Computer Engineering Resume Example & Writing Guide

An electrifying computer engineering resume is the jolt your career needs to get to the next step: an interview for the job you have your eye on. Yes, your experience speaks volumes, but without a resume to match, you may be speaking into the void. Get with the program with a resume that boosts your clock speed toward that interview.

What’s the difference between an OK resume and an amazing one? A great resume creates a clear story of success from the individual achievements of your career.

Computer engineers are big picture thinkers who understand the needs of an employer and create a solution to their IT problems. When developing a resume for a computer engineer, you also must take into account the needs of an employer and design a package that will show them that you are the correct solution to their problems.

Resume guide for a computer engineering resume

Go state-of-the-art with Resume.io. Our guides and resume examples span more than 500 professions. Add to that our resume builder, and you have all the tools you need to ease the creation of an impressive resume.

This resume guide and corresponding computer engineer resume example will cover the following:

• The method for writing a computer engineering resume
• How to decide on the right resume format for computer engineering
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Framing your computer engineer experience in the best light
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right resume design/layout
• What the computer engineering market looks like and what salary you can expect

How to write a computer engineering resume 

Before you start buying computer network components, you create a clear plan of action and an outline of the network you want to build. A computer engineering resume also has a structured outline. Before you begin writing, you need to know that a resume should contain the following elements:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

Part of a computer engineer’s job is convincing the company that your solution is the best one for them. The main idea behind a resume is to convince the company that you are the best solution for the hole in their IT department. That means you need to know what their problem is and how your talents can help. Research the position, the company and as much about the current IT systems as you can and address their network needs directly within your resume.

To strengthen your case for employment, keep these important tips in mind:

• A resume for a computer engineer is not a single, static document. Adjust your summary, your work history and your skills section to best fit the needs of each job.
• Each bullet item should relate an accomplishment, not a responsibility. Employers want to know what you have achieved, not what tasks you performed.
• First impressions are lasting, so use an expertly-designed resume template that offers a professional, not starchy, image.
• Use keywords and phrases to your advantage to avoid being screened out by Applicant Tracking System algorithms.

Choosing the right resume format for computer engineering

Just as a computer network should do its job without a fuss and as efficiently as possible, so too should your resume. Keep it clear, professional and to-the-point.

That includes the format. Don’t be tempted by resumes in the shape of a roadmap or a network schematic in an attempt to stand out. The most common format, reverse chronological order, is also the best format for a computer engineer. It starts with your most recent position and goes back about 10-15 years, telling the story of your career. 

If you’re shifting gears or just beginning your career, an alternative format may work to your advantage. The functional format expands the focus on skills and shrinks the space for employment history.

Our resume builder offers a range of designs and formats, so pick the one that brings out the best in your career. If you’re unsure, pursue our bank of resume examples for ideas.

A resume for computer engineering should reflect your organized thinking, such as our professional or simple styles.

Include your contact information

The one spot to add a design element is your resume header and while that’s an appealing ability, the real point of this section is to make it easy for a recruiter to get in touch with you. How else can they schedule your interview?

• Full name and title. List your first and last name. Instead of using your current title, use the title of the role you want.
• Professional email address. Use a clean format like [email protected].
• Phone number. Choose the number you check most frequently. Record a professional voicemail greeting if yours is too casual.
• Address. List only your city and state. Resumes with street addresses or zip codes are outmoded and can be unsafe. Let recruiters know if you’re willing to relocate if applicable.
• LinkedIn or other professional social media. If your LinkedIn profile is active and  relevant, include it here. If you have a portfolio or other computer engineering-related site, also list that.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth: Not necessary and could potentially lead to age discrimination.
• Personal details: Marital status, social security number, passport number, etc.

Make use of a summary

When you pitch your network solution to a client or the IT department, you don’t dive into the details. Instead, you explain what you want to do and why it’s the best answer to the problem. A computer engineering resume summary does exactly the same thing.

Employers in the market to hire have a problem and their main concern is how you are going to fix it. Introduce yourself and your career to them and then offer the accomplishment of your computer engineering career that best exemplifies how you are going to make their life easier.

Within these four lines, answer at least one of the following questions:

• What is your professional style? (This can be accomplished with one or two descriptive words such as patient, critical thinker, consensus builder, excellent designer.)
• What is your greatest engineering strength?
• What will you add to this particular team?
• What is your process for building and maintaining computer networks?
• What are you proudest of in your career?

The summary, or profile, allows you to tell in your own voice what differentiates you from other computer engineers and, in particular, what makes you a great candidate for the job. It serves as a pre-interview introduction to yourself and your career.

You can find adaptable computer engineering resume examples summary below:

Outline your computer engineering work experience: hard wired for success

Applying reverse chronological order, list your current or most recent position and work your way back about 10 years. Keep a laser focus on experience that directly relates to the job you want. There’s no space to waste in a computer engineering resume.

Organize your bullet items so that the most impressive and most relevant item goes at the top of each listing. Start with a strong action verb, such as designed, spearheaded, delivered, persuaded and explain what that action netted your employer. (Remember, a resume is all about the employer’s needs.) 

The computer engineering summary resume example above lists a specific outcome for a senior position. Each of your work history items should do the same. A listing of responsibilities is far less compelling than descriptions of successes.

