Engineer Resume

It is important to put a large amount of preparation into a resume, because they are often the determining factor in getting an interview.  Upon locating desirable positions, it may be helpful to list the skills or experiences necessary for each career.  Next, create a list of personal knowledge and abilities, and compare the lists to ensure compatibility.  Group the related requirements and skills under headings similar to employer specifications, and be sure to include them in the resume.  Once this information has been gathered, candidates must then decide on a resume format.  Functional resumes are best for candidates who have past job titles that are vague and do little to highlight their capabilities, but chronological resumes are often chosen to represent candidates interested in engineering careers. 

Chronological formatting is the most common resume for all positions, including engineering employment.  Beginning with identification, candidates must include their name, address, telephone number, and any other methods of contact such as email address, or mobile phone number.  Immediately following this information, candidates may choose to incorporate functional ideas by listing technical or general knowledge, skills, and/or abilities.  Within these areas, it is important to use specific data to emphasize the importance of a position.  Other categories need to encompass educational background and employment history, but additional topics commonly include foreign language fluency, internships, volunteer projects, related experience, military experience, or additional qualifications such as licensure or qualifications.  Hobbies and interests are generally more elementary titles, which should not be used in professional engineering resumes. 

Resumes are designed to inform employers of how a candidate will be an asset to their organization.  It is important that all information be legible and organized so that employers can quickly review pertinent data.  Resumes should be less than two pages long, and composed with text that is 10 point or larger.  Knowledge and experience is best organized if it is listed in reverse chronological order, meaning the most recent activities are presented first.  Due to the increasing popularity of online job boards, and employers accepting resumes via email, it is almost necessary to compose two resume types.  Plain text resumes are accepted by 98% of all email and job boards, because they contain no bold, italic, or underlined text, and numbered lists, bullets, or other special characters are excluded.  Formatted resumes are often decorative, contain numerous special characteristics, and are best for mailing or hand delivering.  Scan-able resumes, which are formatted resumes, contain only crisp and clean lines, with no complex graphics, and are printed on plain or bright white paper.  These characteristics allow scanners to better read all information. 

For more information on creating a resume for the engineering field, please visit the following sites:

• Iowa State University
• #1 Resume Writing Service
• Colorado Engineering Experiment Station Inc.
• Indiana University Purdue University-Fort Wayne
• Best Sample Resume

Let iHireEngineering help get your resume out into the engineering industry.  We offer resume fax and email blasting for engineer candidates to companies in your area for a small fee, or have your cover letter sent out for no charge.