Engineering Manager
Resume Example

Are you dreaming of becoming an engineering Manager? It is something more than leading a team to deliver the best quality projects. First and foremost, you will need a resume to proceed to your dream job.

If you wanna learn how to draft an industry standard engineering Manager resume, this article is just for you.

Project Overview

Before getting your hands dirty with a project, it’s always advisable to know its outline. Then, an Engineering manager can work towards converging the team towards success.

Successful resume writing requires the same. Step one is to know the job role inside out. Today, Engineering Managers are required in a multitude of industries including manufacturing, scientific research, IT and architecture.

What’s the expectation? To deliver the highest business value within a given period of time.

To understand the Engineering Manager job outline, we have listed out the typical responsibilities just for you!

1. Suggesting project budgets
2. Training new employees
3. Resolution of technical issues
4. Investigating and implementing new techniques
5. Defining, managing and measuring Key Performance Indicators(KPIs)
6. Preparing reports on project progress

What’s the place for a resume in a busy Engineering Manager’s schedule?

As an Engineering Manager, your schedule can be tight. And guess what! Someone with a similar schedule and similar level of expertise is gonna check your resume.

So, it is always better to sit back and relax! Take some time to draft an ATS-Compliant Engineering Manager resume. You will never regret this for sure!

The ultimate guide to build a classy Engineering Manager resume

Recruitment process nowadays is far more developed than in the past. Think of engineering. Any business process could be automated today.

Yep! The first step of recruitment is automated by the use of Applicant Tracking Systems AKA ATSs.

Meaning, your resume will be first fed into an automated system which will check for keywords. Your recruiters will read it only if it passes the ATS test. That’s just a matter of seconds you’ve got there!

So, follow these steps and brand yourself as the ideal candidate to become their next Engineering Manager.

01. Add a header to your Engineering Manager resume

Out of all sections in a resume, the header is the first to reflect authenticity. Components of a resume header include:

• Name: Include first name and last name. If your name is common, consider adding the middle initial.
• Current designation: This is very important to show your level of seniority in the field.
• Location: Specify your city and the state
• Telephone number: This should be the number you readily pick up. So, you will never miss a call for an interview.
• Email address: Add a personal yet professional email address. Never use your work mail id.
• LinkedIn URL: this part is no exception, no matter the job title. This makes it easier for recruiters to look you up on LinkedIn. 

A well-formed Engineering Manager resume header will look like:

Power tip: Shorten your LinkedIn URL prior to adding it in the resume header.

02. How to write your Engineering Manager resume summary

The resume summary or professional profile is where you actually give a brief idea on who you are and what you’ve achieved so far. Usually, recruiters and hiring managers go through this section first.

Create your own personal brand by following these simple tips and tricks in your Engineering Manager resume summary:

1. Summarize your achievements and experience in a maximum of 5 lines.
2. Use action verbs whenever possible.
3. Quantify your achievements to convince recruiters with proof.
4. Do not over crowd your resume summary.
5. Do not write your resume summary in the first person’s view.

Let’s see these points in action:

03. Highlight previous work experience in your Engineering Manager resume

If you are currently thinking of an Engineering Manager job, you must obviously have around 5 years of experience in a similar capacity. Add a work experience section to organize all that experience in a nutshell.

Use the reverse chronological order to list down experience from latest to earliest. Under each job title, have 4 to 6 bullet points mentioning your key achievements. Do not forget action verbs and numbers to back each point. 

Read the full list of job specific power verbs at  the end of this article.

Power tip: Keep the work experience section simple and to the point.

Power tip: Pay attention to each job title. Use them effectively to show your career growth.

04. Listing Educational qualifications in your Engineering Manager resume

Engineering Managers are required in multiple industries such as construction, Software Engineering, Chemical and many more. 

Your education section must match the relevant industry as well as the job description advertised.

Generally, if you have quite a lot of experience, say for example 4 or 5 years.. You need not emphasize everything you have learned in university. Instead, list down each qualification, name of the university, location and award.

List your highest qualification first and work backwards.