Don’t write:

• Responsible for hardware maintenance
• Helped design network for shipping company
• Provided technical support to end-users
• Installed peripherals in customer support office

Great resumes for computer engineers replace the vague with the specific. Words like “responsible for” or “tasked with” are passive and hand the action off to someone else. If you helped someone, you collaborated or operated as part of a team. In addition to creating items in which you are the actor, include data and details that show your efforts paid off. 

Instead try:

• Conducted thorough and regular testing of installed hardware and promptly addressed any issues, leading to 15% reduction in downtime
• As part of team architecting new network for shipping company, integrated Internet of Things (IoT) devices including GPS trackers, RFID systems and environmental sensors, resulting in 5% less lost product
• Successfully cut time to resolve helpdesk issues by 25% by managing and prioritizing support tickets
• Created detailed documentation, including user guides and troubleshooting procedures, to empower end-users and support teams.

Take a look at the computer engineering employment history resume sample below:

How to write a computer engineer resume with no experience

Did you know that HR personnel value soft skills highly—especially when they are hiring for entry-level positions? Undoubtedly you have these interpersonal and work skills, so highlight your communication abilities and reliability in your resume for an entry-level computer engineer job.

A “projects” section will allow you to include any work you completed during your college career or as a hobby. Consider developing a portfolio. With our resume builder, it’s easy to link directly to your greatest work.

Finally, include any transferable skills you may have from after school or summer jobs. For example, if you were a camp counselor (especially if you ran a computer class), you collaborated, and exhibited time management, problem-solving and diplomacy (when talking to parents about an issue with a camper).

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great computer engineer 

Computer engineering is an umbrella term for a vast array of skills from hardware to software to networking. A resume for a computer engineer should hone in on your area of expertise and the skills section is the most direct place to do so. 

The best skills lists combine hard and soft skills to offer an at-a-glance picture of your professional expertise. The job listing is your first stop for determining which hard skills are most likely to aid in your job search. Match your prospective employer’s wish list as closely as you can, naming specific hardware and software when appropriate.

Even if your career spans a decade, soft skills such as active listening to better understand client needs or the ability to negotiate among stakeholders with opposing needs will enhance your desirability.

The resume builder offers several pre-written key skills to choose from with proficiency ranges you can set. You can also write in your skills.

Here’s what the skills box looks like in our car sales resume template. 

The skills section of your computer engineering resume may be the first place recruiters look just to make sure you have the key abilities they’re looking for, but your entire resume should back up the items you choose to list here.

Within your summary, highlight what you consider your greatest areas of expertise, but within your employment history you should also mention and illustrate talents such as:

• Big-picture and critical thinking are necessary for designing a computer network, a complex task that involves differing stakeholders, budgetary and space constraints, and dozens of moving pieces. Show how you think through this process.
• Project management can be like herding cats. How do you keep it moving smoothly and ensure everyone is on pace and on budget?
• Communication from listening to what everyone needs (or wants) to describing your own ideas, you can’t do your job without providing information to others. Add a bullet item or two that illustrates your style.

Detail your education & relevant computer engineering certifications

Most computer engineers have at least a bachelor’s degree in the field or a related field. A resume education section lists this and any other degrees you have earned in reverse chronological order. Make room for any advanced degrees by removing your high school diploma.

Certifications abound in the IT world, so if you have earned any, add them to this section.

Other ideas for this section (or if you have space, a breakout section of their own) are any professional development seminars or classes you have completed or activities as part of professional organizations to which you belong.

New entry into the job market? Consider moving the education section above your work history and/or choosing a hybrid format that will call attention to your skills instead of your experience.

Pick the right resume layout and design for a computer engineering resume

The best computer networks are the most elegant. They streamline processes and get the job done without fuss or muss. Debugging and testing occurs before systems go live and the whole package is as user-friendly as possible while getting the job done in an innovative manner.

Apply this standard to your computer engineering resume as well. You want the message to get across clearly and professionally without the recruiter having to strain to find your key job-related information. To that end, use standard section titles to avoid confusion. A frustrated recruiter is unlikely to call.

Make sure you “debug” or proofread carefully to avoid any typos or grammatical mistakes that can negate the assertion that you are detail-oriented.

There’s a wide swath between boring and flashy. One subtle color works wonders, but multiple, bright colors may merely be distracting and render your resume difficult to read.  If you’re unsure, err on the side of simple, but eye-catching. The decision is much easier if you scan through our professional designs and choose the one that speaks to you. If you’re looking for a bit more flare, try a modern layout. Our resume templates also take the tedium out of formatting, so you can focus your attention on your content.

Computer engineering text-only resume example

Computer engineer job market and outlook

The computer engineering field is not as hot as other IT areas, but growth will be healthy. The market comprises software, hardware and network engineers, and the need for those experts is expected to rise 4-5% during the next decade.

What type of salary you can expect in computer engineering

Salaries in computer engineering depend highly on the type of engineering, level of experience and area of the country in which you work. A typical income range for a computer engineer is $98,588-$185,064, according to Talent.com, however, Glassdoor calculates the median salary as $90,128 with a range of $74,000-$124,000.

Note: There was no salary information for computer engineering in the spreadsheet

Key takeaways for building a computer engineering resume

1. The computer engineering field is a wide one so use your resume to let employers know exactly where your greatest talents lie.
2. A resume summary highlights your professional style and tells the recruiter what you will bring to the team.
3. Name the databases, software and hardware you have expertise in within your skills section and throughout your computer engineer resume.
4. Click through to the resume builder to get your job hunt started that much quicker!