Engineering Resume Examples & Format for 2024

The engineering industry is booming, and new jobs are popping out. One is better than the other, and you want to secure one for yourself. To get that job, you’ll need a top-notch engineering resume. And you came to the right place to make one.

This guide will show you:

• An engineering resume format that is better than most.
• How to ace your engineer resume with real-life examples.
• How to write a resume for engineering that gets the interview.
• Why picking the right few achievements on your engineering resume is the #1 key to get hired.

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Need help with a different kind of engineering resume? Explore our other guides:

• Civil Engineer Resume
• Electrical Engineering Resume
• Engineering Internship Resume
• Engineering Student Resume
• Entry-Level Engineering Resume
• Entry Level Mechanical Engineer Resume
• Entry Level Software Engineer Resume
• Manufacturing Engineer Resume
• Mechanical Engineer Resume
• Network Engineer Resume
• Project Engineer Resume
• Quality Engineer Resume
• Software Engineer Resume
• Systems Engineer Resume

Haven't found what you are looking for? Check our resume examples for over 280 jobs. 

 Engineering Resume Format

Now, let’s walk through the most important strategies for writing an equally good engineering resume yourself.

1. Create a Professional Engineering Resume Format

On average, corporate positions attract 250 resumes. Do you think recruiters read all of them? Of course not. They look for reasons to toss a resume as soon as they take the first glance. Make them want to give your whole resume a read. Get your value proposition across fast. Start by dividing your engineering resume into sections.

What to Include in an Engineering Resume Template

1. Contact Information
2. Summary, Objective, or Profile
3. Work Experience
4. Education
5. Skills
6. Additional Sections

 

Also, remember to keep your formatting elegant and legible. Attention to detail is key in engineering after all, isn’t it? Now onto the action points:

• Pick a visually appealing resume template or a free Google Docs resume template. 
• Use the reverse-chronological resume format, this way your most recent position gets the most attention.
• Pick one of the professional resume fonts: the font size should be 11–12pt for all entries and 14–16pt for your name and section headings.
• Set 1-inch margins on all sides.
• Use a lot of white space: but blank lines before and after every section heading and between entries.
• Make your resume one-page long if you have less than 5 years of professional experience. More than that? Two pages tops.

Expert Hint: Once done, save your engineering resume in PDF. But double check with the job ad—some employers still expect Word resumes.

2. Write a Well-Designed Engineering Resume Objective or Summary

This part, most likely, is the first thing recruiters will look at: a brief snappy paragraph at the top of your engineering resume explaining why you’re *the* candidate they’ve been looking for their whole lives (or, at least, the last couple of months.)

Got oodles of relevant engineering experience? Write an engineer resume summary. Outline your career and show off your proudest wins. Writing your first engineering resume? Pick a resume objective. Discuss what technical engineering skills you’ve mastered and how well you’d fit in.

Whichever one you go for, keep this in mind—always make an offer. Don’t just say what you want out of the job. Be specific and show how you can contribute to the company’s success.

See these engineer resume examples for reference.

Engineering Resume Examples—Summary

Detailed-oriented mechanical engineer with 10+ years of experience in planning, designing, and developing state-of-the-art mechanical equipment. With XYZ Corp, optimized equipment layouts and space requirements to increase efficiency by 16% in two quarters. Completed 4 projects with budgets over $100,000. Seeking to join ABC Company to help deliver the upcoming projects on time, 5-10% below budget and within specifications. 

Experienced mechanical engineer. Skilled in AutoCAD, Pro-E CREO CAD, and Engineering Product Data Management Software. Looking for a challenging job in a fast-paced engineering team.

The difference is clear, right? The good example provides proof for the candidate’s expertise and makes a clear offer. The bad one? Not awful, but it’s super generic. It actually says little more than “I am an engineer.”

Now, let’s see two very different engineering resume objectives.

Engineering Resume Objective Examples

Hard-working Civil Engineer with a BSc in applied mathematics. Seeking to join Acme Corp to help improve major quality and time metrics. Completed a 6-month long internship with ABC Company, regularly using AutoCAD, Suretrak, and Primavera.

Fresh Civil Engineer looking for a first full-time job. Not much experience yet, but I’m skilled in AutoCAD, problem-solving, and complex design.

Expert Hint: Although this section comes at the top of your engineering resume, write it last. First, outline your experience and skills. Choose the best bits and put them together in a resume summary or objective.

