Resume Writing

Engineering Career Services

University of Wisconsin-Madison

ATS

• Large organizations

• Prefer WORD, but pdf okay

• Use common fonts

• Save file properly – NOT resume.docx – john.resume.R&D.docx

• 58% of resumes have errors – proof

• No photo, fancy color, image or font – ATS struggle

• Common section headings

• Use keywords – though don’t overstuff – balance – pull from JD

• Hand copy vs ATS

Customize when possible

• Resumes should not be static

• Update routinely

• Customize as much as possible

• Keywords from job description

• Adjust what is prioritized

• 1 page - what you actually share

• Keep a master list of items that you can pick and choose from

• Conceivable you have 3 different versions – design, consulting, sales

Resume Sections

• Name & contact Information

• Objective

• Education

• Experience

• Projects

• Skills / Awards / Interests / Activities / Publications

• Anything else you think is important…

• High school information ok to use as a freshman or 1

semester

sophomore

Name & Contact Examples

• Address as advantage

Objective

• Write 1-2 phrases outlining the type of position you are seeking

and any special interest areas

• Co-op, intern or professional

• Engineering major

• Interests in particular industries or functional areas

• Example:

• Geological engineering co-op position in water resources

management or remediation

• Internship in electrical engineering

Education

Bachelor of Science, expected May 2025

Materials Science & Engineering

University of Wisconsin - Madison

• GPA 2.5/4.0

• Second Major in Computer Sciences

• Other Possibilities

• Coursework – limited list – 2 or 3!

• Academic projects – can also be a separate section

• Areas of emphasis – no ‘minors’ at UW

• Honors, scholarships

Education

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Bachelor of Science Engineering Mechanics, expected May 2024

– Engineering GPA 3.2/4.0, Overall GPA 2.8/4.0

– Academic Design Projects

• Mars Wind Machine: Completed stress and displacement analysis of Giromill airfoils.

Determined most effective internal airfoil construction and material.

• High Voltage Power Line Hybrid Crossarm: Developed an efficient design process.

Completed stress/strain analysis for worst case scenario; appropriate materials

selection/dimension analysis.

– Selected Course Work

• Advanced Strength of Materials, Finite Elements, Material Fatigue, Aerodynamics

Experience

• Highlight engineering experience

• Section headings to focus it

• Potential section titles (might change for each position):

• Materials Experience

• Related Experience

Or…

• Engineering Experience

• Other Experience

Or…

• Industrial Experience

• Academic Experience

Experience is not only employment!

Academic projects

(Alternatively, appropriate in education or own section)

Intro Course Design Project

Senior Capstone

Volunteer/Student organization experience

(Alternatively, appropriate in activities)

Habitat for Humanity

Competition Teams

Engineers without Borders

More than Jobs

Non-Engineering Experience

• All jobs are important

• Indicate work ethic

• Shows skills like leadership, communication, time management,

working with others, meeting deadlines, etc.

• May also balance a GPA below 3.0

• Worked 20 hours/week while full-time student

• Paid 80% of college expenses through part-time work

Silverspring Golf Course, Middlebury, IL

Caddie, Summers 2021-2023

• Developed strong interpersonal skills in working with variety of customers and management.

• Enhanced already strong work ethic by working 12 hours/day for 3 months each summer. Saved $3,300 over 4

summers.

• Promoted to caddy master in 2022.

• Trained and supervised eight new hires.

Experience formatting

• Title, employer, city/state, dates, descriptive statements

• Use action verbs and phrases

• See ECS Job Search Guide

• Quantify descriptions whenever possible, using #, $ and %

• Managed the operation of a municipal pool serving over 1000

customers each day.

• Developed low-stress, clear and textured optical quality polycarbonate

film products used in display and data storage applications on state-of-

the-art extrusion lines using Six Sigma tools.

• Led team in commercialization of product with projected revenue of

$1.8 million in 2024.

• Key team member in commercialization of product with projected

revenue of $2 million in 2025.

• Trained all incoming staff (14) over course of semester.

Supporting Content

What skills do you have?

• Computer skills

• Be inclusive: languages, platforms, programs

• Language skills

• Lab skills

• Certifications

• About proficiency level…skip them

What else to include?

• Activities

• Engineering or community organizations

• Volunteer/Involvement experiences

• Leadership

• What else are you interested in/spend time on?

• UW Marching Band, intramural sports teams, restoring old cars, and Eagle Scout

• Awards, scholarships, honors

• Global Profile

• Papers, patents, publications

Format Matters

About formatting:

• Resumes are looked at VERY quickly

• ½ content, ½ appearance

• In general, one page for BS students, often 2 pages for MS students

• White space is necessary between sections

• Quality printing on white so it’s easy to read

• NO COLOR

• Use bullets, bolding, etc.

• But not too much!

The Final Product

Questions?

Engineering Career Services

1150 Engineering Hall

ecs.wisc.edu

ecs@engr.wisc.edu