Electrical Engineering Resume Sample & Writing Tips 2024
Over the past decade, there has been a fundamental shift in the global sourcing of power that operates equipment. While several countries heavily depend on carbon-based fuels to power vessels, vehicles, and industrial equipment, the shift has changed to electrically powered equipment. Electrical engineers are talented professionals who create, maintain, and problem-solve these systems. And to retain these jobs, a candidate will need a well-written electrical engineering resume.
Electrical engineering covers a wide range of specialties, including operations in controls, Electro physics, Microelectronics, Computer Engineering, and Power Systems, along with Communications and Signal Processing. Although each of these specialties has its own requirements for education and certifications, the resume structure for each follows a similar format.
Suppose you've struggled with writing a resume of an electrical engineer or want to learn the best practices to spice up your existing electrical engineering skills resume. In that case, this article will serve as a guide. The information below will introduce the best practices for writing electrical engineer resumes. The tips will work for an experienced or an entry level electrical engineer resume.
We'll explore some of the unique differences between writing an entry level electrical engineer resume and one for an experienced professional. We will also provide an electrical engineer resume example and break down each section to provide helpful hints on word choice, format, and structure.
So, if you're ready to learn how to write a resume for an electrical engineer, let's get started.
Electrical Engineer Resume Sample
The analytical thinking people who become electrical engineers have a specific skill set. They have advanced technical knowledge of electrical systems, possess strong organizational, complex problem-solving, and innovative thinking skills, are strong with mathematics and physics and must be strong communicators.
That's a tremendous number of skills to pack into a single resume. Add any required certifications, and your professional resume may seem an endless challenge. However, this doesn't mean the finished electrical engineering skills resume needs to be more than two pages.
As you can see with this electrical engineer resume sample posted below, with proper planning, organization, and formatting, with the sales manager's samples below, everything can fit nicely on a single page.
Take some time to read one of our electrical engineering resume examples below. This is for our hypothetical electrical engineer candidate Allison who is applying for an engineering position for a large communications company in her hometown of Denver, Colorado.
Please continue to the sections below when you've completed the resume review. We will provide a detailed outline and offer practical tips to help you organize, structure, write, and format the finished resume.
Download this resume example - Electrical Engineer
It is simple to see that our candidate Allison will be a welcome addition to the electrical engineering team at Ciserion Communications (a mythical company) for one simple reason – her attention to detail. This is proven in her resume format mainly due to a few critical factors that are easy to notice.
First, the entire resume is free of grammatical and punctuation errors. Second, her electrical engineer objective statement begins with a unique opening sentence – her aim of joining the Ciserion team. Third, her work history section reveals two prior employments in the communications industry.
Finally, her references come from these previous jobs, demonstrating that she is trustworthy, that she left prior positions on a good note, and that she has the respect of former employers.
This careful attention to detail and personalization on a resume demonstrates how much care goes into each executive search. Hiring managers and headhunters value individuals who take the time to demonstrate their enthusiasm, technical abilities, and desire to join their team.
Full Guide to Crafting Successful Electrical Engineering Resumes in 2024
We've touched on what skills and experience should be included in an impactful electrical engineering resume – but how do you put it all together? What sections should be included in a resume – and in which order?
For starters, a great candidate should always ask a few important questions before starting the process:
- What type of resume am I writing? Are you an experienced engineer looking for a senior position or electrical engineering student resume?
- Who is my intended target? Is this resume written to another engineer (a senior project manager) or an HR professional?
- What are the requirements of the position I'm applying for – and do I have all the right experience?
You'll have to include a few important sections on your resume to articulate these facts. Although each company might require different information on your electrical engineering skills resume, most should include the following sections.
- Personal contact information – This will include your basic contact details – and MUST match the same information you've listed on the job application and cover letter.
- Resume Summary – The resume summary is your elevator pitch for the job you're hoping to obtain.
- Work History – The work experience section can be the make-it-or-break-it section for an electrical engineering position. The key is to choose relevant experience specific to the job or industry you hope to join.
- Education – In the education section, you should list the highest school level you've completed.
- Certifications – If you maintain or require certifications, they should be noted after the education section. The sample above displays how it should be notated.
- References – The references you choose should include (2) individuals who can testify to your competence with engineering tasks.
- Skills – The skills you list on the resume should be those that help in your engineering job.
The primary sections listed above should be included on the engineering resume. However, it is critical to review each job posting – as it will guide you to any required sections outside of these top six. To keep you organized and help build out the content within your resume, we recommend using a master resume.
