Top Engineering CV Examples and Tips

Engineers are highly trained, incredibly knowledgeable individuals who need a thorough understanding of technical processes to do their jobs well. That means when you’re writing a CV and cover letter for an engineering job, you’re competing against other people who also have amazing skills and plenty of education. How do you stand out in a field where even an entry-level job often has many requirements?

On this page, we’ll provide:

• Expert engineering CV examples you can use as a foundation for your own CV.
• Step-by-step guidance for writing an effective CV.
• Tips on formatting and writing a cover letter to accompany your engineering job application.

Build My CV

• A focus on specific skills

  A hiring manager often sees the same skills, work history and education over and over again in engineering CVs. If you want to turn heads, buck the trend and energise your CV by focusing on specific skills for which the employer is looking.

• Key engineering accomplishments

  If you’ve been responsible for a ton of engineering projects over the years, don’t laundry-list them! Instead of focusing too much on everyday responsibilities and projects, highlight successful projects that have been most important to your engineering career.

• Tailor your CV to the job

  No two jobs are the same. Read the job description carefully to determine the requirements and responsibilities of the engineering job, and create your engineering CV accordingly. Some employers might value a candidate skilled in AutoCAD and SQL, while others might be searching for someone more knowledgeable in Linux and CSS.

• Use keywords

  A big part of tailoring your CV to the job is including keywords and key phrases from the job posting in your CV. Select a handful of skills and listed responsibilities from the job description that apply to you and write them in different sections of your CV.

• Keep your CV ATS-friendly

  An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a software that most companies use to filter through CVs so only the most qualified applicants make it through. To make sure your CV is ATS-friendly, use keywords and select a CV template that is easy to read. Our templates are designed by experts with ATS software in mind.

There are three standard CV formats you can use to create an engineering CV:

• Chronological CV: The common CV format, ideal for job seekers with extensive work history. The chronological format places your work experience front and centre, so it works best if you have more than nine years of continuous work experience as an engineer.
• Functional CV: On the other end of the scale is the functional format. This format is better for job applicants who just graduated from college or with less than two years of experience. It emphasises skills over work history, making it the best option for people who want to assure their potential employer that they have the skills needed to do the job.
• Combination CV: As the name suggests, the combination format — also known as the hybrid CV — is a mix between the chronological and functional formats. It’s best suited for mid-level professionals with three to eight years of work experience, as it gives equal focus on the work history section and skill set.

Some additional CV formatting tips you should consider:

• Use a professional font. This isn’t the time to be flamboyant; use fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana or Helvetica.
• Keep the margins consistent. Stick to 1-inch margins but if you need to make room, you can take them down half an inch.
• Ensure readability. Your font size should be large enough for recruiters or hiring managers to read. Typically, the body text should be 11-12 points, the subheadings 14-15 and your name 16 or 18.
• Use the right spacing. Go with a single or 1.5 spacing between lines.
• Save and download in the correct format. The job description will let you know if the employer wants a specific file format, but usually, saving your engineering CV as a PDF or MS Word format is the best way to go.

Build My CV

When you’re writing an engineering CV, you need to remember that there are certain writing tips that can help you stand out. Here’s what you need to keep in mind with an engineering CV.

1. Header and contact information

Write your name in the header, along with your phone number and email address. Make sure that the contact information you use is up-to-date and professional (no silly email addresses here). You can also include your LinkedIn social handle if it’s relevant to the job and will provide additional information about your career.

2. Professional summary or career objective

Next, it’s time to summarise your career. You have two options: write a professional summary or write a career objective.

A professional summary is a two-to-three-sentence paragraph that gives the potential employer an overall picture of your experience and top skills. It’s best for candidates who have more than two years of experience in the field. For example:

Detail-oriented engineer with five years of experience in software development. Able to collaborate with others to implement application designs, create a better user experience and solve technical problems. Skilled in AutoCAD, quality control, troubleshooting and advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel.

A career objective is also a short paragraph that provides an overview of your career thus far but also states your career goals. So if you have less than two years of experience or you’re changing careers, you can tell employers what you’re looking for.

