Editable - Resume & CV Writing Resume CV -

Your resume must be personalized for each company you want, but it must also be tailored to your field. Each sector has its own specificities, and it is important to highlight them during an application and show a real interest for the targeted industry. Engineering being a technical field, here are some tips for writing your resume.

Showcase your technical skills

If you have to list a list of software, computer knowledge, systems, and processes, it is best to list them in a separate section to highlight them and not to clutter and weigh down the descriptive content of your jobs. . In addition, this will attract the eye of the employer who can quickly visualize all the technical skills you master.

Also keep in mind that if you apply for online offers, the employer will be able to search for a profile or analyze your profile using keywords that match what they are looking for, which is why it is so important that they be present in your CV.

Interpersonal qualities

Engineering is certainly a sector that requires a lot of technicality, and it is crucial that your CV reflects this singularity. However, with strong competition in the job market, you need to find other assets to make you stand out. Your interpersonal skills will enhance your ability to communicate and work as a team. These skills are more general but will add personality to your resume and denote a sociable character.

Also, lighten your technical sense by indicating your interests. These are very important to show that you lead a balanced life. Even more so if you travel, it will prove that you appreciate the movement and that you adapt easily in different environments.

Highlight your qualities for the post

The ability to report to an audience on a regular basis is a quality that will be appreciated. Feel free to provide figures for these reports so that the employer can contextualize this skill.

If you have taken part in projects during your career, cite them to show your ability to work in groups and take initiatives. Name the size of the project, the duration and the number of people involved. If you have been able to work internationally, this will certainly be a plus.

Also, be part of your methodical and versatile, essential in the engineering profession. Quote your taste for anticipation and management of task prioritization, but also your ability to stay calm under pressure to counterbalance your organizational sense that can sometimes be stressful for some people.

Show off your achievements

While remaining humble, list all the advances you have made in the past to your employers. If any of your ideas helped to develop or improve any product, you must be sure that the employer will appreciate it.

Writing an engineer’s CV is characterized by a good balance between the technicalities specific to the job and your social and professional qualities, in order to show your skills and abilities to adapt to a new environment and a new team.

If you are a recent graduate or have only recently started working, the question of dates on your CV will not be a problem for you. However, if you have 30 years of professional experience – and although any experience is interesting – all of it may not be contained on a page and may seem too long to read.

As a general rule

In general, professionals advise you not to go back more than 10 or 15 years, unless you have been on one or more posts for a long time. In this case, you will have fewer positions to list, which will allow you to integrate all your jobs, even the oldest ones.

It also depends on the offer you are responding to; try to select the jobs and skills that best match the employer’s needs.

Particularities related to the sector of activity

Depending on the position, you may go back more than a decade, which is why you should always personalize your resume. This is particularly applicable in technical or executive areas.

If you work in technology, an experience dating back a few years is already obsolete. However, this will not be the case for a job in customer service that requires timeless knowledge.

If, between two experiences, you have completed refresher, advanced or apprenticeship training with a new tool, do not hesitate to cite them to show your passion for your profession and your ability to evolve with it.

If you are applying for a job that does not specifically use your recent skills, do not hesitate to go back further in your curriculum to look for matching elements. If, for example, you are applying for a sales job while you have recently worked in IT, cite your summer jobs when you were a student as a waiter to promote your social skills. Do not describe this experience in the same way as the others, but quote it briefly, indicating the time you spent there, the year and some relevant details (size of the company, number of customers, etc.).

Finding the right balance

Depending on the skills you acquire, going back in time can testify to your mastery and practice but also respond to what the employer is looking for.

If you do not add to your CV, not quoting all your experiences may also reveal periods of gaps in your CV, which could be negative in the eyes of the employer. However, you can choose to describe your most recent experiences, and simply name the rest of your experiences, without detailing them.

Therefore, keep in mind that the most recent experiences will be most appreciated.

In order to find the right balance, it is best not to visualize your resume as a summary of your life, but rather to write it according to what the employer is looking for.

Including interests on a resume is often a source of debate. At the risk of using very valuable space, it is also an opportunity to show the employer a little bit of your personality.

While it is true that some employers are not particularly interested in your hobbies outside of office hours, many think it gives them a glimpse of your personality.

It is up to you to decide whether or not to include your passions in your CV, but it is important to think about what they can suggest to the employer about you.

Reading

This passion being very common, you will have to support it by honestly detailing what you like to read; police investigations, history, trade magazines, etc. If you say you like reading science fiction and the employer shares this passion, then you could be exposed if they decide to discuss this point with you. Similarly, if you claim to like reading a business magazine and the employer asks you what you thought of this or that article.

Sport

In general, participation in a sporting activity is quite well regarded. Whether you are attending a gym, a tennis court or coaching your city’s basketball team, it shows that you are committed, loyal, determined and value team spirit. All these qualities are valued by employers.

Working for an association

This can mean running for a good cause, volunteering or raising funds for local associations. Depending on your role with them, this enhances your organizational, interpersonal, teamwork and/or management skills.

Traveling

This aspect is tendentious. Travelling may well be your passion, but you should not convey the idea that you want to take many holidays in the year to do a trek in Tibet. Listing all the countries you have visited so far won’t say much about your personality either. If you want to integrate travel into your interests, you will need to show your ability to appreciate diversity, foreign cultures and challenges.

A singular passion

Identifying an unusual interest can help you stand out from other candidates. Employers will be used to reading, travel, socialization and sports, but if you express your passion for creating artwork from recycled objects, for example, it can help you to make an impact on the employer’s spirit.

Expressing your interests must first and foremost bring out remarkable qualities or achievements. These interests can also be discussed during your job interview, so choose them well and make sure they are consistent with the job you are looking for.

Are you actively looking for a job? It may be particularly useful to register in a CV library to upload your resume. But for the process to be successful, it is important to know how to use this tool, which is available to all candidates on all job sites. To learn how to use the features of a CV library and increase your visibility with recruiters, follow these tips.

1. Targeting the right CV libraries

There are so many job sites on the web that it can be tempting to post your resume on as many platforms as possible. However, this process is not very relevant, especially since it wastes valuable time. It is recommended to look at the CV libraries most consulted by recruiters, i.e. those with a large number of CV / Resume. Register on two or three general job boards and one or two sites specialized in your sector of activity. That will be more than enough.

2. Propose a quality CV

A quality resume must be personalized and reflect your real professional skills. It is indeed on this point that the recruiter will focus all his attention. It is therefore essential to ensure that you fill in all the fields of the form carefully in order to optimize your visibility. Feel free to develop the skills that are most likely to interest companies, but also to indicate your availability, mobility, languages spoken and the software you master. Of course, take care of your written expression and avoid spelling mistakes or other clumsy turns of phrase. Indeed, before consulting your CV, recruiters first review these different criteria to ensure that your profile precisely meets their needs.

3. Choose the title of the CV correctly

This essential step makes it possible to improve the referencing of your curriculum vitae according to the keyword present in the title. This way, the title of your profile will automatically appear in the employers’ search results. It therefore seems clever to indicate a specific function, in order to immediately arouse the curiosity of recruiters and make them want to retain you.

4. Insert relevant keywords

CV libraries function as a search engine. Simply type in keywords to see the most relevant results at the top of the list. Mention the keywords that accurately define your position and experience, in order to qualify your CV and make it easy for recruiters to find you. To do this, use the most common business terms, name the software in their full title and highlight your area of expertise.

5. Choose the right format

To submit your CV, prefer downloading in PDF. These electronic formats ensure secure accounting and layout from any computer. Pay close attention to the weight of the document. A file that is too large will take too long to appear on the screen and will encourage the recruiter to switch to another, more accessible profile. The photos are to be banned. Also avoid writing your resume on a too recent version, as it is not certain that human resources will be equipped with it.

6. Write a simple and clear CV

In order to ensure that the search engine takes your CV into account, it is essential to keep it simple. Do not insert by table, images or flat color and prefer a classic font such as Arial, Calibri or Verdana. This will make reading easier and more enjoyable. Keep in mind that in this type of database, the curriculum vitae only needs to be optimized to be perfectly referenced.

7. Update your CV regularly

Updating your CV regularly is essential to stay at the top of the list of results. Indeed, after several months of inactivity, the CV database will eventually make it disappear under the other applications. In addition, this process is an opportunity to update your skills and experience. As soon as you have completed a new training course, internship or assignment, you must modify your curriculum vitae. The same applies if you have changed your e-mail address or telephone number. By intervening at least once a month or even once a week, recruiters will see that you are available and motivated to work.