5 Engineering Manager Resume Examples & Guide for 2023

As an engineering manager, you’re on top of the latest technologies and know how to organize a team with a smooth workflow.

Your knowledge of Agile SDLC methodologies is strong enough to lead any team of engineers to success, but how do you show that to potential employers?

Recruiters have a mountain of resumes from qualified candidates who all know their way around a modern technology stack. Yours has to stand out.

A great engineering manager resume is more than simply listing frontend and backend programs you’ve used.

With this guide, you’ll be on your way to creating a resume that will make an impression and get interviews.

How to write a great engineering manager resume

Good engineering managers need to have sharp engineering and technology skills, but they also need to have exceptional leadership and communication skills.

Hiring managers want someone who can lead people and have technical discussions with team members.

You have to demonstrate those qualities on your resume with concise and engaging sections.

Recruiters will most likely spend less than 8 seconds looking over your resume.

Use that time wisely. Focus on what’s important. Leave out anything irrelevant.

Here are some of the top qualities recruiters look for in an engineering manager resume.

Keep these qualities in mind as we go into our first resume section.

What to include in an engineering manager resume header

Your header is a simple but important section of your resume. The information on your header is minimal, but even the smallest detail matters here.

Your header is your first introduction to a recruiter. If they don’t like what they see, your resume is going straight in the trash before they even look at the rest of it.

So what details are important here?

Let’s look at a few examples and break down each part.

2 engineering manager resume header examples

What’s not working:

• Unprofessional email address
• Full address for location
• No link to a portfolio or LinkedIn profile

The email address you put on your resume should be professional. Some combination of your first and last name with a well-known provider like Google is your best bet.

Including your entire address on your resume is outdated. Communications are largely web-based these days. Recruiters won’t be sending a letter to your house. Just the city and state are sufficient.

You should include your LinkedIn URL or link to another online portfolio in your header. Hiring managers will want to dig deeper into your work history before extending an offer. Especially for high-level positions.

Let’s make a few adjustments and take another look.

What’s working:

• Customized job title
• Includes LinkedIn URL
• Email address is simple and professional

This header is a big improvement. It includes all the necessary information and nothing more.

If your work history in a particular industry matches your target job, customizing your job title can give you an advantage. Recruiters will see that you have industry specific experience without even getting past your header.

Of course, only do this if you have actual experience in that industry. Lying on your resume won’t get you anywhere.

Show your value in a strong engineering manager summary

Now that you’ve got an amazing header for your engineering manager resume, let’s move on to your summary.

This is your first opportunity to introduce yourself beyond basic contact information. Make it count. You don’t want to hook recruiters with a good header and then immediately lose them with a boring summary.

It can be difficult deciding what to write in your summary. The goal is to prove your worth in the industry in 2-3 concise sentences.

A good formula to follow is summarizing your title and experience, citing a key achievement, and showing why you’re the right candidate for the job.

Still feeling unsure? Let’s look at a few examples.

2 engineering manager resume summary examples

What’s not working:

• Uses broad terms and general descriptions
• No specific examples of success
• Not tailored to fit job description

This summary is so vague that it practically tells us nothing about the candidate.

Terms like “passion” and “highly successful” are filler words that don’t really mean anything. Don’t leave anything open to imagination and use real, specific examples of success with data and figures.

Every section of your resume should be targeted to fit the job you’re applying for. Using keywords from the job description will show that you didn’t just write a blanket resume to mass email to hiring managers.

Just be mindful to use key phrases and words mindfully. Recruiters will notice a copy-and-paste resume and fast-track it to the trash.

Let’s fix up this summary and try again.

What’s working:

• Uses industry specific terms
• Cites specific accomplishments with real numbers
• Shows how the candidate will impact target company

Hiring managers want to know how the person they hire will impact company success.

By using specific examples, companies can see the success you’ve brought to previous organizations.

Do a bit of research on your target company and find out what they need. Use your summary to show how you can provide solutions.

This candidate shows their target company why working for them is mutually beneficial. The candidate’s goals align with those of the company.

Now that you’ve got an impressive summary, let’s look at your experience section.

What recruiters want to see on your engineering manager resume experience section

We’ve arrived at the real bulk of your engineering manager resume - the experience section.

This section will tell a story about your work history and show why you’re the right person for the job.

Recruiters want to see that you have the skills required to manage a team of engineers and have a strong working knowledge of their tech stack.

