As you sit down to write an engineering resume, you should make sure that you can customize it for the positions you have held in the past. When you can customize a resume, it provides you with an added benefit when contacting potential employers. If you follow the tips outlined below, you should have no trouble customizing your resume for engineering jobs you have held during your career.
Be Concise
No matter how long you have worked in engineering, your resume needs to be as concise as possible. This means that you should not list every single job you have worked during your career on the resume. In fact, work experience should only date back no further than 10 years. Your resume will either be accepted or rejected in less than 30 seconds. Make sure you are concise in what you write at the top of the resume so an employer reads past the first few words.
Precision is Important
Just like engineering projects on which you have worked, precision is important in writing a resume for your profession. Double and triple check your resume for spelling and grammar mistakes prior to turning it in for a job application. You should even have another person proofread your resume so a second set of eyes can find any issues on it, and not just skim through sections you may have memorized by now.
Utilize a Summary
Instead of using an objective on your resume, go for the summary. Objectives are pointless these days because every company knows that you want a job in the engineering industry. This is wasted space on your resume and should be replaced with a summary. The summary should only be a couple of sentences, no more than three, and should explain your career qualifications as an engineer.
Include a Project List
Working in engineering means that you take on a lot of projects. Since this is the case, you need to include a project list on your resume. If you have been in the profession for a long time, you should consider including a separate sheet just for projects aside from your resume. This can be submitted with your resume, but the projects should not turn your resume into multiple pages simply for a project list.
Personalize the Resume
Each time you submit your engineering resume, it needs to be personalized for the job you are applying for so it makes a statement. Hiring managers know what generic resumes look like, which is why you need to tailor yours to the position.
Include Accomplishments
Without taking up too much room on your engineering resume, you need to include accomplishments. These accomplishments should come from all areas of your career so the employer knows what you bring to the table if hired.