Industrial Engineer Resume Examples, Templates & Formats

A common belief  exists is that engineering and business studies are two completely unrelated subjects. So, does an occupation that combines both exist? Yes, it does, and that's the job of an industrial engineer. 

Industrial engineers find ways to eliminate wastes in production lines and processes, and concoct efficient systems that combine machines, materials, information, energy, and workers to produce products or provide services.

Whether you're looking to create an entry-level industrial engineer resume, an industrial engineering student resume, or a senior industrial engineer resume, you need to be able to manufacture a robust, precisely tailored industrial engineer resume to grab the attention of a hiring manager.

Creating your industrial engineering resume is more than just identifying the industrial engineering skills for your resume or finding that perfect template. A concrete understanding of the entire process can help your resume-making journey to be less riddled with difficulties.

Step 1: Understand the differences between a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a resume.

An industrial engineer CV and an industrial engineer resume are the same things, right? Not exactly.

Step 2: Choose the right industrial engineer resume format.

Your industrial engineer resume format is also essential to its overall result. There are 3 types of industrial engineer resume formats you can use: chronological, functional, hybrid/combination, and targeted; choose a suitable format for your industrial engineering experiences, abilities, and job context.

Step 3: Look up industrial engineer resume templates & examples online as references. 

The first step in resume-making is always challenging. If you don’t know how to start, looking up industrial engineer resume templates and industrial engineer resume examples online could help guide you. These online references will have strong points to emulate and weak points to avoid while writing your industrial engineer resume.

Step 4: Tailor your industrial engineer resume for the position.

Do you only have one industrial engineer resume PDF in your computer folder, which you use to apply for numerous  industrial engineering-related jobs? If so, this is a no-no. 

It's best not to use an entry-level industrial engineering resume to apply for an senior position, no matter how similar the job requirements may be. Continuously update your resume as you gain more experience and achieve more in your career. 

Ideally, by the time you are a senior industrial engineer, you should have a file of your past industrial engineer resumes. It should at least contain your industrial engineering student resume, fresher industrial engineering resume, an entry-level industrial engineer resume, and a senior industrial engineer resume. 

Step 5: Craft an industrial engineer cover letter.

Like your industrial engineer resume, you would want to tailor your cover letter for every application. A cover letter is where you should convey your enthusiasm and explain how your skills, experiences, achievements, and profile fit into the company's role. 

Step 6: Proofread.

Finally, you should proofread your resume when you're done. As tedious as it is, having spelling and grammatical errors in your first point of contact with the hiring manager may not inspire confidence in them. Spend a few extra minutes, use a spellchecker, and ensure that your resume is grammatically correct.

Different industrial engineers in various industries might have other contents in their respective electrical engineer resumes. There is no set format per se, but your industrial engineer resume should contain the following sections.

1. Resume profile (personal information)

2. Industrial engineer resume headline

A resume headline is a one-line and concise description placed at the top of your industrial engineer resume to quickly inform the hiring manager of who you are, your strengths, achievements, and relevant experience. Use keywords found in the job description.

3. Industrial engineer resume summary

An excellent industrial engineer resume summary should be a continuation of your resume headline. Ideally, your resume summary should be 2-3 sentences long, highlighting your industrial engineering background, skills, experience, and qualifications.

4. Industrial engineer resume objective

Your resume objective should answer the question, "what is my career objective as an industrial engineer?" in 2-3 sentences. You may integrate this into your resume summary.

5. Industrial engineer skills for resume

Aside from your work experience, the skills section is another selling point of your industrial engineer resume. The skills you possess are a direct indicator of your potential fit and qualification for the position you've applied to. 

A popular way of listing industrial engineering skills in a resume is by using bullet points. You can also look up industrial engineers resume examples online and "borrow" their format. Remember not to omit soft skills! 

6. Work experience

Work experience section is another vital section of your resume. Experience is definitive proof of your suitability and qualifications for the role. Include your previous organizations' names, job titles, brief descriptions of responsibilities and achievements, and employment period in your industrial engineer resume. 

7. Education

As with most engineering jobs, industrial engineering is a very technical-oriented field; thus, education, the formal proof of your industrial engineering knowledge and credential, is a crucial section of your industrial engineer resume. 

The resume education section is especially essential for those who are building an industrial engineering student resume or an industrial engineer resume with little to no experience. Besides relevant experience (if any), one’s educational background can be a booster for an entry-level industrial engineer resume. 

Include your school or university, degree, major, coursework, year of graduation, honors and awards, GPA, and extracurricular activities.

8. Certifications

Industrial engineering is a vast field; there are plenty of certifications that can be taken, depending on your interests or areas of specialty. 

Although certifications are not a must for an industrial engineer, they can help your industrial engineering resume shine out from the crowd.

✍🏻 1. Customize the resume for industrial engineer positions.

You shouldn't use the same resume for every application, even if the positions are of equal standing or have similar job responsibilities. Adjust your industrial engineer resume accordingly to the job description and exclude irrelevant details. Remember, recruiters can only spend so much time skimming through your resume.

✍🏻 2. Quantify results in your industrial engineer resume.

Use numbers and statistics to show your achievements instead of putting them in a qualitative format to make your accomplishments seem more apparent and convincing.

✍🏻 3. Choose an ATS-friendly resume layout.

Don't spend too much time trying to find a pretty resume template or format. As aesthetically pleasing as they may be, applicant tracking software (ATS) may not identify them if they contain too many visuals.

✍🏻 4. Use resume action words (verbs).

Using action verbs properly can help paint a more vivid picture of your work achievements as it provides more specific information about what you did.

✍🏻 5. Add industrial engineering-related conferences/workshops experience.

In a fast-paced and ever-changing world, keeping up with modern trends, methodologies and tools is important for industrial engineers in staying competitive in the job market. 

Industrial engineering conferences and/or workshops allow you to acquire knowledge of the latest advancement, learn a thing or two about delivering presentations, and the chance to network with people in the engineering field. Moreover, this also shows the hiring manager that you are an individual with the initiative to learn continuously.

As the first document a potential employer will look over when reviewing your job application, a strong cover letter can help you stand out from other candidates by leaving a good first impression. 

Your industrial engineer cover letter should include:

1. Basic personal details and contact details: Employers should be able to know who you are and how to reach out to you.
2. Research about the company: e.g. what they do, their values, business practices, etc. and find out more details about the hiring manager (if possible).
3. Greeting them with the right name can be an excellent first impression.
4. State who you are and the position you're applying for.
5. Explain why you're applying for the job and what you can bring to the table.
6. Convince them what makes you unique and why you're the perfect candidate for the position with 2 to 3 of your relevant skills and experiences.
7. End the cover letter in a polite tone, thanking the readers for their time.

--- Originally written by Patricia Rosita ---