A Complete Guide to Writing an Application Engineer Resume with Examples

Your job involves coordinating the technical specifications with the sales team, development team, and client stakeholders to identify their requirements and adapt them to the application design.

Writing your resume requires coordination of technical management and hiring managers' requirements, as well as convincing them that you're the right fit.

We'll walk you through the process step-by-step!

In this article, you'll learn:

• To choose the right layout and format for your resume.
• To write perfect experience sections better than 95% of other candidates with similar experience.
• 10+ key skills required for application engineer jobs.
• Pro tips for professional resume writing.

STOP sending your boring resume to the next hiring manager who has already read 200+ of them today. Try out our resume builder to create a resume with a modern touch – that also in 10 minutes.

Junior application engineer Resume Sample

Take a look at these similar resumes for more inspiration:

• Cloud engineer resume
• IT project manager resume
• Data scientist resume
• Programmer resume

How Much Does an Application engineer Earn?

The average salary of an application engineer is $75,000 💰(payscale.com) – which could vary from $50,000 to $100,000+ based on the experience and skills of the candidate.

This also depends on the company or the project the candidate is hired for. Apart from the basic salary, some application engineers get incentivized based on the profitability of the project.

How to Write an Excellent Application Engineer Resume?

Writing an application engineer resume would be a challenging task with the complexity of work and with different specializations within the field.

Though it seems easy to outsource the resume writing task to a freelance resume writer, writing it yourself would give you the best output. Nobody knows better about your experience and skills and how they align with the job description than you do.

In most organizations, application engineer resumes first go through an applicant tracking system (ATS) which do the initial shortlisting – only the shortlisted applications reach a human.

You should write your resume keeping both of these stakeholders in mind.

A keyword-rich resume to pass the ATS and a well-structured resume to impress the hiring manager.

Application Engineer Resume Layout

The layout is also called the structure of your resume. In this, you should define the headings, subheadings, and other important information you're planning to include in your resume.

Having defined a complete layout at the beginning make it easy for you to plan the space and organize your content in one or two pages of your resume.

Here's the layout we suggest for an application engineer resume:

• Header with your name and contact information.
• A professional or objective summary.
• Work history.
• Education.
• Skills.
• Additional sections (certificates, languages, and interests).

Write your layout on a piece of paper to start. Also, you can try our resume builder to drag and drop the sections and create a perfect layout.

Application Engineer Resume Format

The format of your resume determines how you write your experience section in particular. This is, no doubt, the most important section on your resume.

When writing this section, you need to provide a seamless reading experience to your hiring manager – make sure they understand it at a glance.

There're three standard resume formats in use:

• Reverse chronological format - In this format, we start with our most recent work experience and list our careers in reverse order.
• Functional (skills-based) format - In this format, we identify 3 to 5 key skills the recruiter is looking for and list our experience under each skill giving examples and use cases.
• Hybrid format - In a hybrid format, we use both reverse chronological and functional resume formats to list our experience.

The reverse chronological resume format is the widely used format in writing resumes for most professionals. We suggest using the same format for application engineer resumes. Listing your most recent experience first gives the hiring manager a clear idea about your expertise.

How Does Keyword Research Help Your Application Engineer Resume?

As your application may initially go through an applicant tracking system, including the right keywords would be important.

Refer to the job advertisement to find out what exactly the employer is looking for. A descriptive job advertisement would include all the necessary keywords. You could also check similar job positions on LinkedIn to find out more job descriptions that align with the same position.

Make a list of important keywords that should go in your resume.

However, maintain the semantics of your writing over keyword stuffing. Be very specific about the words you write on your resume – they should either be relevant to the job you're applying for or add value to your profile.

We have a complete guide on using keywords on your resume if you need more information.

Start Your Application Engineer Resume with the Header

Use this section to introduce yourself to the hiring manager. Keep this introduction short. Include all relevant contact information.

Here is an example of a good header and a bad one:

CORRECT

Marry Jude

Application Engineer

marryjude@gmail.com

(275)625-8272

https://www.linkedin.com/inMarryjude

INCORRECT

Application Engineer

Marry Jude

marryjude@connectx.com

(275)625-8272

308, Park Street,

Sutton,

New Hampshire(NH)

USA

Here're some general guidelines for writing a good header:

• Start your header with the name. Ideally, the first name and the last name.
• Add the job title you're applying for.
• Write your personal email address and mobile number.
• Don't add your physical address in the header.
• Include a link to your portfolio website or LinkedIn account.

