Industrial Engineer Resume Sample and Writing Guide

This guide will show how to craft the perfect industrial engineer resume. But, first—

What if a manufacturing manager called you up and said “Improve my facility!”

What would you do?

You’d probably look to identify important metrics, measure them, collect some data, and find areas to improve, right?

That’s exactly what this article will do for your industrial engineer resume. 

Even though the job growth for industrial engineers is faster than average, you don’t want to be praying to hear back about a job offer—

You want to be choosing which job offer to accept.

Read on and you’ll see an industrial engineer resume example you can refine and make yours. Plus, you’ll learn an easy formula for writing a resume for industrial engineering jobs that will land you 10x more interviews than any other resume you’ve written in the past.

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For similar positions, check out these dedicated guides:

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• Process Engineer Resume
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• Machine Learning Engineer Resume
• Engineering Internship Resume
• Engineering Student Resume
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• Best Resume Example for All Professions

Sample Industrial Engineer Resume to Get You Inspired (Text Version)

Now, here’s the job-winning industrial engineering resume formula:

1. Structure Your Industrial Engineer Resume Template Properly

You know how the layout of a factory floor is a key factor in ensuring success? The same is true for the layout of your industrial engineering resume. A good resume design allows the recruiter to find the most important bits right away. 

So go with the classic reverse-chronological resume format as it makes your document easy to read and highlights your professional history. You want your most recent experience (or education if you just graduated) to come first as it proves you know your way around industrial engineering.

When outlining your resume, make sure to include the following sections:

• Header with contact information
• Summary statement/career objective
• Work experience
• Education
• Skills
• Additional sections (conferences, extra training, volunteering, certifications, etc.)

Such an industrial engineering resume template works like a blueprint, keeping the information well-organized. If your resume looks like an upside down process chart, how can a company trust you to organize their supply chain? 

You can also show your attention to detail and meticulousness by following these dependable resume formatting guidelines:

• Use a resume header so that your professional contact information is easy to find.
• Readability is key. Use a good font, 1.15 line spacing, and even resume margins on all sides.
• Create a clean resume template. Make sure to label each section with a heading and use white space in between sections to keep information looking tidy.
• To submit a document that always looks perfectly formatted, save your resume as a PDF. (Unless a Word .doc file format is specifically requested.)

Now that your formatting has captured the hiring manager’s eyes, let’s capture their heart. The best way to do that? Start with what they care most about—work experience.

Read more: Best Resume Layout

2. Add Experience to Your Industrial Engineer Resume

Industrial engineering is all about continuously making improvements. Therefore, the best experience you can put on your resume will be examples where you improved a process, productivity, or quality of a product. You want to be shining a giant spotlight on these achievements to pique the HR manager’s interest.

Here’s the winning strategy for describing your previous experience:

• List the job title, company name, and time period you worked at each relevant position.
• Describe your responsibilities using the same language as the job description. That’s right, each resume should be targeted to the job posting.
• Don’t go overboard, limit each description to 6 bullet points or less.

Take a look at these two sample industrial engineer work experience sections:

Industrial Engineer Resume: Work Experience

Shocking, right?

A few tweaks and this description went from Bruce Banner to the Hulk. (Although as a scientist, Bruce might be better suited to industrial and systems engineering.)

So what made the difference?

• Use action or power words. These heavy-hitting words show leadership and gumption, so change phrases like “responsible for” and “participated in” to words like “directed” and “created.”
• Quantify your results. If you want to stand out from the crowd, numbers will change you from a zero to a hero in the eyes of the industrial engineering HR manager.
• Focus on achievements and accomplishments. Every job has responsibilities. Show that you went above and beyond the bare minimum.

What if you’re a fresh industrial engineering graduate writing an entry-level resume? No worries.

You can focus on volunteering, internships, co-ops, or relevant experience in different industries. 

Entry-Level Industrial Engineer Resume: Job Description

The key is that you have something to show you can and will deliver results. Even if it’s your senior design project, showing your passion and engineering skills will always score you points.

