As you work to score your first internship, you’re about to set out on an exciting journey into the world of professional engineering. Equipped with an innate wish to know how things work and an ability to make them function, you’re ready to impress future employers.
Internships are crucial stepping stones in the world of engineering, so recruiters are often swamped with applications for these roles. To make yours stand out, you’ll need to tailor your resume to match the job.
We’re here to make that easier. With our engineering internship resume examples and tips for creating a cover letter, you’ll be ready to go in no time!
What Matters Most: Your Knowledge of Engineering & Past Projects
Few jobs are as hands-on as engineering, so as you step into your first internship, you’ll need to put your skills and education to the test. Fortunately, you’ve already got plenty of both, and this is where you can highlight them.
Read the job description carefully and identify key skills you possess, then ensure your resume includes them. Ignore generic abilities like “dedication.” You can do better than that.
Talk about the software you’re familiar with, such as Revit and Pro Engineer/Creo, or programming languages like Python. Don’t forget to mention skills that are specific to the industry of choice, such as simulation techniques and thermodynamics.
9 popular engineering internship skills
- AutoCAD
- Matlab
- SolidWorks
- Ansys
- Python
- Revit
- Simulink
- PTC Windchill
- PrusaSlicer
Sample engineering internship work experience bullet points
Starting on this part of your resume, you might be asking yourself: “Work experience? What work experience?”
Sounds familiar? Don’t worry—everyone has to start somewhere, and engineering students are in high demand. All you need to do is properly highlight the experience you do have, be it from past internships, relevant jobs, or your education.
Dive into the engineering projects you’ve participated in and led, and discuss how you were able to make an impact and what you’ve learned. Add some data to make these points stand out.
Remember that all experience counts here, be it the robotics club you’re part of in college or the Python scripts you’ve written in your spare time.
Here are a few samples:
- Facilitated workshops on AutoCAD and PrusaSlicer, providing hands-on learning experiences for 70+ students that improved engineering student confidence by 27%
- Collaborated with a student team on an innovation challenge to develop a sustainable solution that reduced energy costs for a community center by 21%
- Conducted data analysis on project outcomes, increasing accuracy in predictions by 33% with Python
- Supported senior engineers in troubleshooting, speeding up issue resolution by 11%
Top 5 Tips for Your Engineering Internship Resume
- Include personal projects
- Your professional experience may be limited, but your budding engineering career has already begun. Show this by including personal projects, be it a GitHub repository or a blueprint for a prototype you’ve worked on as part of your coursework.
- Express attention to detail
- Paying attention is crucial in engineering, so don’t be caught unaware with a resume that doesn’t highlight it. Proofread it a couple of times, use a clean resume format, and keep it concise to impress recruiters.
- Talk about your hobbies
- If your hobbies & interests are relevant to engineering, include them in your resume in a separate section. Having an interest in computing, programming, or robotics can show your passion for engineering.
- Show off your certifications
- Adding extra certifications can really elevate your resume, so if you have any, just go for it! The most popular picks for engineering interns are the EIT or the CSWA, but also certs in AutoCAD and Matlab.
- Demonstrate your teamwork
- As an engineering intern, you’ll be collaborating with senior colleagues and other interns frequently. Discuss group projects and clubs you’ve participated in to show that you’re a team player.
This depends on the nature of your projects. You can send so-called enclosures as attachments to your resume, and those can be image or PDF files with blueprints or PowerPoint presentations. On the other hand, you can add a personal website or GitHub repository as a link at the top of your resume.
If this is your first engineering internship, your GPA can be good to mention as long as you’re proud of it. More importantly, talk about your education as a whole, including your major and extracurriculars.
At this stage in your career, your knowledge of engineering matters more than professional experience. Talk about your proficiency in various software, such as AutoCAD and ANSYS, as well as projects you’ve worked on.