For example:

Problem-solving college graduate with a B.A. in computer engineering seeking entry-level computer engineer role in tech company. Well-versed in Python, JavaScript and other programming languages, as well as secure coding and engineering metrics. Skilled communicator and critical thinker.

3. Skills section

Fleshing out your skills section as an engineer is all about highlighting what you’re best at. Use bullet points to write a mix of 8-10 hard skills and soft skills, such as:

Hard skills

• Prototyping
• AutoCAD knowledge
• Project management
• Troubleshooting

Soft skills

• Excellent communication skills
• Conflict resolution
• Problem-solving skills
• Attention to detail
• Time management

4. Work experience section

Work experience is often very important for engineers and job seekers will frequently have many years of experience when filling out their experience section. Use your engineering CV to highlight past jobs as well as any independent projects or extracurricular activities where you may have gotten experience. This includes volunteer work in engineering-based industries, internships where you’ve had engineering responsibilities and even academic experience and coursework if you’re still in school.

In addition to the tips mentioned above, make the most of your work history section by:

• Using bullet points to highlight accomplishments rather than mundane tasks.
• Starting each statement with an action verb like planned, organised, coordinated, programmed or oversaw.
• Quantifying your achievements and using numbers to better portray your work achievements.
• Writing specific responsibilities that match what the new job wants.

Take a look at this example of an engineering CV work experience entry:

Software Engineer / June 2019 – Sept. 2022
Hue Tech., Liverpool, England

• Configured and tested over 15 different troubleshooting methods and documented resolutions for support team.
• Installed and configured software applications and tested solutions.
• Worked with team of five engineers and developers to resolve technical issues.

5. Education

Engineers usually need at least a bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline in order to get hired, such as aerospace engineering, civil engineering or chemical engineering. A master’s degree may be needed to advance in some fields.

If you’ve finished your university degree, there’s no need to list your previous educational experience in your education section, unless you have any relevant special awards. Just feature your undergraduate and/or graduate degrees, along with any relevant specialised coursework or awards. Likewise, if you graduated from university more than 10 years ago, you don’t have to include the graduation date.

Engineers who are accredited by Engineering Accreditation Board (EAB) can include their accreditation and additional certifications in this section as well.

6. Additional sections

If you have awards, publications or have participated in important conferences, you can create additional sections in your CV to highlight these accomplishments. Just make sure they’re relevant to the job and will help establish your engineering expertise.

Build My CV

CVHelp has plenty of other resources, examples of engineering specialities and expert guides for writing a solid CV.

• Software Engineer CV: Show off your technical and industry-specific skills with our tailored guide.
• Electrical Engineer CV: Impress recruiters with the right set of electrical engineering skills.
• Mechanical Engineer CV: Follow our tips and highlight your work experience and skill set correctly.
• CV Examples: Find more CV examples for hundreds of jobs and dozens of industries.
• How to Write a CV: Use our expert writing tips to create an engineering CV that’s eye-catching and professional.

Build My CV

Your engineering job application won’t be complete without a professional cover letter. We have plenty of cover letter writing resources available:

• Engineering Cover Letter Example: Use our engineering cover letter sample as inspiration to write your own.
• How to Write a Cover Letter: Market yourself as the best candidate for the job with the help of our cover letter writing guide.
• Cover Letter Builder: Write a cover letter in a couple of minutes using our user-friendly Builder.
• Cover Letter Templates: Find the perfect template to pair with your engineering CV template.
• Cover Letter Format: Format your cover letter the right way by following our guide.
• Cover Letter Examples: Explore our hundreds of additional cover letter examples for different jobs and industries.

To wrap up, here’s a summary of what we covered in this article:

1. Highlight your top skills in your professional summary or career objective.
2. Mention skills and accomplishments relevant to the engineering job.
3. Include 8-10 hard skills and soft skills.
4. If you graduated more than 10 years ago, you don’t have to include the graduation date.
5. Create additional sections in your CV to highlight awards, publications and other achievements.
6. CV formats are not interchangeable. Choose the one that best fits your years of experience.
7. Keep it professional with an appropriate font, like Arial or Verdana.
8. Maintain margin and spacing consistent throughout your CV.
9. Save your CV as a PDF or MS Word file format.
10. Complement your CV with a professional cover letter.

Build My CV