Engineering Resume Template: Examples + Writing Guide

There are many people with engineering degrees, but not too many superb engineering jobs. 

This means that to stay competitive in the job market, you need outstanding skills and expertise. 

Is having abilities or knowledge enough, though? Not really, as they don’t always speak for themselves. But resumes do.

Want to write an engineering resume with an extra-long half-life? 

This guide will show you: 

• An engineering resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write an engineering resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on an engineering resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for an engineer to get any job you want.

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Engineering resume template

Here’s how you write an engineering resume:

1. Choose the right format for your engineering resume

We’ve defined the problem: write a winning engineering resume.

Before we start prototyping (i.e. drafting), we need to plan the resume out.

Here are the basic machine elements we’ll use to construct it: 

• Header (Your name, position, and contact info.)
• Summary/Objective (Section 6 will cover that in detail.)
• Work Experience
• Education
• Skills
• Additional Sections (Read on to see what you could include here.)

Now that the outline is there, note the rules you should follow to get the engineering resume format right: 

• Divide the resume into clear, visibly separate sections. To do that, make good use of headers/bold type (but don’t overdo it).
• Add extra structure with 1.15 line spacing and 1” margins on all sides.
• Choose a neat font that doesn’t work as an additional distraction. Go with Arial or Helvetica (approx. 12 pts).
• List positions in reverse-chronological order (typically, the most recent ones are the most relevant).
• Download the resume as a PDF file (unless a different format is explicitly stated). 

Job ad asking for a CV instead? Don’t worry, that’s the same thing as a resume in Australia. Read more: What is a CV in Australia? Definition & example

2. Start your engineering resume with a work experience section

Hiring managers don’t read—they skim—so they’ll be looking for certain indicators.

What are those? Keywords, for starters.

Every time the recruiter sees one in your resume, it works as a flashing light grabbing their attention. 

Knowing that, you can strategically place ‘signals’ in your engineering resume that will be impossible not to notice. 

And there’s more—so the mechanics for writing this section go as follows:

• Achievements > responsibilities

Talking about accomplishments on your resume always beats just covering your duties. Instead of listing what you did, go with the Problem-Action-Result formula and highlight your successes.

• Keywords > random words

Where do you get those keywords? That’s easy—they’re right in the job description. Use words and phrases from the job description as you describe your experience.

• Action verbs > regular verbs

Did? Worked? Forget about it. How about “addressed”? Or “facilitated”? “Overhauled” even? Those power verbs will definitely maximize your efforts.

As for the structure of your engineering resume, follow this scheme:

• Reverse-chronological order (most recent job first)
• Job title, company name, dates (for each entry)
• 3–6 bullet points + key achievement

Engineering resume examples [Work experience]

Straightforward, number-backed, and packed with power verbs. The need was addressed effectively, wasn’t it?

Even power verbs can’t save a job description if it’s not supported by something measurable.

Okay, but what if it’s a resume for engineering students? What if the work experience is limited?

No worries. Your engineering resume can still benefit from listing an internship, an engineering apprenticeship, or some assistant work you did at uni.

Engineering student resume examples [Work experience/Internship]

You see what I mean, right?

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

3. Maximise the education section of your engineering resume 

According to research from Georgetown University, over 90% of STEM occupations require a degree. 

This means that for a position in the field, the hiring manager will expect to see a degree on your engineering resume. 

Here’s how you list it:

• If you’re an engineer with experience, put your highest degree of education first. You can add additional courses as well. If you want to highlight certifications, publications, or awards, use an extra section (Chapter 5 will cover this in more detail).

• If it’s a resume for engineering students (for entry-level positions), mark the expected year of graduation and field of study. Then mention relevant coursework, research, extracurricular activities, awards, scientific projects, etc.

Engineering resume template [Education examples]

Entry-level engineering resume examples [Education]

Another study proves that academic achievements carry the most weight for entry-level applications (in line with keeping the resume neat, error-free, and visually appealing), so it makes sense to craft this section extra carefully.

4. List the right skills on your engineering resume

For engineers, the word “significant” might have a slightly different meaning than to us mere mortals, but this section is, indeed, significant. 

In simpler words, getting it right takes your resume from average to an undeniable tenner.

