Resume Tips For Engineers

At The Talley Group, we know a good engineering resume when we see one. Do you? Is your resume a powerful marketing tool or a big wordy mess?

While there are engineering jobs across a wide range of disciplines, effective resume strategies are applicable for all of them. Here are 6 pieces of advice to keep in mind when putting together your engineering resume.

Be Precise

Precision is vital when it comes to engineering projects, and the same holds true for engineering resumes. You need to proofread and correct all errors on the resume. If you don’t feel comfortable doing it, ask someone whose attention to detail you trust.

Be Concise

Engineers tend to go into information overload on their resumes. Don’t make that mistake. Resumes get accepted or rejected in a matter of seconds, so you must be efficient in presenting your information. Create a resume that goes straight to the point.

Remove the Objective and Add a Summary

If you’re changing careers, an objective may be warranted. Otherwise, leave it out.  You don’t want it to hurt your candidacy if your objective doesn’t match the specifics of the position opening.

Replace the objective with a qualifications summary. Create a few hard-hitting sentences that spotlight your most marketable qualifications.

Tailor Your Resume to the Job Opportunity

Personalize your resume every time you send it out, according to the open position. You need to make it clear that you are responding to a specific job, not just sending out your resume to any and every job. Customize for the specific role and engineering specialty you are targeting.

List Key Accomplishments

Use bullet points to make your resume easier to read. It will also help you focus on the most key points. You should also quantify the results so employers understand the significance of your work.

Add a Project List

Depending on your engineering specialty and years of experience, you may include a dozen or more key projects on your resume. You can also include if you have taken any training, like saas sales training. When this causes your document to overflow onto a third page, a separate project list sheet is an effective solution. List projects by employer or client, and give a short — even one-sentence — description of what you did. And don’t forget to include your project outcomes.

An honest and well-crafted resume will facilitate your job search. If you’d like more advice on how to find the right job for you, contact The Talley Group today!