Product Engineer Resume

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Engineering is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Almost every business sec needs a product engineer at some point in their development, making them an integral part of operations. Product engineers face steep competition in the workplace and must learn a variety of highly technical skills to become successful. We’ve compiled this article to give you the information you need about product engineers, the industry, and how to write an effective resume.

What Is a Product Engineer?

A product engineer is a type of mechanical engineer who specializes in designing products and manufacturing. They deal with all aspects of taking the product from the design stage to the manufacturing stage. Product engineers oversee the process of conjuring up, designing, and developing a product. Anyone looking into a career in product engineering requires a mix of technical skills, analytical mindset, and creativity.

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Challenges and Responsibilities

A product engineer is involved in every step of the process of product development. This includes planning and designing the product as well as selecting materials, prototyping and manufacturing. Product engineers spend a majority of their time design products and figuring out how to manufacture them. Product Engineers go through a series of step when completely each product from start to finish:

Brainstorming

Product engineers must have creativity and be able to think outside the box. They also need to have a strong grasp of trends and design. At this stage the engineer will consider how to design the product for manufacturing and fulfill the needs of the client.

Designing

Designing and manufacturing takes up the majority of a product engineers time. Product engineers will often use Computer Aided Design (CAD) Software for designing products. CAD software helps engineers draft constructions, explore designs, display photorealistic images, and even test it in real world applicability.

Prototypes

After creating the digital model through CAD software, the next step is to create and test a prototype of the product design. Product engineers will often go through several designs until they perfect the prototype. Product Engineers also need to find the materials for the product and scale the prototype for the client. This takes solving and communication skills because engineers have to work with other team member and logisticians.

Manufacturing

Product engineers must ensure that the product design and manufacturing meets all safety regulations.After manufacturing, the product is placed on the market; but a product engineer’s job doesn’t stop there. Engineers also have to provide customer support for their client. For example, product engineers must be available if the client wants to make alterations to a product design or production, this will ensure the product is adaptable and suitable for longevity. Product engineer must have a range of technical and creative skills.

Product Engineer Skills

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Product engineers not only need to learn highly technical skills, they also have to be creative and work as a team player. Engineers constantly have to interact with other departments and industries to bring a product to completion. This career requires good communication skills and the ability to work in a collaborative work environment. They also need to be multi-taskers and have high attention to detail. Core skills product engineers need to possess include:

• Computer Aided Design (CAD) Software
• Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) Software
• Analytical Skills
• Leadership
• CadCam Unigraphics
• Adobe Illustrator

Product engineers must have a high level of understanding of managing resources and technical limitations for every company or products. This includes effective time management, scalability, acquiring resources, and understanding national and international regulations. Unlike other engineers, product engineers deals with both the back- and front- ends technologies.

Educational Requirements

Since product engineer demands a highly technical skill set, higher education is necessary to advance in the field. Career requirements for a product engineer require a Bachelors degree, and ideally a graduate degree, in the field of engineering with an emphasis in product design. For many positions, employers will require at least five years of experience. Here is the best way to advance your career as a product engineer:

Step 1: Bachelor’s Degree

Specializing or training in a specific branch of engineering such as product design or manufacturing. Make sure the school your are attending is ABET-approved. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology accredits educational programs in the sciences.

Step 2: Experience

Gaining experience at university is crucial for building your experience. If you are already an experienced product engineers, freelancing and taking on bigger projects can help build credentials and body of work.

Step 3: Licensure

Having an engineering license can help improve your appeal to potential employers, and some states may require specific state-issued licenses through the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying.According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, salaries in this field is higher than others. A product designer with five to ten years of experience can expect to make an annual salary of around $75,000.

Is There a Need for Product Engineers?

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Product engineers are needed in nearly every industry and there is always a high demand for them. Business are constantly re-branding themselves and trying to improve their products and this includes updating existing products. Businesses hire product engineers to oversee the complex tasks of creating and developing working products for manufacturing. Product engineers provide a valuable solution to many businesses who can then direct their energy towards other aspects of business.To be a successful product engineer, you must have a passion for challenging work, good people skills, and creativity. This dynamic role is full of opportunities and the field of product engineering is a staple to industries and companies all over the world.

How to Write an Effective Product Engineer Resume

Developing a resume to best showcase your qualifications and skills is essential to not just product engineers, but everyone. It can be difficult to determine what skills and background you want to showcase to potential employers and even more so if you have little experience. Here is a complete guide to writing an effective product engineer resume that is sure to land you the job:

1. Profile

At the top of your resume after your name, phone number, location, and email. Write a brief statement of your qualification and express your desire for growth in the industry. You should focus on displaying how your skills are in alignment with what the employer is looking for.

2. Experience

Your work history and experience is the foundation of your resume and one of the first things an employer looks at. For each position you should include where you worked, the title you held, and how long you worked there. You should list all jobs and internships in reverse chronological order, with the most recent one appearing at the top. For each position include:

• Job title
• Company
• Location
• Date of Employment
• Biggest accomplishments

For your current job, keep the verb tense in the present tense and for previous jobs keep the verb tense in the past tense. If you only have little experience, you can list volunteer work to help avoid employment gaps in your resume.

3. Education

After your work experience create a section titled: Education. You need to list the degrees you possess, your GPA, the name of any universities you attended and for how long you attended. If you only just graduated or are currently a student it is best to put the education first and above your experience.

4. Certificates

You should have a small section for certifications after education. Some of the best engineering certifications to get include:

• Certified Manufacturing Engineering Certification
• Certified Production Technician
• Certified Automation Professional
• Quality Engineer Certification

5. Awards

Including additional awards and accomplishment can give your resume the extra credentials it needs to push it over the edge. Include any awards or recognitions you may have received in university or from previous employers. This can also include professional accomplishment from previous projects you’ve been a part of.

6. Skills

Skills are an essential part to your resume. Try to display skills you have not previous mentioned in other parts of the resume. For product engineers, you should include skills such as: ability to multi-task, proficiency in mathematics, CAD software, and CAM software, Leadership, Strong communication, etc.

7. References

It is standard to include two references at the bottom of your resume. You should include your relationship to the person, their current position and company, and phone number. Always ask the person beforehand if they can list you as a reference before putting them on your resume.

Conclusion

Product engineering is a lucrative and dynamic field that is always in need of new talent and fresh ideas. One of the most fundamental requirements is a bachelors degree and at least five years of relevant experience. Product engineering requires years of honing your skill set and learning new software to adapt to industry needs. Although rewarding, product engineers need determination and dedication to become successful.Your resume is the first thing an employer sees and should stand out from the rest. Resumes that use quantifiable points are more attractive to employers so try to quantify accomplishment when ever you can. Ideally, your resume should demonstrate your skill set and experience and show employers how that aligns with the requirements of the position.