Is your dream job to become an engineer in the aviation industry? Then you’ll need a job winning CV that stands out from the rest of the competition.
Impressing recruiters with your CV is the first big step to getting your foot in the door with a company, so before you begin your job search, writing your CV should be a priority. Although you might be super talented with your hands, sitting down to write out your CV may be more of a challenge than you think.
With this in mind, we’ve put together some top tips to help you get started with your engineering CV, so you can top the list of those invited for an interview.
The basics
Contact details: This seems like a simple tip, but there is nothing more frustrating for a recruiter than to see a CV that delivers in terms of experience and skillset, only to fail to contact the person due to outdated or incorrect contact details. Triple check that you’ve left the right details with no typos, as this could be detrimental to your whole application – don’t risk finding your dream job because you forget to check.
Professional summary: This section is the first and most important selling point of your CV. Sitting in the top quarter of your CV, your professional summary consists of a few sentences which explain who you are and why you are write for the job you are applying for. In this section, you may wish to showcase your years of experience, key skills you have to do the job in question, qualities that will fit with the role, and potentially your career ambitions.
Consider this section carefully. Recruiters receive a lot of CVs for jobs, so it’s very likely they’ll be skimming each one to find the most relevant details. By including your key experience and selling points in this section, you are giving them the information they crave right at the beginning of your CV – which is great for them, because they haven’t had to work hard to find it.
For example, a professional summary for an engineer’s CV in the aviation industry might look something like this: “Expert aircraft maintenance engineer with over 7 years’ experience. Highly skilled in risk management, cost control, resource utilisation and general project operations. In-depth technical knowledge and manual dexterity. Task oriented and organised, I strive for success. Adept at identifying complex problems and ideal, realistic solutions for aircraft. Excellent communicator who works well with others. Committed to ensuring aircraft safety and optimal level of operation. Looking for a role that will challenge my skills and put me on the path towards senior management.”
Skills: Too many people fail to include this section, because they feel it will be covered across the ‘Experience’ section. But the key to including your skills separately is that you’re making it easy for a recruiter to see them, and therefore saving them time to see if you fit the bill. Make your skills stand out with this section, and be sure to tailor which skills fit each job application most.
For example, an aircraft engineer’s skills section might look something like this:
- Leadership
- Problem solving
- Strong oral and written communication
- Design optimisation
- Additive manufacturing
- Structural and thermal analysis
- Risk management
- AC/DC theory
- Teamwork
Qualifications:
Qualifications will be essential for your CV. With such an important job at hand, recruiters need to be sure that you are more than qualified for the job they’re hiring for. So if you can’t provide evidence of the relevant qualifications, they could skip past your CV. Qualifications you might find on the CV of an engineer include:
- Mechanical (Design) Engineering 2:1
- CAD
- Project Management Professional
- Training: Advanced Project Management, Risk Management
- MS Office Suite
- Java
Experience:
Your experience section will be the door to your career so far. Here, you will show that you have the relevant experience that leads up to this next job. Try to avoid using full sentences (if you do, keep them short). Bullet points seem to work best – and don’t be tempted to include every task you were responsible for at work. Just the important bits that highlight your capability to do the job you applied for.
Education:
For some engineering roles, you will be required to have a specific degree for the job e,g, mechanical engineering, or aeronautical engineering. Be sure to include any education you’ve received in the relevant areas – this will strengthen your application, as recruiters will have a clear understanding of your background knowledge.
In some ways, it also helps to reaffirm the idea that you are working your way along your chosen career path, an admirable trait many companies value.
For example:
Key responsibilities:
- Working as part of an engineering team to develop mechanical design solutions for electronic cabinets used in naval applications
- Using ANSYS finite element analysis tools
- Utilising design optimisation tools to test weight reduction
- Cost and technical proposals
- Designing equipment for naval applications, including inboard and outboard electronics undersea hull array, towed array, or acoustic sensor programs
- Creating new designs and modifying existing designs
- Working with mechanical engineers as well as representatives from manufacturing, quality, drafting and other engineering disciplines
Hobbies and Interests:
Hobbies and interests are more important than most people think for your CV. In some ways, this can help recruiters to identify whether you would be the right fit to their company culture.
Most organisations want someone sociable and confident, so if you have hobbies that you think will highlight this, make sure you include them.
For example:
“Avid footballer, captaining my national league team for over 5 years.”
Tips to capture attention
While the above is important, there are some key formatting tips you can use that might just give you the visual edge over other CVs too. Through strategic placement and simple formatting, your CV could have a much greater effect on a recruiter over the others.
Top quarter: As previously discussed, the top quarter of your CV is essential, because it includes the shortest and hopefully the sweetest section – your professional summary. It’s essential that this summary screams ‘I’m perfect for this job!’because it’s likely the part recruiters will read in detail before they decide to move on from your CV, or pop it in the ‘interview’ pile. Pack this section with keywords that match the job application to show that you are the right fit for the job. In the top right hand corner of your CV, you should also include your name and accompanying professional title, which lets recruiters know instantly what job you are pursuing. Your contact details can be placed underneath this too.
Length: Your CV should be no more than two pages long. Any more, and recruiter’s may feel that you haven’t been as succinct as you could be. Giving a recruiter more to read because you wish to leave no stone unturned isn’t wise. Give them less information, with more effect, if you really want your CV to make an impact.
Format: A tip that’s often overlooked by many, formatting your CV so it’s easy to read makes it much more attractive to the eye. We’re not just talking layout here – font type and size are also important. Have a play around, and print your CV out to see how friendly it is to they eye, Fonts like Comic Sans are seen to be slightly informal for a CV, but the likes of Quicksand are easy on the eye, and size 10 – 12 is easy to read. Using smaller, less complex sentences also makes your CV easier to read, and breaking up the text as much as possible means it’s simple to follow.
Avoid including images – recruiters don’t need to see this. Just written evidence of how suitable you are for the job.
Other tips
Proofread: This is one of the biggest tips we can give you. Submitting a CV filled with typos or inaccurate information could sacrifice your CV. Always proofread your CV, and ask someone else to proofread it for you too.
All set? Then you’re ready to start your application for the job you want! Oh, and don’t forget to download our ready made Engineer’s CV guide below – it includes tips and advice for your CV relevant to your job. Simply click below download it now!
