use these as a starting point and replace the details with your own. Each one is written for a specific type of opening, so match it to the posting before you use it.
Mechanical engineering
Entry level mechanical engineer: “Mechanical engineering graduate with an ABET accredited BSME and a passed FE exam, seeking an entry level design engineer role at Acme Manufacturing. Led the SolidWorks design of a four bar lift mechanism for my senior project and brings hands-on GD&T and tolerance stack-up experience.”
Mechanical design engineer: “Design focused mechanical engineer with two co-op terms in sheet metal and injection molded parts, seeking a mechanical design engineer position. Skilled in SolidWorks, DFM reviews and first article inspection, with a goal of shortening prototype cycles for your product team.”
See what the field pays and where it is headed in our breakdown of whether mechanical engineering is a good career.
Civil and structural engineering
Entry level civil engineer: “EIT certified civil engineering graduate seeking an entry level site development engineer role. Experienced with AutoCAD Civil 3D grading and storm drainage design from an internship with a land development firm, and working toward a PE license.”
Structural engineer: “Structural engineering graduate with an MS in structural engineering and experience in RISA-3D and ETABS, seeking a junior structural engineer position designing commercial steel and concrete buildings. Passed the FE Civil exam and eager to support project engineers through construction administration.”
Considering the field? Read about whether civil engineering is a good career and whether structural engineering is a good career.
Electrical and controls engineering
Entry level electrical engineer: “Electrical engineering graduate with coursework in power systems and hands-on PCB layout experience in Altium, seeking an entry level electrical design engineer role. Built and tested a 48V battery management board for my capstone project.”
Controls engineer: “Controls engineer with two years of Allen-Bradley PLC and HMI programming for packaging lines, seeking a controls engineering role in automated manufacturing. Aims to reduce unplanned downtime through cleaner ladder logic and better alarm handling.”
For pay and outlook data, see whether electrical engineering is a good career and whether controls engineering is a good career.
Chemical, process and environmental engineering
Process engineer: “Chemical engineering graduate with a summer internship in a specialty chemicals plant, seeking a process engineer role. Experienced with Aspen HYSYS, P&ID markups and root cause analysis, and ready to support yield and safety improvements on the production floor.”
Environmental engineer: “Environmental engineering graduate with field sampling experience and a passed FE Environmental exam, seeking an environmental engineer I position in water and wastewater. Skilled in AutoCAD and ArcGIS and committed to earning a PE.”
Manufacturing, industrial and quality engineering
Manufacturing engineer: “Industrial engineering graduate with Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training, seeking a manufacturing engineer role. Reduced changeover time 18 percent on an assembly line during a co-op by building standard work and a SMED checklist.”
Quality engineer: “Detail focused mechanical engineering graduate with experience in CMM inspection, PPAP documentation and 8D problem solving from an automotive supplier internship, seeking a quality engineer position in an ISO 9001 or IATF 16949 environment.”
Aerospace engineering
Entry level aerospace engineer: “Aerospace engineering graduate and design build fly team structures lead, seeking an entry level stress analysis role. Experienced with hand calculations, Femap and NASTRAN, and a US citizen eligible for a security clearance.”
Software and computer engineering
Entry level software engineer: “Computer engineering graduate with internship experience building REST APIs in Python and deploying on AWS, seeking a junior software engineer role. Contributed tested features to a production codebase serving thousands of daily users.”
Embedded software engineer: “Embedded engineer with C and C++ experience on ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers and RTOS based firmware, seeking an embedded software engineer position designing reliable firmware for connected products.”
CAD drafting and design
CAD drafter: “AutoCAD and Revit certified drafter with an associate degree in drafting and design, seeking a CAD drafter role with an MEP engineering firm. Produced construction document sets for 12 commercial projects during a two year apprenticeship.”
Learn more about the role in what a CAD drafter does and see current CAD designer salary data.
Internships, co-ops and career changes
Engineering internship: “Junior in mechanical engineering with a 3.4 GPA and hands-on SolidWorks and 3D printing experience from a Formula SAE team, seeking a summer 2027 engineering internship in product design.”
Career change into engineering: “Former US Navy electronics technician completing a BS in electrical engineering, seeking an electrical test engineer role. Brings eight years of troubleshooting, schematics reading and safety compliance experience.”
Relocating engineer: “Licensed PE civil engineer relocating to Dallas in March, seeking a transportation project engineer role. Brings five years of roadway design in MicroStation and OpenRoads and experience managing DOT submittals.”
Common engineering resume objective mistakes
- Talking only about what you want. “Seeking a challenging role where I can grow” tells the employer nothing about what you offer.
- Being generic. If the objective could be pasted onto any engineering resume, it is not doing its job.
- Listing soft skills instead of technical ones. Name the software, standards and methods from the posting.
- Running long. More than three sentences pushes your experience and projects below the fold.
- Using the wrong job title. Applying to a manufacturing engineer role with a design engineer objective is an easy reason to be screened out.
Where does the objective go on an engineering resume?
Place it directly under your name and contact details. For new graduates the order that usually works best is objective, education, technical skills, projects, then experience. Once you have more experience, move experience above education. For formatting and layout, see our engineering resume examples and templates, our tips on highlighting technical and problem solving skills and whether your resume should be one page or two.
Looking for objectives outside engineering? Our list of resume objective examples covers dozens of other fields.
Frequently asked questions
Do engineers still use resume objectives?
Yes, but mostly early in their careers. Students, new graduates, interns and people changing disciplines use objectives because they do not yet have the experience a summary would highlight. Most experienced engineers use a summary instead.
How long should an engineering resume objective be?
Two to three sentences, or roughly 25 to 50 words. Anything longer pushes your education, skills and projects down the page, where a recruiter is less likely to see them.
What should an entry level engineering resume objective include?
The job title you are applying for, your degree or FE and EIT status, one or two technical skills from the posting and one project or internship result.
Should I mention the company name in my objective?
Yes when you can. Naming the company shows the resume was written for that job. Just make sure to change it for every application.
Can a resume objective hurt an experienced engineer?
It can. A goal focused statement at the top of a senior engineer’s resume wastes the most valuable space on the page. Use a summary that leads with your years of experience, specialty and biggest results.
What is a good objective for an engineering resume?
A good objective for an engineering resume names the exact role, your strongest credential and one relevant skill or result. For example: “Mechanical engineering graduate with a passed FE exam and SolidWorks experience, seeking an entry level design engineer role to support new product development.”
What is a good career objective for an engineering student?
Engineering students should focus on their degree progress, a project or team they contributed to and the type of role or internship they want. For example: “Electrical engineering junior with PCB design experience from a robotics club, seeking a summer engineering internship in power electronics.”
Ready to put your resume to work? Apollo Technical’s engineering staffing agency team places engineers in design, manufacturing, controls, civil and quality roles across the country. You can also browse our open engineering jobs.
