Writing a Technical Engineer CV – A Simple Rule of Thumb

Writing your own Technical Engineer CV or Resume requires a different approach from the way that many engineers go about preparing their jobs CV.

Technical careers, although having many similarities to commercial careers, demand a different way of thinking and a better way of presenting your technical skills and experience.

There is a simple rule of thumb that you can follow, which means that the underlying skills, accountability and authority of your job have to be equated to the job role you want, so that there is a clear fit upon which you base your job application.

But many technical people value their technical skills far more than their people skills and so are guilty of ignoring factors which could make them an outstanding candidate.

When only the ‘hard’ skills are presented on their Technical Engineer CV, and any ‘soft’ skills left out or not given sufficient emphasis, an opportunity to be seen as a great candidate is missed.

I understand the precision of thought and the analytical approach required of an engineer, but you should consider that to be ‘taken as read’ and not expect your work to speak for itself. The key issue is that it is important to remember that although you may be an engineer, you are also a person who must interact with other people in the workplace.

It also needs saying that a good Technical Engineer CV, needs to be understandable by the reader, which means it should be free from the jargon and acronyms which are rife in many technical or engineering jobs.

Technical Engineer CV Writing

Writing an effective CV for technical or professional engineering jobs can be quite difficult, because the emphasis needs to demonstrate specific capabilities and the delivery of added-value to the prospective employer’s business. All of which need to be developed appropriately within your CV, so that the reader will understand factors such as your people and communication skills because the role may involve customer liaison for example. Be as specific as you can with numbers and time-scales and include the numbers of employees you managed, where appropriate.

Balance some short ‘competency’ statements which demonstrate the more intangible qualities of ‘communication’ and ‘strategic thinking’ which will be helpful for an eventual interview, and can be translated into an information point on your technical engineer CV.

To help the reader even further with their understanding, try to say to whom and what position you reported, and identify their position in the organization. This helps to put a level on where you fit in and shows your respective status within your organization. view an example of a Chief Engineer CV sample

You may also need to put some of this information into a cover letter for recruitment consultant so that you grab their attention quickly.