Entry Level Engineer Resume: 6 Examples for New Graduates
By CVBooster Team · Published · Updated
8 min read
An entry level engineer resume puts education and projects where a senior engineer puts years of experience. Degree and ABET status at the top, then internships or co-ops, then two or three projects with numbers, then tools. FE status goes near your name if you have passed it. Below are six complete entry level engineering resumes you can copy: mechanical, civil with FE, electrical co-op, chemical, manufacturing, and one for a graduate with no internship at all. Change the details, keep the structure.
Every new grad engineering resume lists "teamwork" and "problem solving." So does the brochure for the summer camp where you were a counselor. The engineering hiring manager wants to see the bracket you redesigned, by how much it got lighter, and what software you did it in.
Example 1: mechanical engineering graduate with one internship
Entry level: Mechanical engineering graduate, one internship (188 words)
Ethan Caldwell Dayton, OH | (937) 555-0144 | ethan.caldwell@email.com | portfolio link
Summary Mechanical engineering graduate (BSME, ABET-accredited, May 2026) with a summer internship in product design. SolidWorks CSWA, GD&T and FEA in ANSYS. Seeking an entry level design or manufacturing engineering role.
Education Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Marrowstone Institute of Technology, Dayton, OH | May 2026 | GPA 3.4
Experience Mechanical Engineering Intern, Halvard Pump Systems, Dayton, OH | May 2025 to Aug 2025 - Redesigned a cast pump bracket in SolidWorks; cut part weight 14% with no loss in FEA safety factor - Updated 22 drawings to current GD&T standards and released them through the change process - Ran tolerance stack-ups for a new seal housing and found an interference before first article
Projects Senior design: automated hydroponic tower, team of 4 | Aug 2025 to May 2026 - Designed the frame and pump mount; built and tested the prototype on a $1,200 budget - Wrote the test plan and led two design reviews with the faculty advisor
Skills SolidWorks (CSWA), AutoCAD, ANSYS Mechanical, MATLAB, GD&T, 3D printing, machine shop basics
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What employers check first on an engineering resume
The degree line does more work than it looks. ABET explains on its accreditation page that "ABET accreditation is not a ranking system. It is a form of quality assurance for programs in the areas of applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology." Employers and state licensing boards both look at which side of that line your program sits on. If yours is accredited, write it. If it is an engineering technology degree, name it exactly.
The second check is the FE exam. NCEES describes it on its FE exam page: "The FE exam is generally your first step in the process of becoming a licensed professional engineer (P.E.). It is designed for recent graduates and students who are close to finishing an undergraduate engineering degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited program." If you passed, put it in the header. If it is booked, put the date. The certificate you get afterwards is called Engineer in Training or Engineer Intern depending on the state board, so use your board's exact words.
Example 2: civil engineering graduate with FE passed
Entry level: Civil engineering graduate, FE passed (159 words)
Sofia Ramirez Austin, TX | (512) 555-0187 | sofia.ramirez.ce@email.com FE Civil exam passed, June 2026
Summary Civil engineering graduate (BSCE, ABET-accredited, May 2026) with two summers in land development and one in construction inspection. Civil 3D, stormwater design and plan review.
Education Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Pecan Ridge University, Austin, TX | May 2026
Experience Civil Engineering Intern, Land Development, Tollridge Civil Partners, Austin, TX | May 2025 to Aug 2025 and May 2024 to Aug 2024 - Drafted grading and utility plans in Civil 3D for 3 residential subdivisions under a P.E. - Calculated detention pond volumes and checked them against the city drainage criteria - Prepared redlines and quantity takeoffs for 2 commercial site plans
Construction Inspection Intern, Mercer Bend Engineering, Austin, TX | May 2023 to Aug 2023 - Logged daily reports, concrete tests and quantities for a 2-mile road widening
Skills Civil 3D, AutoCAD, HEC-RAS, Excel, Bluebeam, plan reading, field testing
Example 3: electrical engineering graduate with co-op
Entry level: Electrical engineering graduate, two co-op terms (144 words)
Jamal Whitaker Raleigh, NC | (919) 555-0122 | jamal.whitaker.ee@email.com
Summary Electrical engineering graduate (BSEE, ABET-accredited, December 2025) with two co-op terms in power distribution. Protective relay settings, short-circuit studies in ETAP and panel schedules.
Education Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Neuse Valley University, Raleigh, NC | December 2025
Experience Electrical Engineering Co-op, Carolina Granite Power Cooperative, Raleigh, NC | Jan 2025 to Aug 2025 and Jan 2024 to Aug 2024 - Built short-circuit and coordination models in ETAP for 4 distribution substations - Drafted relay setting sheets for review by the protection engineer - Updated one-line diagrams and panel schedules after field changes
Projects Senior design: solar charge controller, team of 3 - Designed the MPPT circuit and PCB in KiCad; tested at 92% efficiency in the lab
Skills ETAP, AutoCAD Electrical, MATLAB/Simulink, KiCad, LTspice, NEC basics, oscilloscope and power analyzer
Example 4: chemical engineering graduate
Entry level: Chemical engineering graduate, process internship (139 words)
Megan Thorsen Baton Rouge, LA | (225) 555-0159 | megan.thorsen.che@email.com
Summary Chemical engineering graduate (BSChE, ABET-accredited, May 2026) with a process engineering internship at a specialty chemicals plant. Aspen HYSYS, P&ID markups and HAZOP scribe experience.