This functioning word document lets you write content, correct spelling and grammar, and fine-tune the appearance. To begin, create a new word document or your favorite writing program. Ensure that the primary sections are highlighted and coded in bold on that document. After that, you'll be ready to insert the necessary material into each section.
Let's go through each major component of your resume to explain why and what you should include.
Section #1 – Contact Information
The best electrical engineers pay attention to details. You'll have the opportunity to demonstrate this after you submit your application, resume, and cover letter. The same contact information must be included in all three documents.
While this makes sense, you'd be shocked at how many job opportunities request you submit two different email addresses or phone numbers. The main reason is that most individuals create a resume once and then reuse it for future jobs.
This is an actual-world example of resumé overthinking. On occasion, the most straightforward answer is to take the easy way. Allison has included her complete name, permanent address, email address, and mobile phone number in the sample resume above.
We won't check her application because we can't see it. We'll take her at face value and assume that the information in the electrical engineering resume is accurate. Unless specifically requested for more information, such as social media accounts — particularly LinkedIn - this primary contact data will be enough.
How to Format this Section
This sample electrical engineer resume was created with one of our template resumes. You may personalize and modify all the content using the template, ensuring it is grammatically correct. This makes formatting quick, organized, clean, and professional-looking, ready to use for any electrical engineering job applications. Plus, it makes customization easier for specific companies – as our candidate did in her sample resume.
Section #2 – Resume Summary
A written elevator pitch, also known as an electrical engineer's resume objective or a resume summary, is a short paragraph that summarizes the information included in your application and below into your CV.
This is an excellent opportunity to go into further details that may pique the reader's attention, capture the interest of automated candidate tracking software solutions, and convince hiring agents to contact you for an interview.
Once you've compiled a list of skills relevant to this position and are confident in them, it's time to choose your route. Are you creating an entry-level electrical engineering student resume or a senior electrical engineer?
Here are two distinct ways of writing a resume summary based on your experience level.
Entry Level Electrical Engineering Resume Summary
Let's assume that Allison is creating an entry-level resume. In the first sentence, Allison has stated his desire to apply for the position he will be interviewed for. This provides another excellent example of being detail-oriented in practice. By customizing the opening sentence to address the specific application, you can quickly separate yourself from other candidates submitting generic resumes.
She also mentions her most recent education, current certifications, and essential soft and hard skills relevant to this industry and job. The rest of the resume then describes her interpersonal talents, making her an excellent employee and team member.
Experienced Electrical Engineering Resume Summary
Now, let's see how Allison's opening statement might look if she were an experienced applicant. The first sentence is still the same, but she focuses on previous years of experience and significant accomplishments instead of education and certifications. She finishes the resume summary by displaying interpersonal skills like the entry-level position.
How to Format this Section
In most situations, writing this portion of your resume in a professional yet calm tone is preferable. Please see the preceding example for a helpful illustration of this writing style. It is critical to have a resume summary that is no more than 150 words long.
It's also critical to read your resume out loud multiple times to ensure it sounds natural. The key is for the resume summary to sound as if you're talking directly with the potential employer (or as if you're speaking right to them).
Section #3 – Work History
Similarly, the employment history should align with what you've stated in an application. This is to guarantee consistency and honesty. We advise including your most recent projects relevant to the job you're looking for as an electrical engineer. However, before selecting your previous jobs, reviewing the job description is a great idea to ensure you have the relevant experience they seek.
In Allison's example resume, you'll see that she has listed two prior employment as electrical design engineers for communications firms. They're presented in reverse chronological sequence (oldest to newest). You'll want to add the company's name, the dates of employment, its location, and a few key bullet points of job duties – or areas where you accomplished success.
She also includes four bullet points of primary job responsibilities demonstrating her engineering talents, including prototyping and developing, circuit design, troubleshooting and testing electrical fitness with oscilloscopes, using CAD to create plans and schematics, and industry-specific activities.
This information will help the firm understand your real-world experience, especially if they're searching for someone with qualifications. She is, however, an attractive candidate because of her vast potential to undertake many responsibilities in her two previous jobs.
How to Format this Section
In the Experience section, list the company's name, address, dates of employment, and a few points about your duties. List each job in reverse chronological order. Keep it to a few phrases in your bullet points; don't make it into a paragraph. During an interview, you'll have a fantastic opportunity to flesh out your relevant expertise — the purpose of producing a solid resume.
