There are few fields growing as quickly as engineering with nearly 140,000 new jobs expected to be created between 2016 and 2026 and yet it can still be quite a challenge to so much as land an interview. After the tenth or eleventh company ghosts you, it might be time to start thinking about how to preen that resume a bit.
By adding a few of these skills to your engineering resume, you can improve yourself and your knowledge while at the same time making anybody’s eyes widen at the sight of your resume.
Know Your Lab Equipment
If you do manage to make it to an interview, there’s pretty much no way that you’re going to be invited back if you spend your time saying, “What is that?” when asked about laboratory technology. Whether or not you’re looking to land a research job, it’s important to know where the critical knowledge in your field comes from.
One of the oldest pieces of engineering technology still in use in countless applications including electroencephalograms in hospitals, digital plugins in music production, and, of course, pretty much everything in engineering is the oscilloscope. Essentially, anything with a visual monitor for electronic signals can be considered an oscilloscope.
Other technologies that you should know about are CNC lathes and of course your “run of the mill” mill technology. Depending on what kind of engineering you’re looking to pursue, the list of tech that you’ll need to know will vary. Just make sure to do your homework!
Learn to Code
One of the most profitable additions to any resume, engineering or otherwise, is the phrase “fluent in the following programming languages.” Everybody from content writers to advanced roboticists is learning to code in order to make themselves more competitive in interviews.
For engineers, the use of code is pretty self-explanatory. Code drives software, software drives hardware, and engineers create hardware. Coding skills today enable engineers to put on additional hats and gain better control over an increased number of aspects related to any given job.
In terms of job growth, coding is also number one. Over a five-year period from 2012 to 2017, the field of advanced manufacturing and robotics experienced one of the highest growth rates out of all industries: 189.4%.
Practice Data Modeling
Being able to tell employers that you can do more than just research and produce new technologies, structures, and equipment can make the difference between landing the job and blending in with thousands of other applicants. When you list data modeling as one of your skills, you can rest assured that your resume will at least make it to the hiring manager’s desk.
All in all, there are three kinds of data modeling. While they tend to complement one another, knowing how to do so few as one type can give your resume as well as your productivity a major boost. The three types are logical, physical, and create/update data modeling.
Given that each of these three categories are interconnected more like a spider web than a string, learning all three and committing those skills to memory can make your resume and yourself stand out above the crowd of engineers.
Look Into Probability Algorithms and Statistics
Computer scientists are likely to all be quite familiar with the phrase “machine learning,” but most other engineers won’t have to worry about the algorithms and statistical models that help machines to conduct that learning.
However, if you increase your knowledge of machine learning and the use of probabilistic algorithms that go into it, your resume will spark and shine like a 2005-era Xbox. This “added boost” can even be considered a necessity if you plan to look for employment in robotics, artificial intelligence, or any similarly software-laden industry.
In the words of Mark Gordon, CEO of Circuit Specialists, “Probabilistic algorithms aren’t reserved for mathematicians anymore.” By demonstrating your affinity for mathematics, particularly probability and statistical applications, you can bring your resume from a one to a ten in a matter of a couple weeks.
Buff Your Writing Skills
It’s no secret that STEM students rarely study creative writing or communications courses outside of their required liberal studies credits. However, writing courses can be immensely beneficial to STEM students for a variety of reasons.
First and foremost, communication skills are essential in any and all industries. If you’ve ever been frustrated by government’s involvement in regulating technology when the only people on the board are lawyers and public speakers who have never entered a lab in their life, then you’ve seen first-hand the importance of communication skills in STEM.
These skills don’t necessarily shine as brightly as other tech skills when it comes to listing your skills and abilities on your resume; however, they do enable you to better present your ideas, pitches, and–of course–your resume content itself.
Conclusion
Now that you know what skills hiring managers are looking for, all that’s left to do is go out and get a firm grasp on them and their real-world applications. So what are you waiting for? Get to studying!
