Engineering
While preparing an effective resume as an engineer, it is important that you do not sound like a human-robot. You need to prepare yourself a clean, precise and easy-to-understand resume. Make sure to include your educational qualifications and experiences of any apprenticeships that you might have gathered over your college tenure of 4 years.
Now jumping right into the topic, the first question that comes to mind is -
What are the must-haves in your resume?
Not all resume styles will be the same so let’s see how we should work on this particular type of resume. Always remember that a good resume has a flow of information which grabs the attention of the reader at first, and then slowly leads them into one piece of information/data about you to the other smoothly and effectively without extra effort.
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Resume Summary -
Let’s begin with a strong, sharp and precise resume summary focusing on your core strengths and traits which you are most likely to bring to the table. Technical qualifications come and go for a hiring manager. What the recruiters look for in a resume at a glance is this particular section in order to find out an X factor.
A strong, precise statement of your educational and professional achievements and traits (which are essential to do the job you are applying for) are good ways to customize resume. Using action verbs which are relevant for an engineer working in a tech firm is something you should keep in mind while preparing yourself an effective resume.
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Gather around your technical skills
Make yourself a table and list your technical skills. These skills must be something in which you are good at like your ability to use and create software and ability to manoeuvre hardware. Always use appropriate keywords which the company uses in its advertisements offering jobs. There are obviously a few keywords which go with engineering. Try to learn about these keywords and list synonyms of those words.
Remember to use these words and spread them smartly for an effective resume. The ATS or the “Application Tracking System” will be selecting you over others based on these keywords. -
List your Projects
Always push your finished projects like the drone you might have made during your engineering days or that application you coded during your workdays. Now, put these work projects in a bullet list at the top, right after your summary resume.
This project list is going to give a flow of information to your resume. List all the projects you have been a part of, what your role in that project was and do not forget to mention the outcome of the project. If the project is an ongoing one, mention that it is still a live project. -
Section for Education
Put up your education section right at the end of the resume. This is also the part where you would prefer to put in your awards and certificates if any. Stuff this area up with some extra credentials or job-specific abilities which could help you boost your resume up even more. But keep in mind that you should not put in information which is unnecessary for your job position.
Do not talk about certificates you got from your Creative Writing Competition. However, an effective resume should always mention accomplishments like - winning any award/trophy or a certificate as a college football team captain. What it shows is your ability to lead a team from the front and demonstrates your ability to multi-task and manage teams as well.
How to write an effective resume for an engineer?
Customizations -
Make sure you customize resume in such a way that you fit the job position you are applying for. It is also noteworthy to mention, that you should also consider the company and its business you are applying to. Read the job offer or the advertisement minutely before you apply.
Try to look for the keywords used by the company and then incorporate them into the resume. Always remember to spread these keywords smartly across the resume for a better chance of cracking through the ATS or the Application Tracking System.
Formatting -
The approach you should be having is to follow a professional approach while preparing your resume as an Engineer. It is advisable that you should combine a targeted resume style and a Chronological resume style. However, if you have had a gap in between your work experience you can also choose to combine the best of a targeted resume style with that of the functional resume style.
Keep your format neat, precise and to the point. DO NOT over-write and reach two pages of literature. Hiring managers and your recruiters will only give 6 seconds of their lives to go through your resume so make sure to stick your ‘X’ factor within that. Once you are able to make them interested they will stick around your resume and finish reading it.
One more important consideration for an effective resume is a list - your choice of font, your sentences and use of language and words, the margins you keep on the sides are all part of your assessment. Make sure to keep your resume minimal yet informative. There should be a flow of information one after the other drawing the attention of your recruiter from one segment to the other.
Do not forget to go through with your resume once you think you are done. Actually, keep going through your resume over and over again. It is highly recommended that you make someone from the same industry or work field proofread your resume for you.
More often than not, a new pair of eyes are more likely to catch mistakes and errors and that is exactly why proofreading exists. If you have a friend who is working at the office where you are applying for, do not miss the opportunity to proof check with him because he/she is the one who has already cracked the job.
Career Expert at CV Owl
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