A few CV tips for Engineers
There are plenty of articles online about CV length, formatting, fonts and how to make your resume easy to read. Those things are important, but after reviewing engineering CVs every day and speaking with engineers across different disciplines and industries, I’ve noticed a few things that can make a real difference when applying for a new role.
One thing I often see is that engineers are very good at describing their responsibilities, but don’t always provide enough context for the projects they’ve worked on. While that might not seem like a big issue at first, in engineering the project environment often tells us just as much as the responsibilities themselves.
For example, two Mechanical Engineers or Electrical Engineers may both be specifying similar equipment and carrying out similar calculations. On paper, their day-to-day work can look almost identical. However, one may have spent most of their career working on pharmaceutical facilities, while the other specializes in oil & gas or petrochemical projects.
The technical tasks might be similar, but the experience behind them is very different. Each sector comes with its own standards, regulations, project environments and technical challenges. As recruiters and hiring managers, we’re not only looking at what you’ve done, but also where you’ve done it and the type of projects that have shaped your experience.
That’s why adding project information to your CV can be incredibly valuable.
Add a project list to your CV
A project list is one of the easiest ways to provide more context about your background. It doesn’t have to be complicated and can either be included as a separate section or added underneath each role you’ve held.
When describing a project, it helps to include:
- The project itself
- Your scope of work
- Location, project size and value
- The engineering phase(s) you were involved in
- Dates or duration
This additional information immediately helps recruiters and hiring managers understand your experience in more detail. Rather than only seeing a list of responsibilities, they can see the environments you’ve worked in, the types of projects you’ve contributed to and the scale of work you’ve been involved with.
Another detail that is often overlooked is the company itself.
Add 1-3 sentences describing each employer
This becomes even more important when applying internationally, but it can also add value when applying locally. In engineering, companies can be EPC contractors, consultancies, manufacturers, solution providers or system integrators. People with the same job title can have completely different experiences depending on the type of company they work for.
Take a Project Manager as an example. Project management is a core part of the role regardless of the employer, but the way those responsibilities are carried out can vary significantly. A Project Manager at an EPC company is typically responsible for coordinating multidisciplinary teams and managing complex project delivery. In contrast, a Project Manager in a manufacturing environment is often more focused on product development processes, production timelines and bringing new products to market. While both professionals may share the same title, their day-to-day responsibilities, project exposure and overall experience can be very different.
That’s why adding just a few sentences about your employer can be so helpful. It provides immediate context and helps recruiters and hiring managers understand your background much more quickly.
A good CV doesn't need to be perfect.
At the end of the day, a CV shouldn’t only tell us what your responsibilities were. It should also tell the story of the projects, industries and environments you’ve worked in.
We’ve seen many talented engineers undersell their experience simply because important context wasn’t visible on paper. Sometimes, a few extra lines about a project or employer can make all the difference.
A good CV doesn’t need to be perfect. It simply needs to help someone understand who you are as an engineer, where you’ve built your expertise and what kind of environment you thrive in.
We hope you find these tips useful.
