Regardless of the field of engineering you work in, there comes a time when the focus from developing technical skills moves to help others achieve this goal in their professional lives. That’s when you graduate from being a “good soldier” to management. There’s just no shortcut.
Being an engineering manager is easier said than done. Given the scale and nature of engineering projects these days, you need several people with a varied skill set to work on such a project seamlessly.
As difficult as this can be, the only way by which one can handle such a complex management challenge is by being technically sound in their line of work. At least, this is what common-sense dictates since technical knowledge is the most important in their line of work.
So, how does one market themselves as an engineering manager through a well-written CV? What goes into making a good engineering manager’s CV to a great one?
What does an Engineering Manager Do?
So, it’s evident that while you do not directly execute project tasks, you do play an integral role in its planning and implementation from start to finish.
In other words, you make high-level decisions in respect to drawing plans and engineering methods, monitor project budgets and schedules, and evaluate the overall project quality, safety, and cost. You might even be involved in understanding maintenance requirements as well as the project’s compliance with local laws and regulations.
There’s a lot of responsibility that can only be done with years of relevant work experience to back their decisions. You won’t get anywhere in the engineering field is your decisions prove costly. Every decision made can have far-reaching effects, which makes the role of the engineering manager very crucial to any project.
3 Tips for Writing a Good Engineering Manager CV
How should you write an excellent engineering management CV? As mentioned earlier, being a superb engineering manager requires both technical and people skills. Here are three tips on writing a good engineering manager CV:
1: Talk about your technical skills and competencies.
When recruiters and employers read an engineering manager CV, they’re looking for technical guidance if stuck or on crucial projects. Bring up your professional skills and competencies at every given opportunity. Your CV should reflect your authoritative expertise in your chosen field of engineering.
2: Quantify your achievements.
It is necessary to list your responsibilities in the Work History section. But you also have to quantify your accomplishments. In fact, without detailing how effectively you manage teams and projects, you wouldn’t stand a chance in getting the position of an Engineering Manager.
3: Discuss how you solved problems.
Another way to show your prowess as an engineering manager is to talk about the strategic decisions that you made. This includes solving stubborn problems on projects or preventing your team members making costly mistakes.
As a result, you get to provide the recruiter or employer with facts about your ability to mentor a team on both small and large projects. Not only does this showcase your technical skills but also your people skills.
