Having an effective CV will greatly influence how successful you will be in landing that dream job offer. When looking to write a strong CV which will catch the attention of a prospective employer in the engineering industry, and other fields alike, it is important that you structure it correctly and include all the key and relevant information.
In this blog, we dissect and offer useful CV writing tips for engineers, which will hit the sweet spot between providing enough information without becoming tedious to read.
A CV is your potential employers first perception of you, so it is paramount that you get it right and look professional in the process. Whilst it is important to sell yourself in this, you do not want to deviate too far from the truth. You want to keep it relevant and correct.
This is to prevent any altercations further down the line if you were to be successful in your application. Your CV should be enticing, but never deviating from the truth and stating things which you would not be able to verify face-to-face.
When you are writing your CV, it is important to understand what the employers are specifically looking for in the particular engineering industry you are applying for.
If you are aiming to enter the electrical engineering industry, then you want to ensure that you have catered your CV and the skills stated to match the requirements of this role. An employer will want to see that you have done your research and you understand the job role and what it entails.
Keep everything connected, you want to impress your employer with your skill set and commitment to the role. Always do your homework!
You can look at our previous blogs listing valuable soft skills and hard skills if you are wondering where you should begin.
Always be clear on what you would like your potential employer to know about you. Make your points stand out in a professional but informative way to entice them in and want to know more about you.
Make sure that you are clear and to the point about all your previous experience, knowledge, and qualifications. You want your employer to see them straight away as they stand out in their own section. They don’t want to have to be reading it all to find the relevant information. Therefore, structuring is important for you to achieve a successful resume.
If this is your first job within the engineering industry, you may not have any relevant experience which may lead to gaps within it. If this is the case for you, then we recommend filling in the gaps with any projects you may have taken part in yourself.
Maybe you have started and finished projects in your home environment. whilst this isn’t under employment, it will still show the employer that you are interested in engineering and that you are willing to learn more skills.
Another great tip for your CV to be successful is for you to use relevant industrial terminology. If you can speak their language, this will prove that you have a keen interest on staying within the industry…and therefore the role.
It will also make your CV appear more targeted and relevant to the employer. The more you show your interest and capability within your CV without going off topic too much or dragging it on, the higher chance of being placed above the rest of the competition. This is your mail goal!
Precision is key when it comes to potential new employment. You want to make sure that you have checked and double checked your CV, and everything is how it should be. Your contact details should all be kept up to date and checked each time you require your resume.
Our CV Writing Tips for Engineers Can Lead You to Success
Whilst you may be able to use this document for each job you apply for, you will want to write a new one if you are changing industry. This is because you may need different relevant skills experience in this new industry. Naturally a coder is going to require a different set of skills and experience from that of an engineer.
Included in this document you should list all your skills, educational history, and achievements, you want to keep this short. Only stating relevant information.
A CV can be multiple pages and should aim to encapsulate all of your points, however, never make it longer than it necessarily must be for the sake of it. Being concise in your approach is a good thing. You don’t want them to be bored or make them not want to read your valuable skills-set after all the time you invested in creating it.
A major point to acknowledge is never being negative. You don’t want to turn potential jobs away by being negative. Consider what you include into this and what you may think about leaving out.
Things you may consider leaving out are unsuccessful projects or achievements and reasons of leaving previous employment. Whether it be part of engineering or not, positivity is the key!
Lists are a great way to start, but you don’t want to overuse this tool by making multiple major parts of your CV into list format. When you are listing your skills, accomplishments, or qualification’s consider bullet pointing these as this will make it easier to read and stand out.
Afterall, it is good to stand out from the rest of the crowd, your CV needs to be the one which the employer remembers after a session of going through applicants.
Remember, keep the list small. Here is an example of how a list can be inputted:
Leadership
Problem solving
Handling pressure
Attention to detail
Time Management
By now, you should have a good understanding on what to include and what not to include in being a successful engineering applicant.
Additional useful tips to remember, which would have saved many people many hours include saving your document regularly in case you experience an IT error, double checking your document for any spelling errors, and branding it to an appropriate theme.
If you still doubt the end result then ask a friend or family to go over it with you, as a fresh pair of eyes may spot mistakes you may not have seen yourself.
Hopefully by now you have a solid foundation to begin working on your engineering CV and will be able to start with a plan in place! Be confident and highlight your strengths in a planned out way…you will have a lot so don’t be shy!