Need more help writing about your experience on a resume? Check out our guide: Resume Work Experience, Professional History & Example Job Descriptions 

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. Show Off Your Degree with a Great Education Section 

If you have been in the industrial engineering field for some time now, the secret to adding an education section to your resume is keep it short. Only list your degree, university, and graduation date.

On the other hand, if this will be your first job resume for the real world, this is a great chance to go into more detail. Here are some details you can add:

• Relevant coursework
• Dean’s list
• GPA
• Specializations or minors/majors
• Latin honors
• Extracurricular activities

Take a look at these industrial engineering resume examples:

Industrial Engineer Resume Examples [Education Section]

Bam. You just knocked some socks off.

Now let’s see an education section example of an experienced industrial engineer.

Industrial Engineering Resume Template [Education]

See? Short and sweet. And let’s be honest—

Despite those all-night study sessions, GPA doesn’t matter that much once you have quality work experience.

Read more: How to Put Your Degree on a Resume

4. Tailor Your Industrial Engineer Resume Skills to the Position

The right skills for an industrial engineer resume depend on which field you’re pursuing: supply chain and logistics, quality, procurement, or data analytics. And though your work experience section should prove you know QRP from FDT, the skills section is a great place to:

• Identify key skills from the job posting and display them on your resume.
• Make up for gaps in your work experience.
• Show that you are well-rounded in hard skills, soft skills, and software skills.

Start with these common industrial engineer resume skills:

Industrial Engineering Skills for a Resume

• Production and Processing
• Statistical Analysis and Modeling
• Inventory Control
• Data Analysis and Visualization
• Process Analysis
• Factory Planning
• Material Handling
• Methodologies: Lean/Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis, Kaizen, FMEA, 5S, Time and Motion Studies
• Accounting Skills: Cost Analysis, Return on Investment, Business Accounting
• Analytical Skills
• Time Management
• Excellent Communication Skills
• Problem Solving Skills
• Organizational Skills
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Teamwork Skills
• Attention to Detail

Software Skills for Industrial Engineer Resume

• Excel: VBA, Macros, Automation
• CAD Software: AutoCAD, Solidworks, Inventor, Revit
• Statistical Software: SPSS, Minitab
• Programming: Matlab, C, Java, Python, R
• Microsoft Access
• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
• Microsoft Office skills

Now—should you bombard each and every HR manager with a mile-long list of all the skills you’ve acquired since you started university? 

Definitely not. Instead, you need to tailor your resume to match the job description. Find the overlap between your skills and the ones you see on the job posting and only list those (those will be your resume keywords).

Using industrial engineering resume keywords from job postings will also make sure your resume is ATS-friendly. This study from the Missouri University of Science & Technology found buzzwords “widespread on industrial engineer job-search websites”, so get familiar with them.

OK—look at this sample skills section from an entry level industrial engineering resume:

Industrial Engineering Resume Examples [Skills]

See? This skill list would be perfect for a fresh graduate process engineering role. 

Here is a sample industrial engineering resume skills section for a senior specializing in data analytics:

Sample Senior Industrial Engineer Resume

Slam dunk.

Need more skills ideas? Check out: 99+ Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume

5. Add “Extra” Sections to Your Industrial Engineer Resume

Here is the chance to show your resume is the needle in the haystack. 

“Extra” sections can tip the balance in your favor by differentiating you from the other candidates proving your AECOM-worthy. Additional sections can include:

• Certifications and licenses
• Awards and achievements
• Conferences
• Volunteer experience
• Associations
• Languages

Certifications show your industry expertise in a way that your university degree can’t. Of course, the most desirable certifications for industrial engineers depend on the industry you are specialized in. Here are the most popular certifications in industrial engineering:

• Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP)
• Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM)
• Certified Manufacturing Engineer (CMfgE)
• Certified Automation Professional (CAP)
• Lean Bronze Certification
• Lean Silver Certification
• Lean Gold Certification
• Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
• Six Sigma Black Belt Certification
• Six Sigma Master Black Belt Certification

Who likes to be a part of members-only clubs? Industrial engineers, that’s who. Here are the biggest associations related to industrial engineering:

• Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)
• International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)
• American Society of Quality (ASQ)

Check out these industrial engineering resume samples for inspiration:

Senior Industrial Engineer Resume Examples [Other Sections]

Entry-Level Industrial Engineer Resume Examples [Other Sections]

Wow, impressive right?