Here’s how you can list a Bachelor’s degree:

Do not hesitate to add a double major or any minors in your Engineering manager resume education section. This is an excellent approach to convince recruiters that you have the capacity to work under pressure.

Power tip: Skip adding years of graduation to avoid age discrimination.

05. Brush up your Engineering Manager resume with the ideal skill set

Resume header, resume summary, experience, education.. And what’s more? Your resume will not be in perfect shape without the relevant skill set.

So, adding skills is mandatory to confirm the other sections in your Engineering manager resume. Adding skills in your resume is like defining KPIs of each team member. Each task and skill is given points.

Similarly, your recruiters wish to see a matching skill section to give you a flawless score.

Here is a list of skills you can consider adding:

Hard skills for an Engineering Manager:

• Budgeting
• Scheduling
• Scoping
• Resourcing
• Automation
• Project Management
• Quality assurance
• Report generation
• Documentation
• Java
• J2EE
• Maven
• Shell scripting
• C++
• AWS
• Azure
• XML
• XSL
• Microsoft Office Suite
• SQL

Engineering Manager soft skills:

• Leadership
• Flexible
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Analytical thinking
• Problem solving
• Listening
• Negotiation

Do not go beyond 10-15 skills and select the ones that match the job description.

Power tip: List more hard skills than soft skills. Expertise in Hard skills is more measurable than soft skills.

Further enhancements for an Engineering Manager resume

What if you have professional qualifications and other certifications? Or.. any other related experience? That’s when you should include these additional sections in your resume:

Engineering manager Certifications

Having several certifications and professional qualifications will reflect extra knowledge and potential you possess. But, make sure these are related to the job description.

List each certification along with the awarding body and the year obtained.

If you do not have any certifications, it’s never too late to start! We have listed several certifications just for Engineering managers:

• Certified Associate in Engineering Management(CAEM)
• Certified Professional in Engineering Management (CPEM)
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Six Sigma Green Belt
• Engineer In Training certification (EIT)
• Program Management Professional (PgMP)
• Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP)
• Professional Engineering Manager (PEM)

Club Memberships

Memberships in professional bodies such as IEEE highly reflect your willingness to network with professionals and grow through constant updation.

Other related Experience

If you have any volunteer experience, hobbies and language skills, go ahead and add them here.

More tips to write a top notch Engineering Manager resume

Even the most promising projects fail if the foundation is weak. Think of your resume as a project. It needs to have a solid layout and proper formatting. 

The next few topics will go through some other important resume writing tips to consider.

Use legible fonts

Wanna show them you are an updated Engineering Manager both in Engineering and writing? Then, this is the time to select the best font to rock your resume.

Read more about trending resume fonts at: Best fonts to use in a resume

Action verbs to make your Engineering Manager resume speak up!

Action verbs or power verbs are used to highlight content in resume summary, and experience sections. These are mandatory to pass the competitive ATS test.

Given below is a list of action verbs that go hand in hand with Engineering Management:

• Lead
• Assist
• Provide
• Ensure
• Build
• Create
• Implement
• Negotiate
• Integrate
• Test 
• Design
• Manage
• Overlook
• Lay
• Work
• Drive
• Standardize
• Gather
• Track
• Engage
• Identify
• Update
• Follow
• Setup
• Report

Make your resume stand out with a cover letter

A cover letter can take any resume to the next level of customization. This is an extra chance to explain to the recruiters why you are the perfect fit to become their next Engineering Manager.

However, keep it simple by splitting it into 3-5 paragraphs. Start off by introducing your current level of expertise and skills. Do not forget to emphasize how your achievements and skills can benefit their company. 

Finally, write a compelling call to action for an interview.

For more information on mastering cover letter writing, go to our cover letter writing guide.

Winding Up!

Once all the sections are added to your engineering Manager resume, do not forget to proofread it twice or maybe thrice. 

Sometimes you might have to take your Engineering hat off and put that Management hat on! Then you will get an idea on your real potential and capabilities.

Take a look at our Engineering Manager sample resume to get inspired. Still not sure how to make a perfect resume? See these resume tips to create a winning resume.

Good luck on your job search!