Systems Engineer Resume Sample and Tips from HR Pros

A professionally crafted systems engineer resume is the first great step toward a successful job search. Your resume acts as the reference point where recruiters get to learn more about your qualifications, experience, and skills.

So, how do you write a systems engineer resume that will get you hired?

In this guide, we show you:

• How to write a modern resume
• The best resume format to use
• The skills needed for systems engineering
• How to write a catchy professional summary
• A systems engineer resume example to inspire you

Facts About Systems Engineering Job Market

According to CareerExplorer , the systems engineer job market is projected to grow 9.3 percent by 2026. The US Bureau of Labor puts this figure at 10 percent by 2031, with about 22,400 job openings for industrial engineers each year.

Systems engineers are among the highest-paid professionals. Data from Glassdoor shows that the average pay for a systems engineer is $127,806 per annum. If you factor in benefits and bonuses, the professional can earn up to $162,000 per year

Source: Glassdoor

However, this pay range may vary from one company to another, one state to another, years of experience, and level of qualification.

Systems Engineer Job Description

Systems engineers are invaluable and irreplaceable professionals that are in high demand. They innovate, investigate, and design the best systems possible that organizations need to run smoothly.

Systems engineering is a field that specializes in building, analyzing, and managing a system – from electrical, chemical, mechanical, to biological. They are also involved in business processes and logistics.

So, what are the roles of a systems engineer?

Systems engineers have varying roles, depending on the task type, scope, and complexity of the project. What’s more, the precise role is usually outlined by management, considering that systems engineers nowadays work remotely.

That said, some of the common roles and responsibilities of a systems engineer include to:

• Organize, monitor, and manage a project
• Implement and maintain computer systems to ensure they are compatible with the organization’s guidelines or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
• Monitor and manage all installed systems and infrastructure
• Assess existing systems and provide technical direction to IT support staff
• Evaluate the system and confirm if it achieves a project’s requirements and that proper systems engineering methods are being practiced
• Ensure quick response to any technical issues
• Implement, configure, test, and maintain operating systems, application software, and systems management tools

To qualify as a systems engineer, you must hold a bachelor’s degree in computer science or software engineering. Apart from acquiring the essential degree, knowledge and experience, in these fields are essential:

• Experience with virtualization, such as VMware and Virtual Box
• Network experience (TCP/IP)
• Cloud experience, particularly AWS (Amazon Web Service)
• Experience in the administration and performance, tuning of application stacks, such as NGINX, Apache, Ruby, JBoss, Tomcat

How to Write a Systems Engineer Resume

Below, we share a systems engineer resume template that you can use to create your own. Before applying for a systems engineer job, you should know that the company expects the potential candidate to have certain qualities and experiences.

For instance, a job description may require experience in cloud computing, preferably AWS, experience with monitoring systems, scripting skills (Ruby, Python, Perl), and proven working experience installing, configuring, and troubleshooting UNIX/Linux-based systems.

Resumes that show you have the required technical know-how and a good understanding of all complexities of the systems have a greater chance of getting interview invitations.

Here’s how to write a brilliant systems engineer resume:

Use the Correct Layout

To ensure your resume passes the tight ATS scan, it must be optimally formatted. Remember, the layout is the first thing a job recruiter notices about your resume. So, you'll want to use the best resume layout.

Here are the top characteristics of an effective resume layout:

• Easy-to-read fonts . Use clear fonts that stand out, such as Roboto, Tahoma, Calibri, Times New Roman, and Verdana. Never use Comic Sans and others that stand out too much.
• Use the right font size . As a rule of thumb, utilize 11-12 pt for normal text, and 14-16 pt for section titles.
• Maintain one-page resume length . Even if you have an extensive work history that runs for three pages, it doesn’t mean you have better chances of securing the job offer. It can even be the reason your resume gets rejected. Try to fit only relevant work history on one page. As research shows, 17 percent of hiring managers consider a two-page resume too long, and probably won't even read it!
• Clear section headings . Use a heading, like H2, and use it throughout the document.
• Use bold, italics, and underlining formatting to break up text and make the document easier to read.

Choosing the Best Format for Your Resume

The resume format you pick says a lot about your level of experience and what you want recruiters to see first. So, what’s the best resume format?

There are three types of resume formats:

• The reverse chronological resume format is the most popular. It's suitable for people with a lot of professional work experience and no employment gaps . With this format, the work experience section sits front and center of the resume, which is crucial for jobs that emphasize experience.
• The functional or skills-based resume format is ideal for students or recent graduates, or job seekers looking to make career changes.
• Combination resume format combines the chronological and functional resume formats. It’s a good choice for job seekers with diverse skillset or those applying for a role that requires expertise in multiple fields.

So, which one should you choose?

In most cases, you’d want to stick to the reverse chronological resume format since it’s what most HR managers use.

Resume Sections

Now that you understand the basics of resume writing, let's get into the details of how to write a resume.

A resume has the following key sections:

• Name and contact information
• Summary
• Professional experience
• Education
• Skills
• Optional sections – membership, certifications, languages, publications, hobbies, courses, internships, etc.

Name and contact information section

The header of your resume must include your name, professional email address, and phone number. These details provide the recruiter with a way to get in touch with you.

Therefore, be sure to double-check your contact information to make sure it isn’t misspelled or outdated.