Feel like your resume is missing something? Read: What to Put on a Resume to Make it Perfect

6. Write an Industrial Engineer Resume Summary or Resume Objective

According to our HR statistics report, the average corporate job offer attracts 250 resumes. If a hiring manager happens to be filling 5 new positions, how can they read over 1,000 resumes?

Surprise—they don’t.

That’s what a resume summary or objective is for. This short paragraph should be the best of your resume sieved until you are left with a nugget of gold. That piece of gold should be the 2-3 most impressive things from your experience, skills, and extra sections. This is what the HR manager will read to decide whether to even look at the rest of your resume.

Should you write a resume summary or objective statement?

• If you already have some experience in your industry, go with a resume summary. 
• Meanwhile, if you’re an applicant fresh out of college or looking to switch careers, pick the resume objective.

Use this template shortcut to writing a resume summary:

• Choose an adjective from your list of soft skills like “organized” or “motivated”.
• Add your job title. (Pro Tip: This doesn’t have to be your official title).
• Include how much experience you have (in years).
• Highlight one or two of your best achievements or skills.
• Finish with what you have to offer the prospective employer.

Look at these industrial engineering resume summary examples:

Experienced Industrial Engineer Resume Summary

Whoa. Are those really the same candidate?

The good resume example includes quantified results, key skills, and mentions the company name specifically. That’s the recipe for success.

For fresh graduate industrial engineers, you want to be writing a career objective. You can use the same shortcut mentioned above, just leave out the experience (or lack thereof) part.

Take a look at these examples:

Fresh Graduate Industrial Engineer Resume Objective

Wow. The first example shows you’re the next Henry Ford.

Still have writer’s block? Check out: Resume Profile: Examples and Tips

7. Increase Your Chances of Success with an Industrial Engineering Cover Letter

So you finish incorporating all the above advice into your resume. After a little hard work, you take a step back and look at your resume. The only thing to do is give a chef’s kiss, because it’s perfect. That means you’re ready to apply, right?

Not so fast. Based on one study, 56% of employers prefer for candidates to attach a cover letter to their resume. So if you don’t want to sabotage your chances, write a cover letter. 

Here are some key points in writing your industrial engineering cover letter:

• Choose the right cover letter layout.
• Address the cover letter with the hiring manager’s name if you have it.
• Write a catchy opening paragraph of your cover letter to get them to keep reading.
• Highlight why your previous experience makes you the perfect fit in the second paragraph.
• Explain why you would love to join their team in the third paragraph.

Want a specific guide? Read: Engineering Cover Letter Examples

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:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

The steps to make the best industrial engineering resume take some time, but don’t worry—

Everything will pay off once you’re sitting in the new office of your dream job.

Here’s a recap of how to write the best industrial engineer resume possible:

• Use a good resume template that is easy to read.
• Spend the longest on your work experience section as it’s the most important.
• Tailor which soft, hard, and technical skills to include according to each job description.
• Use “extra” sections as icing on the cake to impress the hiring manager.
• Write a compelling resume summary or objective using our special formula.
• Write a cover letter to make sure you’re not sabotaging your resume.

Thanks for reading my guide! Now, we’d love to hear from you: 

• What’s the hardest part about writing a good systems engineering resume? 
• What technical skills are most in demand according to industrial engineer job postings?
• Do you think certifications are important for industrial engineering resumes?

Ask us a question below and we’ll do our best to help!