Education Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, Bayou Crest University, Baton Rouge, LA | May 2026
Experience Process Engineering Intern, Delmont Specialty Chemicals, Baton Rouge, LA | May 2025 to Aug 2025 - Built a HYSYS model of a distillation column and matched it to plant data within 3% - Scribed 2 HAZOP sessions and tracked 31 action items to close-out - Marked up P&IDs after a line walk and found 6 drawing errors
Projects Unit operations lab lead: ran heat exchanger and reactor experiments, wrote 5 technical reports
Skills Aspen HYSYS, MATLAB, Excel VBA, P&ID reading, PSM basics, OSHA 10
Example 5: manufacturing or industrial engineering graduate
Entry level: Industrial engineering graduate, manufacturing focus (123 words)
Daniel Park Grand Rapids, MI | (616) 555-0130 | daniel.park.ie@email.com
Summary Industrial engineering graduate (BSIE, ABET-accredited, May 2026) with a manufacturing internship in automotive parts. Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (university program), time studies and line balancing.
Education Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, Lakeshore Pines University, Grand Rapids, MI | May 2026
Experience Manufacturing Engineering Intern, Fenwick Stamping, Grand Rapids, MI | May 2025 to Aug 2025 - Ran time studies on a 6-station assembly line and rebalanced work content; cycle time dropped 9% - Built a changeover checklist that cut press changeover time from 52 to 38 minutes - Wrote 12 standard work instructions with photos for second shift
Skills Minitab, AutoCAD, Excel, value stream mapping, 5S, SPC, FlexSim
Example 6: engineering graduate with no internship
No internship is a gap, not a wall. Projects, labs, competition teams and technical part-time jobs fill the experience section. Give them the same treatment as a job: dates, team size, what you built and what it measured.
Entry level: Mechanical engineering graduate, projects only (177 words)
Lauren Becker Milwaukee, WI | (414) 555-0168 | lauren.becker@email.com | portfolio link
Summary Mechanical engineering graduate (BSME, ABET-accredited, May 2026). Three years on the university Formula SAE team, lead for suspension in the final year. SolidWorks, ANSYS and hands-on fabrication.
Education Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, Kinnick Lake University, Milwaukee, WI | May 2026
Projects Formula SAE, Suspension Lead, team of 35 | Sep 2023 to May 2026 - Led a 5-person suspension group; designed new uprights that saved 1.1 kg per corner - Ran FEA on control arms in ANSYS and validated with strain gauge testing - Machined and welded parts in the university shop; managed a $6,000 subsystem budget
Senior design: low-cost prosthetic knee, team of 4 - Designed the locking mechanism and ran 10,000-cycle fatigue tests on the prototype
Work Machine Shop Assistant, university engineering shop | Sep 2024 to May 2026, 12 hours per week - Trained students on lathe and mill safety; maintained tooling
Skills SolidWorks (CSWA), ANSYS, MATLAB, GD&T, manual lathe and mill, MIG welding
Writing engineering bullets that count
O*NET's mechanical engineer task list starts with "Read and interpret blueprints, technical drawings, schematics, or computer-generated reports." That is a good test for every bullet: does it show you doing a real engineering task, with a real tool, on a real part or system?
- Start with an engineering verb. Designed, modeled, tested, calculated, drafted, ran, validated. Our resume action verbs list has more.
- Add the tool. SolidWorks, Civil 3D, ETAP, HYSYS, MATLAB. A tool in a bullet counts more than a tool in a list.
- Add the number. Weight saved, cycle time cut, error rate, number of drawings or models.
- Order sections for your strongest point. Internship first if you have one, projects first if you do not.
- Keep it to one page. Entry level engineering resumes almost never need two.
For the internship section itself, see where to put an internship on a resume. For field-specific layouts, see our engineer CV example and CV format for engineers, and job examples for the mechanical engineer, civil engineer and electrical engineer. Students one year out can start from the engineering student resume. For software roles, use the junior software engineer resume. The letter that goes with it: engineering cover letter examples.
Frequently asked questions
What should an entry level engineering resume include?
Degree with ABET status and graduation date, FE status if any, internships or co-ops, two or three projects with numbers, and a short technical skills list.
Should I put my GPA on an engineering resume?
Put it if the job post asks for it or if it helps your case. Leave it off otherwise and let projects carry the education section.
How do I write an engineering resume with no experience?
Treat projects, competition teams, labs and technical part-time work as experience. Give each one dates, team size, your role, the tools and a measured result.
Should I take the FE exam before applying?
It helps for civil, environmental and power roles where a P.E. path is expected. If you passed it, put it next to your name; if it is booked, list the date.
Is "Entry Level" written on the resume?
No. Write the target role in your summary, such as design engineer or process engineer, and let the dates show the level.
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