Section #4 – Education
The education section is essential and cannot be understated. While many job seekers believe that they should detail their educational history from grade school through doctoral studies, the fact is that employers care only about the highest level of study completed.
Our mythical candidate Allison listed her highest level of education – a master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Cal State University Fullerton. There is no need to add her Bachelor of Science GPA, specific courses, or awards earned on your best resume. You want your practical work experience, certifications, or relevant skills to tell your story.
How to Format this Section
Simply include the name of the school, its location, dates, and degree, diploma, or certificate earned in your education section. This will work for engineering design job seekers and recruiters looking for engineering design resumes.
Section #5– Certifications
This portion will differ based on the sort of electrical engineer position you want to keep. Most private sector positions do not require a particular certification or license. These are typical requirements for public-sector engineering jobs, such as government-sector ones.
On the other hand, certifications in specific electrical engineering specialties or manufacturing processes may assist you in gaining a competitive edge.
Some of the critical certifications you may want to list on your resume include:
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Certified Technical Professional (CTP)
- Professional Engineer (PE)
- Project Manager Professional (PgMP)
- Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP)
Documenting your certifications is a straightforward proposition. List all your current certifications relevant to the job you're applying for. For example, Allison is a candidate for a communications sector electrical engineer position. As such, her certifications are notated that reflect this expertise.
How to Format this Section
We recommend following the format in Allison's sample – listing the certification's name, date, and applicable expiration dates. Simple is best for this portion of the resume.
Section #6 - References
A lot of job candidates tend to overthink the reference section. However, the references can separate equally qualified candidates for electrical engineering jobs. It's always best to select references that can clearly articulate your expertise in this specialty. For an electrical engineer, choose two professional references – preferably individuals who you've worked with in the past.
Allison did this in his perfect resume above, as you can see. She has included two previous senior engineers with whom she worked on her resume. While a personal reference might be helpful for this position, we feel that listing professional references is superior.
How to Format this Section
For the reference section, you document your reference's first and last name, their place of employment, and the phrase "available upon request." This will keep their contact information private unless the law firm you are applying to join is requested.
Section #6 – Skills
When it comes to a job that demands extensive training, including your abilities on the resume is more of a formality than a necessary inclusion. However, since doing so is considered excellent practice in engineering resumes, why not use automated applicant tracking system software to your advantage?
With the skills section, you aim to utilize action verbs relevant to the electrical engineering job you want to keep. When you look at Allison's example resume, you'll notice she includes six critical abilities in her job search. Some ideas of items to add to this section include communication skills, comprehension of electrical schematics or control systems, and instrumentation.
She focuses on her technical skills and attributes, and soft skills like teamwork and communication, that allow her to be competent, dependable, and a great team player who works well with all stakeholders.
How to Format this Section
In bullet-point format, list your electrical engineer resume skills in your master resume. From that point, you can add them to a template. Not only does this streamline your resume writing, but it makes them easier to read and fit seamlessly into your resume builder. Plus, it keeps the resume shorter – or more scannable.
Other Related Resume Templates
We hope the information you've read above helps you structure and outline your electrical engineering resumes. However, you've worked hard to earn your degree and experience to become an engineer. As such, you know the importance of research. While we are confident that this article provides you with everything needed to write an engaging resume, it's always a good idea to look at some more valuable samples.
Therefore, we've assembled several related engineering resume templates for you to review. Take some time to review the sample resumes posted below. Feel free to incorporate some ideas into your resume if it fits.
Final Points on Electrical Engineer Resumes
As an engineer, you've spent years studying and training to develop successful answers for issues by following a well-vetted procedure. Hopefully, after reading this post, you realize that preparing a strong electrical engineering resume is no more difficult than following our steps.
The most critical thing we want you to take away from this article is the need for consistency and attention to detail. You might craft the most beautiful resume to persuade the sternest reader that you are the perfect candidate. But if the resume doesn't tell a complete story, you can be assured that another candidate has taken the time to display that attribute on their resume.
Ensure your contact information, past employment history, and education are precise, as stated on your application or cover letter. Also, use Grammarly or another similar online editor to edit the resume properly.
Here are some final tips to consider.
- Always write your resume on a plain white background with black font.
- Edit the document SEVERAL TIMES – and then share it with a few peers to gain their perspective.
- Ensure it's well-spaced, organized, and professional.
- Finally, read it aloud a few times before you're ready to paste the content into a template for office assistants.
When you follow these tips and use a professional resume template, your electrical engineer resume will look great, read well, and hopefully gain you that all-important interview.