Pitch the Perfect Resume Summary to the Hiring Manager

Most professional summaries on candidate resumes are boring descriptions of their career progress and objectives. Hiring managers often skip reading this type of resume summary, and they also make a bad first impression about the application.

Either you write a solid resume summary, or you shouldn't write one at all.

Let's learn how to write a perfect professional summary for your application engineer resume.

Keep your summary to 2 or 3 sentences – ideally 3 lines on your resume.

Write a sales pitch to the hiring manager. Answer their biggest concerns – write your key skills – describe how you achieved tremendous results for the previous employer.

CORRECT

A passionate application engineer with over 7 years of experience in ERP systems design, maintenance, and troubleshooting – extensive experience in C++, HTML, and Java Script – developed a $2M worth ERP solution for a USA shopping mall last year. Seeking to join AccessTech as a senior application engineer to extend my experience in future projects.

INCORRECT

A highly motivated candidate with more than 7 years of experience in computer programming seeks an application engineer job. I possess a specific set of skills and can adapt to a new work environment fast.

Write an objective summary for entry-level jobs

If you're applying for an application engineer job as your first job or you're in a career transition, consider writing an objective summary.

The difference here is that you'll be aligning your training, education, and other experience to the application engineer job while expressing your passion for the job or the organization.

Use Your Application Engineer Experience to Stand out

There's no doubt that your experience section would be the most important section on your application engineer resume.

Putting more time and effort into writing this section will pay off in many ways. The right experience section would make your resume pass the ATS test smoothly – make a great impression about your application on the hiring manager's mind – and you'll be able to negotiate great pay.

Application engineer resume example: Senior

INCORRECT

Aug 2016 to Present

application engineer

Pleasant Consultants

• Managed a team of 15 application engineers.
• Provide technical expertise to the clients whenever needed.
• Manage a team of sales engineers
• Coordinate with the engineering team to develop systems.

CORRECT

Aug 2016 to Present

Application Engineer

Tech Consult

• Worked with multiple clients for design verification and project requirements identification.
• Managed a team of 15 application engineers to deliver projects valued at $30M in 2020-2022.
• Worked closely with the sales team and technical teams to address client concerns.
• Introduced a patented technology in 2019 that earns the company an annual recurrent revenue of $100,000.
• Introduced frequent training programs for developers that resulted in reducing project lead time by 11% over the last 12 months.

Experienced candidates should focus more on showcasing their soft skills together with their technical skills. The incidents that demonstrate your leadership, negotiation, and teamwork skills would be highly valuable.

Keep each bullet point short but with specific information about your achievements.

Read our complete guide to writing achievements on a resume for more examples.

Start each sentence with an action verb: managed, carried out, delivered, and achieved are great verbs for experienced candidates.

Use numbers to add credibility to your statements.

Application engineer resume example: entry-level

INCORRECT

Aug 2021 to Present

application engineer

Avondale

• Identified client's technical specifications.
• Developed training materials.
• Worked with the sales force.
• Addressed technical issues.
• Involved in special projects.

CORRECT

Aug 2016 to Present

application engineer

Avondale

• Coordinate existing customers and understand their systems issues to address them in the next updates.
• Maintained technical liaison between design, development, sales, and client relations teams to achieve 97% customer satisfaction in 2020-2022.
• Created training materials for the new joining application engineers and presented them at inaugurations.
• Used Java Script, Python, and Visual Basic to develop applications and systems for multiple industries.

For an entry-level candidate, highlight your technical skills, such as programming languages and tools you are experienced in.

If this is your first job as an application engineer, you could write about a project you were involved in while you were studying or any internship you completed.

Use Your Education to Make Your Mark

An application engineer needs to have specific education qualifications, and they are usually listed in job descriptions. However, some companies would hire self-learned candidates as well. Check the job advertisement to see the education qualifications they're looking for.

The education section is more important for entry-level candidates than for senior candidates. If you're an experienced candidate, save your space to write more experience and projects by shortening the education section into a couple of lines.

Application Engineer Top Skills

Application engineer resume needs a solid skills section that demonstrates your soft and hard skills.