You should also include:

• an online portfolio or website (if it's relevant to the job),
• your social media profile – like LinkedIn. For developers, this would be your GitHub,
• your job title, and
• your location (the manager will want to know if they have to sponsor you for relocation), unless it’s a remote position.

Resume summary section

According to Glassdoor, each corporate job opening attracts, on average, 250 resumes . As you can tell, it's not easy to beat 249 worthy competitors. The best way to make sure your resume gets the attention it deserves is to make a first and lasting impression.

The resume summary section gives you the chance to do just that. This is the introductory section of your resume that comprises 2-3 sentences that briefly describe your career and past achievements.

Professional experience section

The work history or work experience section is the part of your resume that recruiters are most interested in. It’s the only part where you really get to sell yourself and display your achievements and accomplishments. Therefore, you must do it right.

A good strategy is to peruse the job description and target each bullet point to the requirements of the job.

Look at this example:

You’ll notice that we mention the work experience in reverse chronological order. That is, starting with the most recent job and going backward. For each job, we’ve included the following:

• the job title
• company name
• company location (city and state)
• dates of employment
• three to five bullet points highlighting your top achievements

When writing your work experience, here are some important tips to guide you:

• Use action verbs to start your statements, such as tested, analyzed, conducted, improved, initiated, facilitated, etc.
• Only include relevant work experience
• List accomplishments instead of daily tasks
• Use quantifiable metrics to display your achievements (like in our example: C ollaborated with a team of 12 to define and implement highly functional digital systems with budgets of up to $2M )

Most importantly, tailor your resume to the job. We can't emphasize this enough. Did you know that the Applicant Tracking System prevents your resume from being read by the hiring manager or recruiter?

That’s right!

Most ATS are designed to filter for certain keywords and compare the uploaded resume to the job description. Therefore, apart from reading the description keenly and ensuring your resume conforms to the job ad, you must use the correct keywords.

For example, if a job description mentions they need a candidate with cloud experience, preferably AWS, and this applies to you, be sure to mention your proficiency in AWS.

This way, not only will ATS find you, it will rank you among the top candidates for the job.

For more insights about ATS and how it works, read this article: Everything you need to know about Applicant Tracking System .

Education section

Your academic credentials usually come after the work history section, but you can place them first if you're a student or don’t have enough work experience. Often, you should only include your highest degree. If you haven’t graduated, indicate the year of expected graduation.

If you don’t have a university or college degree, add your high school diploma instead. Your education section will look something like this:

As you can see, we mention:

• the degree’s name
• the name of the college and its location
• year of graduation

You can also mention:

• your GPA if it's higher than 3.5
• relevant coursework

Skills section

Like your work experience, your job skills should be tailored to the job you’re applying for. We recommend including six to eight relevant skills, and in some cases, a summary of qualifications.

The skills section helps you emphasize your expertise in a specific field.

There are two types of skills you need to include when writing your systems engineer resume:

Hard skills

These are measurable activities learned through specific workshops, work experience, or training. Examples include:

• SEO & SEM
• Software QA and User Testing
• HTML & CSS
• MySQL
• UX design
• Cloud computing

Soft skills

These are the intangible abilities that relate to your personality. They include:

• Discipline
• Leadership
• Critical observation
• Logical reasoning
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Creativity
• Active listening
• Adaptability

As an engineer, you may want to add a technical skills section where you’ll highlight technical skills that employers will find useful. For example, an Infosys System Engineer must have the following skills:

• Working knowledge of Operating Systems and Database Management
• Proficiency in Python, C, C++
• Java
• SQL
• Programming skills

Additional sections

If you have any other relevant details that you feel can boost your resume, list them in the additional section of your resume. In our systems engineer resume template, we have two additional sections, namely:

Membership and certifications

Some professions require that you acquire the correct license from the state or federal government to be allowed to operate. In such cases, go ahead and list the license under the Licenses section.

On the same note, if you have learned multiple languages, be sure to floss them under the Languages section, especially if the job ad mentions knowledge of certain languages, which will be an added advantage.

Bonus Tips for Effective Systems Engineer Resume Writing

• Avoid lying, exaggerating, or including something you wouldn’t want to discuss in an interview. A CareerBuilder survey found that 75 percent of employers have caught a lie on a resume. Keep in mind that the lies might cost you the job.
• Do not include personal data like marital status or age.
• Avoid generic resumes since recruiters can tell it isn’t tailored to the job requirements.
• Use numbers, percentages, and statistics to get the recruiter’s attention.
• Proofread your resume thoroughly to ensure there are no typos or grammar mistakes.
• Read the job posting to get an idea of the keywords to use in your resume.
• Always use a professional email address.
• Use simple layouts and stick to traditional fonts.
• Organize your resume neatly. 25 percent of managers won't bother looking at your resume if it's just long paragraphs of text.

Boost Your Chances by Including a Cover Letter

According to one study , employers prefer candidates who attach a cover letter to their resumes when applying for a job. Cover letters explain an applicant’s motivation and intention for joining an organization. They also explain gaps in your employment and discuss what led to a career change.

A cover letter gives you the chance to explain a deliverable you created that demonstrates the value you’ll bring to the company.

For more details on how to craft an impressive cover letter, check out our post on Systems Engineer Cover Letter Examples and Advice from HR Pros .

That’s it! We hope this systems engineer resume example gives you the guidance you need to create a resume that will land you your dream job.