Each industry will have specific hard/computer skills, but these prove to be universal and work on most engineering resumes:

Engineering resume skills

• Up-to-date technical knowledge (this can be specified)
• Troubleshooting
• Prototyping
• Data modelling
• Structural analysis
• Critical reasoning
• Innovation
• Resilience 
• Adaptability
• Problem-solving
• Attention to detail
• Creativity
• Active learning
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Leadership 

Obviously, you can’t just list generic skills that don’t even make sense compared to the rest of your resume. 

If you want the skills on your engineering resume to be “accurate”, i.e. agreeing with the accepted value (=the job offer), you definitely need to tailor them to the job listing. Make an “inventory”, i.e. a list of your relevant skills, then compare it to the job description. See any matches? Great, this is exactly what should be in your engineering resume.

It could look something like this:

Engineering resume example [Skills]

Read more: Skills to include on a resume: List of examples

5. Add other sections to your engineering resume

Don’t let your resume lose momentum. 

Additional sections are there to mention anything that’s relevant and can put you ahead of the crowd.

Is there a prestigious certification you’re proud of? An award you received a couple of years ago and would like to mention? A foreign language that you speak (maybe you’re bilingual)?

Knock yourself out. Now is your time to shine.

As I mentioned previously, the fact that these will stand separately on your engineering resume will ensure that those achievements get noticed. 

Engineering resume examples [Other sections]

Pro Tip: Remember that resumes also have bandwidth. Don’t overload yours with too many details unless they can directly swing the chances in your favour.

6. Write an engineering resume objective or resume summary

Alright, pay attention to this one, as it’s the section that will bond all the parts of your engineering resume together.

It should contain your “concentrated” message to the hiring manager, being the summary of everything you’re saying below. 

This section follows the header, but it’s a lot easier to get it right once you actually have something to summarize. So writing it last may be a good idea.

A few tips:

• Look through your resume, find the parts that are most impressive and relevant to the desired position.
• Pick 2–3 top achievements or outstanding skills.
• Keep it short, precise and irresistible. 

You can use the following formula for the engineering resume objective:

[Adjective + Job Title + Years of Experience + Achievements + Skills + What You Want to Do for the Employer]

Here’s what it could look like: 

Engineering resume examples: Summary

The wrong example looks scruffy. On top of that, it doesn’t really say anything of the essence. It states what the person was doing, but not how successful they really were or what value they brought. 

As for writing a resume for engineering students (or an engineering internship resume for freshers), slightly different rules apply. Instead of summarizing your experience, you focus on your career objectives, i.e. what you’re planning to achieve.

Like so: 

Example resume for engineering students: Objective

You get the idea—don’t be needy, focus on what you already know, and paint a picture of what you’d like to achieve (and how you can be useful).

Read more: Resume objective: Good examples to use

7. Attach an engineering cover letter

Can you ballpark your chances of getting that interview?

I’d say they’re pretty high with a resume written with our guidelines, but they can get even higher.

How?

Through writing a cover letter for your job to keep the gears moving.

Don’t lose the recruiter’s attention, give them more and seal the deal. Think of it as a lever that will do the heavy lifting for you.

Follow these instructions:

• Write an engineering cover letter to match your resume, no matter what. Even if it’s not specifically indicated, it’s usually expected from every candidate. 
• Keep it succinct. It doesn’t have to be long (1 page is enough), every sentence should serve a purpose—show why you’re the best person for the job.
• Make sure you include something that makes it personal. Your experience is very important, but so is who you are and how you’d potentially blend in.

Read more: Engineering cover letter: Writing guide

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key takeaway

Let’s go through those engineering resume tips again: 

1. Keep it structured with the right engineering resume format.
2. Tailor your work experience section to the job description.
3. Mention your education.
4. Impress them with your engineering skillset.
5. Make good use of additional sections.
6. Crown your engineering resume with an impressive summary/objective.
7. Add a cover letter for maximum impact.

That’s it! Now, we’d love to hear from you: 

• Do you feel confident about getting your engineering resume right? 
• Is there anything extra you think we should include in our guide?

Thanks for reading, and good luck with submitting your engineering resume in Australia. 

Feel free to comment below with any questions!