3. Write an Engineering Job Description for a Resume

Brace yourself. This is the crucial part. The truth is, employers ask for resumes pretty much for the sole purpose of reviewing your work history. So here’s how to describe your experience on an engineering resume step by step:

How to List Engineering Experience on a Resume

1. Read the job ad carefully.
2. Jot down the most important responsibilities and duties.
3. Use those keywords: tailor your resume to the job description.
4. Don’t just list duties. Focus on your achievements.
5. Use action words and verbs, e.g. “developed” and “designed” instead of “responsible for the design and development.”
6. Quantify whenever you can.
7. List experience in reverse-chronological order. Start with your current or most recent position, follow it with the one before it, and so on.
8. Include your job title, company name, and dates worked in each entry.
9. Use up to 5 bullet points for each job.
10. Add a “Key Achievement” subsection at the bottom. Showcase your best win.

 

See these engineering resume samples where the job ad requires someone experienced in: (1) optimizing efficiency, (2) preparing wiring diagrams, and (3) production testing.

Engineering Resume Examples: Job Description

Aerospace Electrical Engineer
Cobham, Davenport, IA
2013–2019

• Designed, integrated, and troubleshot aircraft electrical and avionics systems. Boosted efficiency by 13%(1).
• Created wiring diagrams(2) and supporting documentation.
• Developed detailed specification requirements for system components and production tests(3) procedures to verify the design is properly installed and functioning as intended.

Key achievement: Updated and resigned the product line of temperature and pressure controllers, cutting the manufacturing time by 30% in three months.

2014 - present
AAR Corp
Manufacturing Engineer

Responsibilities:

• Designing manufacturing procedures and production layouts.
• Designing machine arrangements.
• Assisting with quality control, cost management, and lean manufacturing.
• Developing technical information and specifications.

Little or no experience to put on your engineering resume? If you’re an engineering student, in the experience section include volunteering, part-time jobs, engineering projects you had to do for class or even hobbies and interests. Here’s how:

• Again, go through the job description and jot down keywords related to engineering skills.
• Include some of these skills in your engineering job descriptions.
• Add a few others to your resume summary or objective.
• Finally, pick the key skills for a resume (e.g., outstanding computer and software skills relevant to the position) and list them on your resume in bullet points.

Engineering Skills for a Resume: Sample List

Technical Skills:

• AutoCAD
• PLC
• C++
• Reverse Engineering
• Maintenance Coordination
• Linux
• Workflow Development
• Lean Manufacturing
• STAAD Pro
• Geotechnical Engineering

Soft Skills

• Communication
• Leadership
• Time Management
• Problem-Solving
• Critical Thinking
• Risk Evaluation
• Detailed Oriented
• Interpersonal Skills
• Organization
• Active Learning

Expert Hint: Don’t even think of skipping your soft skills section. Recent Harvard study has shown that employers increasingly value workers who have both social and technical skills, rather than technical skills alone

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4. Turn Boring Education Into a Reason for Hiring You

Good news! Putting education on a resume is usually easy. If you have more than a year of professional experience, include only:

• Degree
• Major
• Minors (if applicable)
• University
• Graduation Date

Like this:

Engineering Resume Example: Education

BSc in Chemical Engineering
MIT, Cambridge, MA
2008

Not much work experience? If you’re writing an beginner engineering resume, take advantage of those college courses you slaved over! Add some of the following to your education section:

• Relevant coursework
• Favorite fields of study
• GPA (only if it’s higher than 3.5)
• Thesis title
• Extracurricular activities and achievements

Expert Hint: Still at school and struggling to figure out what sort of engineering career would be best? Not saying that money is everything, but… According to the BLS data, the best-paid engineering professions are: Petroleum Engineering, Computer Hardware Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Nuclear Engineering.

5. Supercharge Your Engineer Resume With These Extra Sections

So far so good. You’ve got your summary, work experience, skills, and education listed. You’ll need to add something extra. A tangible proof that verifies your qualifications. Such as?

Sample Engineering Resume Additional Sections

• Industry Awards
• Professional Certifications
• Conference Participation
• Industry Blog
• Additional Activities
• Volunteer Work
• Extra Training

Expert Hint: Can’t showcase any of the above yet? Well, get active! Apply for additional training, consider taking certification courses or start a blog where you’ll share your industry insights! Will it be easy? No. But it won’t take you more than a couple of months.

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Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Haven't written your cover letter yet? See:

• Software Engineer Cover Letter Examples
• Engineering Cover Letter Examples
• Mechanical Engineering Cover Letter Examples
• Engineering Internship Cover Letter Examples

Key Points

Here’s how to write an engineering resume, in a nutshell:

• Use a proper engineering resume template, divided into the right sections.
• At the top put an engineering resume summary or objective.
• Tailor your engineering job descriptions and skills to the job ad.
• Focus on your achievements and the impact of your actions, don’t just list engineering tasks and duties.
• Add extra sections such as certifications, conference participation, or additional training
• Do write an engineering cover letter! Here's how to write a cover letter that leaves a huge impact.

Have more questions? Could use a chat about writing your engineering resume? Drop me a line in the comments and I’ll get back to you right off.

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