Tailoring guide
Electrical Engineer resume keywords and example
Electrical engineer postings vary by specialty, so the right keywords depend on which one you are in. Power and building roles name the NEC, power studies (load flow, short circuit, arc flash, protective coordination) in ETAP or SKM PowerTools, and often a PE license. Controls roles name PLCs, SCADA and Allen-Bradley Studio 5000, while electronics roles name schematic and PCB design in Altium or OrCAD. Below are the keywords that repeat, a sample summary, skills grouped by type, and example bullets.
Updated 14 November 2026. Keyword research current as of November 2026, sourced from public ATS keyword guides, not Weydr's own usage data.
Electrical Engineer keywords that repeat in job postings
- Power Systems
- NEC
- ETAP / SKM
- Arc Flash Studies
- Protective Relay Coordination
- PLC / SCADA
- Circuit Design
- AutoCAD Electrical
- PE License
Only include the ones that are true for you. A keyword you can't back up in an interview costs more than it gains.
Sample professional summary
Electrical engineer (PE) with 6 years designing power distribution for industrial and commercial facilities. Runs load flow, short circuit, arc flash and coordination studies in ETAP, designs to the NEC and NFPA 70E, and produces drawings in AutoCAD Electrical. Has led electrical design on 12 plant expansions, from one-line diagrams through commissioning.
Illustrative example. Swap in your own years, domain, tools and results.
Skills to list on a electrical engineer resume
Hard skills
- Power distribution design
- Load flow, short circuit and arc flash studies
- Protective device coordination
- Code compliance (NEC, NFPA 70E, IEEE)
- Control panel and PLC design
- One-line diagrams and specifications
- Testing and commissioning
Soft skills
- Coordinating with mechanical and civil disciplines
- Working with contractors in the field
- Clear calculation and design reports
- Safety-first judgment
- Managing several projects at once
Tools
- ETAP
- SKM PowerTools
- AutoCAD Electrical
- Revit MEP
- Allen-Bradley Studio 5000
- MATLAB / Simulink
- Altium Designer
- Bluebeam Revu
A tailored bullet, before and after
Performed electrical engineering studies for clients.
Ran arc flash and protective coordination studies in ETAP for a 13.8 kV manufacturing plant, resetting 30 relays and breakers to lower incident energy at 8 switchgear lineups and updating labels to NFPA 70E.
Example resume bullets by seniority
Illustrative examples: the companies, numbers and outcomes are made up to show the structure (action, scope, tool, result). Use your own real figures.
Entry level
- Drafted one-line diagrams and panel schedules in AutoCAD Electrical for 5 commercial buildings, checking conductor and breaker sizing against the NEC.
- Supported commissioning of a new motor control center, recording test results and resolving 12 wiring punch-list items with the contractor.
Mid level
- Designed power distribution for a 200,000 sq ft warehouse expansion, including a 2,500 kVA service and backup generator, approved by the authority having jurisdiction on first review.
- Programmed Allen-Bradley PLC logic in Studio 5000 and SCADA screens for a packaging line upgrade, cutting changeover time by 20 minutes per shift.
Senior
- Served as electrical engineer of record (PE) on $40M of industrial projects, stamping drawings and leading design reviews with clients and contractors.
- Led a power quality study under IEEE 519 for a plant with new variable frequency drives, specifying harmonic filters that resolved repeated nuisance trips.
Gaps candidates miss most
- The specialty made clear (power, controls, electronics) with matching keywords
- Codes and standards by name (NEC, NFPA 70E, IEEE 1584, IEEE 519)
- Licensure status (EIT or PE) and the study or design software you use
Common electrical engineer resume mistakes
- A generic electrical engineering résumé sent to power, controls and PCB roles alike.
- Listing ETAP or SKM without the studies you actually ran in them.
- No project scale: voltage level, kVA, square footage or budget.
- Leaving out field and commissioning work, which postings value.
- Hiding the PE or EIT instead of putting it near your name.
Before you stuff in keywords
- Does ATS really reject 75% of résumés?: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to tailor your résumé to a job description: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- What an ATS résumé checker can and can't tell you: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- Tailoring a résumé to a job description: a worked example: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to explain an employment gap on your résumé: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to write a cover letter for a specific job: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- Résumé summary examples, and how to write your own: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How long should a résumé be?: what the research says about ATS filtering.
- How to write a career change résumé: what the research says about ATS filtering.
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