Engineering Manager Resume Sample
Contact Information
Name: Jacob J. Lansbury
Address: 57893 Travis Street, Dallas, TX
Phone: (469) 987 4578
Email: [email protected]
Current Job: Engineering Manager; Fortworth Construction, Dallas, TX
Objective Statement
Professional Engineer with more than 10 years of work experience as an Engineer including 5 years as an Engineering Manager. I am interested in becoming the new Engineering Manager for North-Pass Development Corporation. My experience vastly covers the construction of commercial development projects.
Strengths/Special Skills
- Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering
- Professional Engineer
- Licensed Electrical Engineer
- Knowledgeable with Project Management software such as Confluence, SmartSheet, and InMotionIgnite
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to organize and manage pressure
- Creative thinker
- Results-oriented
Work Experience
Engineering Manager; 2014 to Present
Fortworth Construction, Dallas, TZ
Responsibilities:
- As the Engineering Manager, I was assigned to oversee the development of the following projects – Hillside Tower, Duckworth Mall, and the Cleavon Hotel.
- The largest team that I managed was for the Hillside Tower with 15 Engineers, 30 Supervisors, and 200 workers.
- The largest budget I handled was for the Cleavon Hotel at US$2 Billion; at the end of the project, we saved US$700M.
- Coordinate with engineers, supervisors, and team leaders to go over project specifications, targets, and timelines.
- Direct projects; prepare detailed plans to meet various targets and schedules.
- Review, evaluate, and implement technical activities that may improve the efficiency of work.
- Oversee the recruitment and selection process for incoming engineers and personnel at the supervisory level.
Head Electrical Engineer – 2009 to 2014
Tentpole Electrical Services; Dallas, TX.
Responsibilities
- Manage a team of 10 electrical engineers.
- Provide electrical engineering services for the company’s clients that include banks, malls, schools, and various construction projects.
- Assume project management duties whenever the company is sub-contracted for commercial development projects such as the Linford Hotel and Resort and Brickman Mansions.
- Design, maintain and review electrical systems.
- Prepare installation guidelines and maintenance processes for review and discussion of the engineering team.
- Review all proposals for the procurement of electrical equipment; recommend the approval of items listed for purchase.
Education
College
Bachelor’s Degree
Electrical Engineering
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX
2002 to 2006
High School
Highland Park High School
Dallas, TX
1998 to 2002
Certifications:
- Professional Electrical Engineer license – 2008
- Professional Engineer license – 2007
How To Write A Good Engineering Manager Resume
A good Engineering Manager resume must answer most, if not all, of the requirements of the position as outlined in the job ad.
The Engineering Manager is an important position. You manage a team of engineers from different specializations, oversee the progress of a project, review and scrutinize the budget to make sure you don’t exceed it by much, and constantly assess the quality of work produced by the team.
You are part of the investment the company makes when it undertakes expensive projects. For this reason, an employer only wants to hire the candidate who best fits what the company demands of its Engineering Manager.
Here are expert tips on how to write an Engineering Manager resume that is good enough to answer the needs of the employer.
Highlight Your Qualifications
The first thing you have to do is highlight your qualifications – answer the question “Are you qualified to manage our engineering team?”
- Bachelor’s Degree in the field of Engineering
- Certification or Professional Engineering license, if required in the state.
- At least 4 years of practical experience as an Engineer.
- Master’s Degree in Engineering, if required by the company/employer.
The position of Engineering Manager demands a high level of training, vast knowledge, and years of technical experience. You have to lay out all the qualifications that serve as proof of competence.
Tailor-Fit Your Resume
Once you’ve validated your qualifications, go back to the job ad and review it thoroughly.
- What skills are required of the position?
- What is the scope of work?
- What kinds of experience are needed?
- Are there specific software programs that I need to be proficient in?
- What are the demands of the job – the number of hours required?
Evaluate your work history and identify the job requirements that you can meet. Make sure these are indicated or referenced clearly on your resume.
Go Into Specifics
To prove your worth, it’s not enough to just describe the work you did with your current or previous employer. You have to go into specifics:
- What were the projects you managed? If it’s in construction, what was the name of the development project?
- How many months/years did you spend on each project?
- What was the cost of the project?
- How many people did you manage?
- How big was the project? For example, if you managed a high-rise commercial building, how many floors did it have?
Validate Achievements with Numbers
The question, “Why should we hire you?” is best answered by your achievements as an Engineer.
- Did you stay within budget?
- Did the project win awards?
- How many projects did you complete during your term?
- How was your safety record?
To substantiate your achievements, make sure these are ably supported by numbers.
Engineering Manager Skills List
In the previous section, we discussed that to become an Engineering Manager you must have acquired the necessary education, training, and license if required by your specialization. Furthermore, having experience is a big plus on your resume.
Hard skills are acquired through formal education. However, the desired soft skills – the attributes that define your approach to the position are honed through experience – by logging in the years on the job.
Decision-Making
In the field of engineering, you will come across situations where the answer isn’t in black and white. You’ll have to make judgment calls.
This doesn’t mean playing a “guessing game”. Instead, you’ll have to rely on your experience and expertise to make the right decision.
The best Engineering Managers combine facts-based decision-making with a bit of experience-backed intuition to arrive at the right call.
Ability to Delegate
A big challenge for anyone in a position of authority to overcome is to learn to delegate to others. Some people think “If you want to do it right, do it yourself.” Thinking that way will tie you up to so many tasks, some of which might be below your paygrade.
