Give your career as an electrical engineer a jolt with a glowing resume. Start with Resume.io’s wealth of job-hunting resources, including this resume how-to guide, for the step-by-step instructions you need.
Published: May 30, 2018 Last Updated: September 12, 2024 Average rating people’ve already rated it
The field of electrical engineering is at a crossroads. While traditionally, electrical engineers have focused on manufacturing and telecommunications, two industries in decline, the Internet of Things (IoT) may create a surge in the demand for your skills. If you have decided to make a move, there is still opportunity out there. You have worked hard so far and now, by developing a strong resume that generates the interest of recruiters and employers, you can position yourself to take the next step in your career. With the market beginning to open up — the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted only two percent growth in jobs from 2018-28, but has now revised that to a 7% increase through 2030 — prospects are better, but you still need to break out of the pack. Resume.io, its resume builder-tool and expertly-designed layout templates can get you there. First, spend 20 minutes reading this guide to learn how to:
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Before you start developing your resume, you should have an idea of the market today and how it is likely to change in the future.
Before you start building a circuit, you need to know what parts you need. The same is true of your production worker resume. Your CV should contain:
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Electrical engineers design the circuitry for electrical systems, but are also responsible for development, testing, and supervising the manufacture of electrical equipment. They use physics and math to solve problems related to electricity, electromagnetism and electronics. Electrical engineers are a combination of inventor and designer.
The first fact to remember is that there are more than 313,000 electrical engineering jobs in the United States as of 2020. You only need one. And while manufacturing and telecommunications are experiencing a decline, electrical engineers also work in the following sectors:
The biggest plus, however, may be in IoT. These are devices that can communicate with the Internet without human interaction. This does not include computers or smartphones, but household and other items that you wouldn’t think of as Internet devices. Your smart thermostat is an IoT-type device. The good news for electrical engineers is that these devices are proliferating in many industries and they all need sensors, actuators, and controllers, some of which are electrical. If you are already working on these designs, you are in great shape, but if not, this guide will help you accentuate the skills you need to move forward in your career.
The IoT market is expected to grow more than $2.4 trillion annually by 2027, according to Business Insider.
Also, check out these other related engineering resume examples and get inspired:
Your electrical engineer resume is a tightly-controlled accounting of your career. The only place you can loosen up a bit is in your profile, also known as a summary. This paragraph of two to five sentences allows you to describe your professional personality and tell recruiters about your biggest successes. Think about how you will contribute to the company and make it obvious here. You may have a fabulous idea for your profile. If so, go ahead and write it first. Another option is to complete the rest of your resume and then write your profile. This gives you perspective on your overall career progress and may help you write a more impressive summary. The key here is to think about what the specific job is looking for and play to that employer’s distinct wish list. You may write a template that fits many jobs for which you apply but remember to individualize. Generic profiles will not get you that interview. To write a strong profile, you should:
The IoT market is expected to grow more than $2.4 trillion annually by 2027, according to Business Insider.
One reason it is so important to individualize your resume is the prevalence of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) also known as recruiting software. These programs have been a boon to overworked recruiters because they perform an initial sorting and ranking of resumes, eliminating “bad” ones. But what makes a “bad” resume in ATS terms? One that does not achieve a high enough ranking based on its algorithm. While each ATS software uses somewhat different criteria, there are some hacks that will help you get past this gatekeeper and into the hands of a person.
Resume parsing tools may also feature a grammar-based tool for decoding long phrases or sentences or a statistical tool using numerical models to analyze all the text in your resume. That means that while you should use the keywords and phrases, “over-stuffing” your resume with them may do you more harm than good.
Analyze each job description for the most frequently used words and phrases. Then, use those exact keywords and phrases in your resume. It is likely that the ATS software is programmed to scan for them and rank your resume according to how many you include. Also, be aware that in some systems, keywords that equate to higher-level or rare skills are weighted more heavily, so if you have them, use them.
Expert tipHow do you analyze job descriptions?
Sometimes that task can be difficult. If you are struggling to decipher a wordy description or puzzling over a vague one, consider using a word cloud. An application such as wordclouds.com or wordart.com can help clarify. Simply cut and paste the job description into a word cloud creator. The biggest words are the ones that appear most frequently in the text.
Adaptable resume summary exampleInnovative Electrical Engineer with a proven track record of evaluating electrical systems and applying knowledge of electricity and materials in a beneficial way. Adept in carefully diagnosing and assessing issues, while offering real viable solutions. Skilled in design, prototyping, and testing. Committed to working as a collaborative and positive team member, striving to utilize my knowledge and expertise for optimal engineering results.
Copy to clipboardThe skills section of your electrical engineer resume should elevate your application by giving recruiters a quick way to see what you offer. This is a deliberate listing not of the skills necessary to get the job done, but the skills that distinguish you from other candidates. Begin by brainstorming a list of all your skills, projects, and achievements. Keep this Master List to add to in the future. Then, divide your list into categories:
If you have expert skills, there’s no reason to waste precious space listing your entry-level skills. Another way to categorize is by hard and soft skills. Hard skills are abilities distinct to electrical engineers. Soft skills are those people/social and organizational abilities that allow you to flourish in the workplace.
Here are some examples of the hard skills you need as an electrical engineer, according to George Washington University:
Electrical engineers may also need competence in a range of software programs (depending on industry), so make sure to research those, specifically pertaining to your target employer.
Expert tipUse the exact names of the software programs that you are skilled in instead of listing the general category.
Here are the top soft skills necessary for an electrical engineer, according to Tasker:
Try not to list these exactly, think about getting more granular or being more descriptive.
