6 Tips For Making The Perfect Electrical/Mechanical CV
In our experience, mechanical and electrical building services engineers can struggle with writing CVs because they often must balance two sets of skills: technical and transferrable. Finding the right balance can be difficult; you don't want to just focus on your technical skills, but how does one incorporate transferrable skills into the CV?
If you're a bit stuck or looking for inspiration for your CV, the following will help you create a focused document that will win you interviews.
1. Just how much information is too much?
You don't need to list every project/site that you have ever worked on with each company, but it's worth highlighting 2-3 in each sector. Make sure to include specifics about what you did and the software/equipment you used.
2. Think of the Hiring Manager
A good way to think about a CV is that the reader has a problem that they want you to solve. It's a nice problem as it is down to clients giving them business, but a problem, nonetheless. You've read the job description and done a bit of research about the company (you have, right?!), and so all you need to do is relate what you have done to what they will want to hear. Partially quoting the job description can help as it proves you have read and understand what they are looking for.
3. Include a personal profile
Cover letters are useful but are not always read, so a personal profile is a great way to communicate about you and your skills; It's effectively the small talk before a formal meeting. You'll want to avoid cliches and outdated phrases like "man management", but you will want to relate your past work history to your future career goals and the role you're applying for.
4. Be wary of time
If you've got 30 years in the industry behind you, it's tempting to write about everything, but sadly, a lot of that won't be that relatable to a potential employer today. Focus on the last 10 years with projects, etc., that relate to the company or project you are applying for – the more recent, the better!
For the next 10 years, summarise it, for example:
"Between 2000 and 2011 I worked for Aecom, WSP and Atkins as a Senior Engineer completing a mix of a refurb and new build schemes in the education, health and retail sectors." or "between 2000 and 2011 my work was mainly service and maintenance of electrical equipment for three large contractors covering retail and MOD environments".
5. Be honest
Employers are cynical when reading CVs, and over-embellishment can be a real turn-off. If the role was junior or not industry-related, don't try to make it into something it wasn't. Don't forget the hiring manager started their career too and knows that no one is responsible for anything too major in the first year of their first post!
Similarly, if your work history is sporadic, don't try to hide it, as a well-written CV can be your advocate. Include the months in your periods of employment, not just the years, as the hiring manager may think you are hiding something even when you're not. If you have been unemployed for a period, were you doing something directly relevant or transferable to an employer? If so, make sure to include it!
6. Qualify it!
You'll also include your qualifications, and be sure to say when you got them and where from. For maintenance roles, clients can be extremely particular about qualifications as there are so many, so detail as much as you can. Alternatively, if you have completed a dissertation or major project, be sure to include the title and a couple of lines about it, as it's a great conversation point in the interview. In the same way that time isn't always your friend with employers, it isn't with qualifications. For instance, a CLAIT from 1993 is of limited value in the 2020s, so limit any accreditations or short courses you've completed to those done in the last 10 years.
Finally, if you have a professional membership such as MCIBSE/an Electrical apprenticeship, or are working towards one, say so and how close you are to achieving it. You'll be missing out if you don't.
In conclusion, writing a balanced CV can be tough, but with these useful tips mentioned, you should be able to smash it and land an interview for your dream job.
