You’re a perfectionist with a keen eye for detail—nothing gets past you. On top of your natural knack for problem-solving and optimization, you’re a skilled engineer who likes to think outside the box.
Your work brings tangible improvements, from boosting the cost-effectiveness of manufacturing processes to increasing the output efficiency of complex chemical production. To score that dream job, you’ll need to accurately describe these accomplishments in your resume.
Need help creating a cover letter? You’re in the right place. Our process engineer resume examples and resume tips will guide you toward your next job!
Why this resume works
- A process engineer resume without a detailed use and understanding of relevant software is more like going to a gunfight with a knife: your opponents will beat you hands down.
- To give your application chances of making it to shortlisting, showing your competencies in tools such as DCS, Pinch Analysis Software, Aspen HYSYS, and more is a great way to show your credibility and suitability for the job.
Why this resume works
- You don’t become an engineer of this stature by sleeping on your job. In fact, your experience over the years and your journey through the ranks should be the anchor you use to impress would-be suitors.
- Merge your education and high-stake projects you’ve accomplished and give them precedence in your process commissioning engineer resume. Add measurable impact in every role you held and make recruiters want to call you for an interview immediately.
Why this resume works
- Did you know you can use an entry-level experience to boost the odds of your process engineer refinery resume to make the cut for interviews?
- Well, it boils down to how well you articulate the roles you undertook and the achievements you made. Just like Ivy successfully uses her process engineer trainee position to make a strong case for her application, you too can borrow a leaf and be equally successful.
Why this resume works
- Do you want your senior process engineer resume to paint a clear picture of your career journey to recruiters, leaving them awed by your consistency in impactful achievements?
- Take them back to your process engineer job and detail how you set a background of success, earning promotions along the way. Even better, ensure that all those details fit in a single page of a professional resume template.
Why this resume works
- Numbers don’t lie. And you need them to demonstrate that you’re the best fit for the chemical process engineer job you’re applying for. Percentages, time, and dollars are the melody that recruiters can listen all day.
- Do you know what would even make your numbers shine more? Accompanying measurable achievements with specific tools and software underlines your knack for keeping up with the latest industry technologies.
Related resume examples
Tweak Your Process Engineer Resume to Perfection
To find flaws or room for improvement within existing processes, you need to possess a deep understanding of them. As such, during your education and career, you’ve built up a useful skill set that helps you thrive in your particular field.
In this part of your resume, dig deep into what those job skills really are. Focus on the technical and industry-specific, leaving the soft skills to shine during your interview.
Talk about your in-depth knowledge of process engineering, ranging from statistical control to risk assessment, but also software that comes in handy daily, including AutoCAD and Microsoft Project.
Here are some ideas:
15 popular process engineer skills
- Data Analysis
- Automation Systems
- Process Simulation
- AutoCAD
- Lean Six Sigma
- Aspen HYSYS
- SolidWorks
- DCS
- Minitab
- Risk Management
- Electrical Systems
- Microsoft Project
- Primavera P6
- HART
- LabVIEW
Your process engineer work experience bullet points
When it comes to work experience, you might be tempted to start listing what you do daily, such as collaborating with cross-functional teams or managing and tracking the progress of commissioning activities. However, as a process engineer, you’re really much better off framing your duties as achievements.
Think of the measurable impact of your work. Perhaps the optimizations you’ve made to a distillation unit increased its throughput while reducing its energy consumption?
Or maybe your work in a waste heat recovery initiative brought on an impressive $500K in yearly savings? That’s some brag-worthy stuff, so don’t be shy!
Supplement your accomplishments with useful metrics, such as:
- Pretty much every company in the world loves saving money, so highlight how you improved budgets with metrics such as lowered production costs, annual or monthly savings, and ROI.
- Zone in on efficiency improvements, be it production output, reducing process cycle time, or cutting back on billable hours.
- Showcase the sheer scale of the projects and processes you’ve managed. Mention the number of people or departments you’ve worked with or the budgets you were given.
- Highlight sustainability with energy and resource savings, including metrics like lower energy consumption or reduced water usage.
See what we mean?
- Led a team of engineers in process improvements that reduced downtime by 21%, resulting in annual cost savings of $1.2 million
- Optimized process parameters using ChemCAD, resulting in a 22% increase in product yield, equating to an additional $4.2 million in annual revenue
- Implemented Lean Six Sigma principles to optimize processes, resulting in a 36% reduction in defects
- Increased overall equipment efficiency (OEE) by 12% through continuous monitoring and optimization of equipment performance
9 active verbs to start your process engineer work experience bullet points
- Optimized
- Introduced
- Leveraged
- Led
- Spearheaded
- Reduced
- Adjusted
- Implemented
- Increased
3 Tips for Writing a Process Engineer Resume When You’re New to the Industry
- Highlight safety and compliance
- As a process engineer, safety and regulatory compliance are two of the most important things to highlight—especially at the beginning of your career. Talk about things like compliance with OSHA standards, risk assessments, and safety audits, even if they were only done as part of your education.
- Take your time
- A well-tailored application from a person with limited experience is often worth more than the resume of a senior engineer who didn’t pay attention. Study the job description and fill your resume with relevant keywords, such as thermodynamics, for a chemical process engineer role.
- Write up a career objective
- You may just be starting out, but show that you’re aiming high with a targeted career objective. Address the company by name and express the areas you want to grow in while you work there, be it process simulation or energy efficiency.
3 Tips for Writing a Process Engineer Resume With Years of Experience
- Show off your leadership
- With your experience, you might already have an extensive background in project management, so mention it. Discuss the process engineering projects you’ve led, such as managing a plant upgrade or leading a cross-functional team to integrate a new chemical technology.
- Express your effectiveness
- Your job is all about improving processes, so don’t be afraid to drop some strategic numbers, percentages, or monetary figures to show that you’re good at it. This includes things like introducing Lean Six Sigma methodologies to optimize production times.
- Get technical
- You’re an expert, so don’t be afraid to make your resume as technical as your background. Talk about your digital toolkit, such as Matlab or AutoCAD, but also additional skills, such as data analysis.
Keep to a one-page resume unless you’ve been doing this for over 10 years. However, make the most of the space you do use with key skills, ranging from ANSYS to Agile methodologies.
No worries—just lean into your background in process engineering, regardless of the industry. Show off the impact you’ve had on budget management, deadlines, safety, and quality in your previous role.
As a process engineer, you’ll be a highly coveted candidate in the job market—but those roles are often pretty rare, too. To stand out, it’s best to write a targeted cover letter that shows why you’re the best fit for the job.
