7/27/2019 Resume Tips for Engineers
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Resume Tips for Engineers
Did you know you can engineer your resume to be a powerful
marketing tool? While engineeringjobs encompass a broad range of
specialties, effective resume strategies are applicable
acrossdisciplines.
Seven pieces of advice
1.Think Precision
Precision is paramount when it comes to engineering projects,
and the same holds true for engineeringresumes. Its imperative that
you have a well-prepared, professional resume with no spelling
orgrammatical errors. Triple-check it and have other people go over
it as well to make sure its perfect.
2.Be Concise
During his career recruiting and hiring engineers, Andrew
Naslund, HR coordinator for consulting firm
Mazzetti & Associates in San Francisco, has observed a
tendency among engineers to go intoinformation overload on their
resumes.
His advice? Dont.
Resumes get accepted or rejected in 30 seconds or less, so you
must be concise,
Naslund says.
Skip Black, principal/owner of Minneapolis-based mechanical,
electrical, structural, civil andenvironmental engineering firm
Double Eagle Group, suggests creating a resume that is crispand to
thepoint. Look at your resume with an editors eye -- just because
you think the information is importantdoesnt mean the hiring
manager will, Black says.
3.Ditch the Objective and Add a Summary
Do not write an objective, Black says. Not only does it consume
valuable space, but it can also hurt yourcandidacy. Ive seen hiring
managers disregard otherwise solid candidates because their
objective didnot match the specifics of the position opening, he
says. Naslund agrees, but with this caveat: If you arechanging
careers, then an objective is warranted. Otherwise, leave it
out.
Replace the objective with aqualifications summary.Within a few
hard-hitting sentences, your careersummary should spotlight your
most marketable qualifications. The idea is to pique the interest
of thehiring manager, Mullin says.
Heres an example summary for a mechanical engineer:
Internationally experienced mechanical engineer with 15 years of
experience and a strong background inKaizen, ISO and automotive
manufacturing. Qualifications include Six Sigma Black Belt,
Advanced Pro-Elicense and PMP-certification.
4.Tailor the Resume to the Job Opportunity
I strongly recommend adding personal touches to the resume every
time you send it out, Naslund says.If its obvious you have
mass-posted and havent responded to me specifically, the resume
will probablybe trashed.
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Customize each resume you send to the specific role and
engineering specialty you are targeting. If yousee a Monster ad for
a project engineer, for example, bring all of your project
management experience tothe forefront on your resume, Naslund
says.
5.List Key Accomplishments
Use bullet points to make your resume easier to read, Naslund
says. When writing bulletedaccomplishments,keep the text to a few
key points andquantify the results so employers understand
thesignificance of your work. Here are examples from various
engineering disciplines:
Conducted process mapping studies to improve throughput by 36%
and ensure compliance withcustomer specifications.
Regarded as one of consulting firms most highly requested
mechanical engineers, maintaining89% or higher billable utilization
for the past 4 years.
Co-developed material for cooling radiators that saved
$300K/year.
6.Add a Project List
Depending on your engineering specialty and years of experience,
you may find a dozen or more keyprojects should be included on your
resume. When this causes your document to overflow onto a
thirdpage, a separate project list sheet is an effective
solution.
If you can get your vitals on a page, thats perfect, Naslund
advises. If you need two pages, thats OK.For any more than that,
split the document and add a project list. List projects by
employer or client, andgive a short -- even one-sentence --
description of what you did. Most importantly, dont forget to
includeyour project outcomes.
7.Be Honest
Your resume should be compelling butnever misleading or
deceptive.Dont be lulled into thinking that
embellishing your resume is OK, Naslund warns. Never put
anything on your resume that you wouldnttell your grandmother. An
honest and well-crafted resume will facilitate your job search, and
that wouldbe one less problem to solve.
Prof.Dr.P V SENTHIIL
HEAD/MECH
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