To become an effective Engineering Manager, you have to learn to trust your team and delegate specific tasks to them. If you spend enough time with them, you will be able to identify their individual strengths and weaknesses and develop a personalized approach on how to supervise them.
Excellent Communication
Mistakes can be costly. One of the culprits for the most expensive mistakes is miscommunication. Somewhere along the line of communication, the lines got crossed.
It’s easy to understand why. People respond differently to communication. You can’t assume that everyone understood your instructions. Asking them if they did, won’t guarantee anything because some will say “yes” if it’s really “no”.
An Engineering Manager with keen communication skills will request feedback from his team. Feedback is not answerable by “yes” or “no”. It compels members of the team to engage in the discussions so that it’s not only the Engineering Manager who’s talking.
After all, excellent communication should run both ways.
Flexible Mindset
In this day and age of technology, you can’t expect to succeed when you have a fixed mindset. Technology is a game-changer. There are newer and better ways to run processes.
Times have changed and with technology on a continuous state of evolution, you need to have a flexible mindset or open-mindedness. Otherwise, you won’t see opportunities that will make your project succeed.
Engineering Manager Duties And Responsibilities For The Work Experience Section
Let’s assume that all of the applicants for the Engineering Manager position have the same qualifications. What would be the difference-maker? How you describe your duties and responsibilities in the work experience section could decide if you move on to the interview stage.
The work experience section will give the recruiter an idea of what you might bring on board their company if they decide to hire you. What exactly are recruiters looking for in the work experience section?
Details on the Duties and Responsibilities That You Handled
To be considered for the position, your resume must stand out from the other applicants. If your work experience section doesn’t trigger imagery in the mind of the recruiter, chances are, he’ll skip to the next applicant.
Don’t write job descriptions that lack imagination. Your work experience section must read authentic and sincere. Give details on the duties and responsibilities that you handled:
- How many engineers did you manage?
- What was the name of the project?
- What was the budget given to you by the company?
- How much time were you given to complete the project?
- What types of equipment were used?
- Where was the location of the project?
- How many people were involved in the project?
- What tasks did you handle on a day-to-day basis?
Details make your work experience section different from everyone else’s. The more details you provide, the better the recruiter’s understanding of how you approached your job as an Engineering Manager.
Results – Your Accomplishments and Milestones
You can measure the level of success you had as an Engineering Manager with numbers.
- Were you able to improve efficiency? By how much?
- Did you stay within budget? How much were the savings?
- Did you recommend changes to the project that improved the quality of work and the final result without incurring much cost?
- Were your efforts recognized by the company or the industry with awards and citations?
- Were you consistent in meeting timelines?
Always support your claims with actual numbers. The recruiter may take the time to check with your current or previous employer the validity of your claims.
Proof of Problem-Solving Ability
What were the most challenging situations that you handled as an Engineering Manager? Share them on the work experience section and narrate how you were able to solve these situations before they became full-blown problems.
Recruiters enjoy reading situational accounts because it gives them an idea of your problem-solving ability. Just make sure the situation was of such magnitude that it posed a serious threat to the success of the project. It must be exciting and dynamic.
An Idea of Your Management Style
How did you manage your team? How did you assess which task to delegate to which manager? How did your managers perform under your supervision?
The work experience section for an Engineering Manager isn’t just about yourself. It’s about your team – how you led them in a project. They have to be included in your duties and responsibilities because you can’t do it alone.
The recruiter wants to know if you have the mindset of a person who is focused on maximizing the abilities of his team.
Entry Level Engineering Manager Resume
To be honest, if you’re a fresh graduate, you may have to think twice about applying for the Engineering Manager position. This is a job that requires extensive experience as an Engineer plus certifications and licenses.
However, if you’ve had a good level of experience as a Project Manager and have acquired formal education in Engineering or a related field, then your entry-level Engineering Manager resume may be considered.
We’re assuming that your current status is either:
- A licensed or certified engineer who wants to get a crack at the open Engineering Manager position.
- An experienced Project Manager who is planning a change in career.
In either case, here are a few tips that could help you land the interview:
Use the Functional Format
The functional format is ideal if your current status is one of either scenario presented above because it focuses more attention on your skills and qualifications instead of work experience.
In the functional format, the sections of your resume will be arranged as follows:
- Contact Information
- Objective Statement
- Certifications/Licenses
- Strengths
- Education
- Work Experience
Present Your Work Experience in Reverse-Chronological Order
When it comes to the Work Experience section, it’s always a good idea to present your duties and responsibilities in reverse-chronological order.
It doesn’t matter if your work experience does not cover the field of engineering. The reverse-chronological will help the recruiter assess your current level of experience and capabilities.
- Share Your Story
- Why the shift in career?
- Why do you want to become an Engineering Manager?
- Why should we hire you?
All of these can be answered in the Objective Statement. Tell the recruiter your motivations for applying for the job. Keep it short but direct-to-the-point.
Don’t Miss Out On Important Details
The resume is your first Point-of-Contact with the recruiter. If you don’t impress right off-the-bat, this could be it for you.
So don’t take any chances. As long as the information is relevant, put it on your resume.
Let’s update the functional format presented earlier to include the following details:
- Contact Information
- Objective Statement
- Certifications/Licenses
- Strengths
- Education
- Career Accomplishments/Achievements
- Awards/Citations
- Seminars Attended
- Work Experience
Usually, we’d advise the job applicant to keep his resume down to one page especially if he has fewer than 10 years of work experience.
However, if the information can create a good impression and get the recruiter to nod in approval, adding a few extra pages to your resume will be justified.
