You conceptualize all sorts of engineering projects, but did you know that you can apply those same skills to your professional resume? Regardless of your engineering specialty, the processes that you’ll need to implement in order to create a converting resume applies across the board.
If you’re an engineer in need of a new job, and if you’re currently creating a new resume for your job search, then consider the following resume tips below:
Precision is paramount
Just as your job requires a high level of precision, your professional resume requires the same energy and skill. This means that your resume should be concise in its wording. You should have it edited for mistakes in grammar and spelling. In short, the final edit of your resume should be turn out just as perfectly as one of your projects.
Be brief
Here’s an engineering project for you to tackle: Devise a method for highlighting your skills and education in a concise manner. You’ll need to overcome the temptation to be verbose.
This is because resumes are often rejected within a 30 second or less time span. This means that your resume needs to create an immediate impact, or it will be ignored, deleted, or thrown away.
Swap out the objective element for the summary element
In the 20th century, the standard resume contained the objective element, but in the 21st century, the objective element could actually hurt your chances for an interview.
Using the objective element can hurt you due to this reason: If you state an objective that’s at odds with the hiring manager’s objective, then you’re not going to be contacted for an interview. Instead, it’s best to simply summarize your previous experience.
The only instance when an objective should be included on your resume is if you’re changing careers, and you want to make it plain that your new career objectives differ from your past.
Tailor your resume
In too many instances, hiring managers receive resumes that were clearly sent out in bulk from one applicant. Specifically, the resume won’t highlight why the applicant is interested in one particular position.
Hiring managers not only want to know that you’re qualified for an advertised position, they also want to know why you chose to apply for a position with their company. They want to know what type of value you’re bringing to their advertised position. They want to also know why you chose them.
If your resume isn’t personalized for a particular position, then the message you’re sending is that you’d accept any position that comes along. This doesn’t inspire confidence in the minds of hiring managers.
Bullet point your accomplishments
Another 20th century resume hold-over is the use of long paragraphs to list your previous accomplishments. Today’s hiring managers want to read resumes that are scannable with the eye. You can best create an easily scanned resume by listing your accomplishments in bullet form.
Put Your Resume Online
With many job and resume sites
online that receive a lot of traffic, with a little bit of time and ingenuity a
resume can reach a large audience. Dan ODonnell, president of Crevand SEO agency, suggests buying a domain name with either your name, the
job title you ultimately want to acquire or any keyword targeted to the
engineering marketplace. “Then post your resume online and even add a YouTube
video introducing yourself to make the site more personable”, Dan recommends.
“Saturate all of your social channels with the resume, career goals and
encourage friends and family to share these on their social media accounts.”
Honesty is still the best policy
It’s always tempting for a job applicant to grandstand, stretch the truth, or
flat-out lie about their previous experience or accomplishments. Don’t give in
to this temptation.
In today’s information technology and social media age, it’s all too easy for a
hiring manager (or your future department head) to Google information about
you. Keep in mind that when you tell the truth on your resume, you’ll never
have to worry about lies being uncovered in the future.
Consider reaching out to a local engineering staffing agency as they will have a solid understanding of the current job market. You may even be able to find a temp job to get you started right away. Often times, temp jobs in the engineering field turn into full time jobs down the road. Proving your value in a temp job can potentially be a strong career move.