Most importantly, the bullets your write for your previous positions should be of specific accomplishments, not general duties.

Recruiters already know what an engineering manager does. They want to see what you achieved in the role.

Let’s look at an example.

2 engineering manager resume experience examples

What’s not working:

• States generic responsibilities with no specific achievements
• Not tailored to fit job description
• No industry specific terms or programs

If you have experience with specific software or other systems used at your target job, be sure to include it.

Be specific with your accomplishments and don’t leave anything for recruiters to assume.

Let’s make some improvements and take another look.

What’s working:

• Uses industry terms like RESTful and GraphQL APIs
• Cites specific numbers and figures
• Lists an award for a relevant skill

Much better!

This example has all the elements of a great experience section.

Include any awards or recognition you’ve received that are relevant to your target job. They help to support your claims that you’re a good fit for the role.

You might have also worked on projects, publications, or even volunteer experience that showcase your qualifications.

If you can’t find a good place for them in your work experience, consider adding other sections to your engineering manager resume.

Now let’s move on to your engineering manager resume skills section.

How to include skills on your engineering manager resume

Your skills section is a great place to lay out all the tech skills you have for an engineering manager position.

Engineering requires knowledge of emerging technologies, so including technical, software, and programming skills can be helpful.

Especially if you’re skilled in software used in a niche engineering industry like security, outside plant, industrial, etc.

Remember that this is a management position and recruiters want to see that you can lead teams and manage projects.

Soft skills are just as important as hard skills.

If you’ve been in the industry a while and have acquired many skills, don’t crowd your resume by cramming in as many as you can. Stick to the ones most relevant to your target job.

Don’t include any tech skills that you’re not 100% confident in. If the job requires any sort of entry task during the interview, you don’t want to get caught lying about a skill you don’t have.

Below is a list of technical skills you may want to consider adding to your engineering manager resume skills section.

Soft skills are harder to define, so they require a bit of explaining on your resume.

Recruiters won’t just take your word for it. You need to back up your soft skills with evidence.

You can highlight soft skills throughout the experience section of your resume, but consider giving your top 2-4 soft skills their own section.

This will catch the recruiter’s attention and help you stand out from other candidates. Take a look at the example below

How to describe soft skills on your engineering manager resume

This candidate created a section for strengths and highlighted their top soft skills.

Each skill is supported by an example. Study your target job and decide what soft skills are the most valuable.

Here is a list of a few more soft skills to include on an engineering manager resume.

The skills section can benefit your resume when it goes up against ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems). This is essentially a keyword counter that scans your resume.

Improve your odds by studying the job description and using keywords that recruiters look for.

Let’s move on to the education section of your engineering manager resume.

What to include in your education section

The education section of your resume will be fairly basic. The more experience you have, the less detail you need to include.

Most engineering management positions will require at least a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a field directly related to the industry like mechanical engineering, systems engineering, computer science, computer engineering, etc.

Some engineering management positions may even require a master’s degree in engineering, engineering management, or a related field.

There may also be a requirement that is some combination of education and experience.

A typical education section will include:

• Name of school
• Name of degree
• Years attended

There is no need to include a GPA or college courses as this practice mainly benefits recent graduates seeking entry-level positions.

After you’ve added your education section to your resume, consider adding a certification section.

Should I include certifications on my resume?

Not all engineering management roles will require certifications.

However, depending on your industry and target company, they could give you an advantage.

If you’re trying to shift into a different industry and don’t have much related experience, a specialized certificate on your resume can help. It will show commitment to your career and a willingness to learn.

If you’re looking for something more specific to engineering management, there are certifications available in that area.

Below is a list of certifications to consider adding to your engineering manager resume.

Only include certifications that are up-to-date and relevant to your target job.

Formatting this section is similar to your education section. Simplicity is key.

Your certification section should include:

• Name of certificate
• Name of issuing organization

Other sections to include on your engineering manager resume

Depending on your industry and work history, there might be other sections worth adding to your resume.

Some experiences like language skills may not fit into any of the standard sections but they provide more evidence as to why you’re the right choice for the job.

Even hobbies and interests can shine a light on your qualifications.

Key takeaways for creating a great engineering manager resume

• Use industry keywords and phrases that recruiters look for

• Tailor each section of your resume to fit your target job

• Research your target company and show hiring managers how you will provide solutions

• Show you have the necessary technical skills as well as the management skills

• Keep every section of your engineering resume concise, relevant, and engaging.