If you’ve applied for a few engineering roles and heard nothing back, your CV probably isn’t showing impact quickly enough — or it’s falling at the ATS (applicant tracking system) hurdle. The good news: small tweaks make a big difference. Use the checklist below, then send us your CV for a quick sanity-check.
The ideal UK engineering CV structure (2 pages max)
Header: Name | Location (Town/County) | Mobile | Email | LinkedIn (optional)
Personal profile (3–4 lines): Your specialism, years of experience, core tools/standards, one standout impact.
Key skills (6–10 bullets): e.g. PLC (Siemens TIA Portal), Root Cause Analysis, Lean/CI, CAD (SolidWorks), FMEA, CMMS, HACCP/ISO, TPM, Six Sigma.
Experience (reverse-chronological): Role, company, dates, 3–6 bullets with metrics.
Education & certifications: Degree/HND, apprenticeships, IOSH, NEBOSH, Six Sigma, Compex, CSCS/ECS, IPC, etc.
Tech/Toolbox (optional): List specific packages, languages, machines, standards.
Right to work: UK RTW status; share code if requested at interview stage.
9 Tweaks that win interviews
1) Open with outcomes, not adjectives
Bad: “Hard-working engineer with good team skills.”
Better: “Maintenance Engineer (4+ yrs) improving OEE from 78%→88% via TPM rollout; reduced unplanned downtime 36% in 9 months.”
2) Put the right keywords near the top
Mirror the job ad’s exact phrasing: if it asks for “Siemens S7 / TIA Portal” or “FMEA”, say that — verbatim — where true. ATS matching is literal.
3) Make every bullet earn its place
Use action + impact + measure:
“Introduced daily kaizen huddle; cut minor stops by 22% within 12 weeks.”
“De-bottlenecked filling line; +14% throughput at no capex.”
“Migrated PLC code to TIA Portal; zero customer downtime during changeover.”
4) Quantify the boring stuff
Planned maintenance becomes credible when measured: MTBF/MTTR shifts, % planned vs unplanned, PPM schedule hit-rate, scrap reduction, energy savings.
5) Name the tools, versions and standards
Don’t write “PLC experience.” Write “Siemens S7 (TIA Portal), Allen-Bradley ControlLogix, RSLogix 5000; SCADA (WinCC).” Similar for CAD (SolidWorks 2024, AutoCAD), CI (5S, Kanban), QMS (ISO 9001/14001/45001), food/pharma (HACCP, GMP).
6) Trim the fluff to hit two pages
Recruiters scan in seconds. Remove old/unrelated roles, generic duties, and school-level detail once you’ve got 3+ years in industry.
7) Build a mini “wins” section
Add a short sub-heading before Experience:
Selected achievements: OEE +10pp (12 months) • Scrap −18% • MTTR −25% • £120k cost avoidance.
8) Make it UK-ready
Use UK spelling and formats, include location and willingness to travel/shifts, and note driving licence if relevant for multisite roles.
9) Sanity-check with the one-page list
Job title and keywords match ad
6–10 skills that the ad actually mentions
Every bullet has numbers
Tools/standards are specific
2 pages, clean layout, PDF
Example: strong engineering bullets you can adapt
Led root-cause analysis (5 Whys, Ishikawa) on chronic filler jam; MTTR down 32%, saving ~8 hrs/week.
Re-programmed S7/TIA changeover routine; changeover time −19% (avg 42→34 mins).
Introduced TPM on 3 critical assets; unplanned downtime −36% within 9 months.
Redesigned fixture in SolidWorks; scrap −14%, payback in 5 weeks.
Migrated CMMS and built 12-week PPM plan; PPM completion 96% vs 71% prior.
What to do next
Send us your CV for a quick check → /contact/#candidates
See our latest Engineering roles → /jobs/?sector=Engineering
Hiring? Tell us about the role → /contact/#employers
FAQs
How long should an engineering CV be?
Two pages is ideal. Senior/contract profiles can stretch to three if packed with measurable results.
Should I include salary or references?
No. Keep it for later stages. Space is better used on quantifiable achievements.
Do I need a separate projects section?
If you’re project-heavy (CAPEX, commissioning, NPI), add a short Projects section with budgets, durations and outcomes.