Soft skills are personality traits of the candidate, and hard skills are technical skills.

Find the right skills that are relevant to the job you're applying for. Refer to the job description to identify which skills are given importance by the hiring managers.

Soft Skills for application engineers

• Verbal communication skills
• Networking
• Decision making
• Leadership skills
• Problem-solving
• Active listening
• Adaptability
• Persuasion
• Critical thinking
• Negotiation
• Time management

The skills the hiring team mentions in the job advertisement are critical. You better have them or start a course to learn them before applying – there're plenty of platforms to learn them online.

Hard Skills for application engineers

• Performance tracking
• Project management
• Providing technical support
• After-sales service
• Software development
• Writing technical proposals
• Quality control
• Database management
• Quality assurance
• Troubleshooting procedures
• Root cause analysis

Additional Sections for the Application Engineer Resume

Stopping at the basic sections wouldn't get your resume to the top 5% of resumes. There are a few more things to add.

Additional sections make the perfect surprise for your hiring manager. This is also a great way to fill up the remaining space on your resume.

If you use your resume space efficiently with one of our resume templates, you'll see how much more you could write on the resume.

Also, remember not to use additional sections for the sake of filling the space – including irrelevant or non-value-adding sections would do more harm than good for your application.

Here are some examples of additional sections you could use:

Computing skills & Certifications

An application engineer should have a solid understanding of computer technology and tools. Everything from programming to data analysis to data entry would be part of your daily work.

On the other hand, skill certifications provide vital technical knowledge for application engineers in specialized areas. These certifications are highly valued by employers.

Here are some important skill certifications for application engineers:

• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Certified Agile Developer (CAD)
• Software Engineering aster Certification (SEMC)
• Engineer In Training Certification (EIT)

Read a couple of job advertisements in your target market to figure out which certifications are valued by employers.

Projects

If you have been involved in projects related to software development, those will add value to your profile.

If you're a candidate having no industry experience, your projects will serve as your main source of experience. This will provide a valuable addition even to the profile of an experienced candidate.

Interests

The interests section is a great way to share your passion and purpose with the hiring team – humanize your resume by demonstrating what makes you inspired.

Also, do a bit of research on the company's mission and purpose. A simple section like this could boost your resume if they align with your interests.

More Tips to Improve Your Application Engineer Resume

• Don't rely on your instincts when it comes to proofreading your resume - use Grammarly instead.
• Start following the required certification courses mentioned in the job advertisement and state them on your resume with the completion level.
• Use a modern resume template to create the application engineer resume.

Write a Cover Letter that Complements Your Resume

A cover letter is typically an extension of your professional summary. It's a tailored document to the job that directly talks to the hiring manager or the technical manager.

Do hiring managers have time to read your cover letters?

Certainly not. But if your application is shortlisted or the technical manager is keen to make a decision between a couple of candidates, they will probably read your cover letter to see how you fit the role – any special achievements – or a skill that could bring a fresh perspective to their team.

Keep your cover letter short and easy to read with a clear active voice.

Describe how you can be the solution to their most troubling question. Demonstrate how you have solved the same problem for your previous employer or a client, if possible, with a specific example. Use numbers, percentages, or dates whenever necessary. Show the impact of your work rather than just the responsibilities you hold.

End your cover letter with a simple call to action. Ask for an interview to discuss further how you fit the role.

Writing tailored cover letters for each job you apply for is a daunting task, and you'll find this as a bottleneck in your application process. Try our cover letter builder to create custom cover letters 10 times faster than you do with MS Word.

FAQ

What does an application engineer do?

An application engineer assesses the client's needs for the product – makes the prototype – gets approval from the client – and implements it. An application engineer could be specialized in information technology, mechanical engineering, or any other engineering field. However, in most cases, computer programming and coding knowledge are important to become an application engineer. The use cases would be in different industries, such as finance, hospitality, marketing, technology, or healthcare.

How to get a job as an application engineer?

To become an application engineer, you need to have a bachelor's degree or an associate degree in engineering from a university or institution. If your main degree does not consist of coding, you need to complete a secondary diploma to get that exposure.

However, there could be application engineers that come from unconventional formal education paths. It solely depends on the type of applications your company develops. If your company specializes in ERPs or finance software, your management or finance degree would add more value.