Aerospace Engineer resume example
A resume for a Aerospace Engineer needs to show the work itself: perform engineering duties in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. Day to day that means work like this: formulate mathematical models or other methods of computer analysis to develop, evaluate, or modify design, according to customer engineering requirements; plan or conduct experimental, environmental, operational, or stress tests on models or prototypes of aircraft or aerospace systems or equipment. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.
Also advertised as
The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
- Design Engineer
- Flight Test Engineer
- Systems Engineer
- Aeronautical Engineer
- Aerospace Stress Engineer
- Avionics Engineer
- Flight Controls Engineer
- Structural Analysis Engineer
- Test Engineer
- SQE
- Aerodynamicist
- Aerodynamics Engineer
- Aeronautical Design Engineer
- Aeronautical Project Engineer
- Aeronautical Research Engineer
- Aeronautical Test Engineer
- Aerospace Physiologist
- Aerospace Systems Engineer
O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.
What this work actually involves
Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.
- Formulate mathematical models or other methods of computer analysis to develop, evaluate, or modify design, according to customer engineering requirements.
- Plan or conduct experimental, environmental, operational, or stress tests on models or prototypes of aircraft or aerospace systems or equipment.
- Formulate conceptual design of aeronautical or aerospace products or systems to meet customer requirements or conform to environmental regulations.
- Plan or coordinate investigation and resolution of customers' reports of technical problems with aircraft or aerospace vehicles.
- Write technical reports or other documentation, such as handbooks or bulletins, for use by engineering staff, management, or customers.
- Direct or coordinate activities of engineering or technical personnel involved in designing, fabricating, modifying, or testing of aircraft or aerospace products.
- Evaluate product data or design from inspections or reports for conformance to engineering principles, customer requirements, environmental regulations, or quality standards.
- Develop design criteria for aeronautical or aerospace products or systems, including testing methods, production costs, quality standards, environmental standards, or completion dates.
- Analyze project requests, proposals, or engineering data to determine feasibility, productibility, cost, or production time of aerospace or aeronautical products.
- Maintain records of performance reports for future reference.
- Diagnose performance problems by reviewing reports or documentation from customers or field engineers or by inspecting malfunctioning or damaged products.
- Direct aerospace research and development programs.
16 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.
Example bullets for this role
Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.
- Formulate mathematical models or other methods of computer analysis to develop, evaluate, or modify design, according to customer engineering requirements, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
- Plan or conduct experimental, environmental, operational, or stress tests on models or prototypes of aircraft or aerospace systems or equipment, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
- Formulate conceptual design of aeronautical or aerospace products or systems to meet customer requirements or conform to environmental regulations, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
- Plan or coordinate investigation and resolution of customers' reports of technical problems with aircraft or aerospace vehicles, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Software used in this role
Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.
- 1CadCam Unigraphics
- Ada
- Alstom ESARAD
- Alstom ESATAN
- Altera Quartus II
- Analytical Graphics STK Expert Edition
- ANSYS simulation software
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- C
- C#
- C++
- Collier Research HyperSizer
- Computational fluid dynamics CFD software
- Computer aided design and drafting CADD software
85 software entries are recorded in total.
Tools and equipment
The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.
- Acoustic emissions systems
- Anechoic chambers
- Argon-ion lasers
- Atomic force microscopes
- Axial flow compressor facilities
- Axial flow research fans
- Axial flow turbines
- Centerless grinders
- Cluster computers
- Computer numerical controlled CNC milling machines
- Digital oscilloscopes
- Digital pressure gauges
Skills an ATS reads for
Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.
- C
- C++
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- approve expenditures
What this job rates as most important
O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.
- 01Critical Thinking
- 02Reading Comprehension
- 03Science
- 04Active Listening
- 05Complex Problem Solving
- 06Mathematics
- 07Operations Analysis
- 08Speaking
- 09Writing
- 10Judgment and Decision Making
Knowledge areas
The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.
- Engineering and Technology
- Mathematics
- Design
- Physics
- Computers and Electronics
- English Language
- Mechanical
- Production and Processing
What qualifications people in this job have
From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
- 59%Bachelor's Degree
- 33%Master's Degree
- 8%Associate's Degree
What level this role is pitched at
O*NET places this occupation in “Considerable Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Common questions
- What does a Aerospace Engineer do?
- Perform engineering duties in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. Day to day that includes work like formulate mathematical models or other methods of computer analysis to develop, evaluate, or modify design, according to customer engineering requirements and Plan or conduct experimental, environmental, operational, or stress tests on models or prototypes of aircraft or aerospace systems or equipment.
- What skills should a Aerospace Engineer put on a resume?
- O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Science, Active Listening, and Complex Problem Solving among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
- What software should a Aerospace Engineer list?
- Software recorded for this occupation includes 1CadCam Unigraphics, Ada, Alstom ESARAD, Alstom ESATAN, and Altera Quartus II. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
- What other job titles cover Aerospace Engineer work?
- O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Design Engineer, Flight Test Engineer, Systems Engineer, and Aeronautical Engineer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
- What qualifications does a Aerospace Engineer need?
- In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 59% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
- Will this resume pass an ATS for a Aerospace Engineer role?
- No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.
Related roles
Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.
What this page cannot tell you
- No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
- This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
- Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.
If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.
Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.