Process Engineer Resume

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market for process engineers is expected to increase by 9% over the next decade. The increased demand is due to many companies expanding and opening laboratories and factories.

If you’re looking to land a process engineer role, you need to showcase your job-specific skills and experience on your resume to impress hiring managers.

Here are three essential tips for writing a compelling process engineer resume that’ll set you apart from other candidates:

1. Highlight your process engineering skills

Process engineers are responsible for designing and implementing processes to transform raw materials into valuable products. Although similar to chemical engineering, process engineers focus less on chemistry and more on the math and physics of the products they help make.

So your resume should emphasize your relevant hard skills, which are technical skills learned through process engineering training.

For example, you’re required to have a strong understanding of engineering principles to design processes that are efficient and cost-effective. Also, you should be familiar with laboratory safety practices.

Other hard skills to include on your project engineer resume to show you’re the right candidate include:

• process engineer software: ProSim, Aspen Plus, Petro-SIM (KBC)
• analytical and scientific software: SPSS, Qlik Sense, GraphPad Prism, MATLAB, Tableau
• industrial control software: Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) software, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) software
• project management software: Microsoft Project, Trello, Wrike, Basecamp
• spreadsheet software: Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel
• mathematics and IT skills
• statistical analysis and modeling
• technical drawings
• spatial reasoning

You’ll also need soft skills to function optimally in your process engineering role. These are the interpersonal attributes that help you work well with others in laboratories or factories.

Because process engineers are expected to develop processes and solve problems, they require good communication skills to express their ideas and convince others to adopt them. Here are more soft skills to put on your resume to show hiring managers you’ll be a great fit:

• Project management skills
• Equipment knowledge
• Strategic and tactical planning
• Time management
• Leadership skills
• Resource management
• Attention to detail
• Creativity and innovation

When you read the job description, look for particular skills the hiring manager is seeking. These skills are keywords for your resume. Also, process engineers work in a variety of industries, so tailor your skills to match your target company’s line of work.

2. Open with an attention-grabbing process engineer resume summary

When selecting a candidate, hiring managers don’t have the time to read every detail on all the resumes they get. They’ll only put effort into reading applications that grab their attention.

So write a concise resume summary that shows employers what they want to see — your skills and experience that match the job description. This 2–4 sentence section is located at the top of your resume and highlights your most noteworthy features.

For candidates with experience, this section will help present your skills and accomplishments, like this:

Meanwhile, if you’re a recent graduate with no professional experience in process engineering, write a 2–4 sentence resume objective that:

• leads with your most job-relevant skills
• mentions how your educational background will help you perform well in the role
• states the company name and role you’re applying for
• showcases the value you’ll add to the company if hired

3. Include process engineer keywords in your resume

Use process engineer keywords to get past the applicant tracking systems (ATS) that companies use to prioritize candidates based on how many relevant keywords they put in their resumes and cover letters. Including skills-based keywords from the job ad will help you write an ATS-friendly resume that has a good chance of reaching the hiring manager’s inbox.

Your skills section is a good place to use these resume keywords, but they should also be in your resume summary and employment history sections. Here are common process engineer keywords to use in your application: