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Ship Engineer resume example

A resume for a Ship Engineer needs to show the work itself: supervise and coordinate activities of crew engaged in operating and maintaining engines, boilers, deck machinery, and electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment aboard ship. Day to day that means work like this: monitor engine, machinery, or equipment indicators when vessels are underway, and report abnormalities to appropriate shipboard staff; monitor the availability, use, or condition of lifesaving equipment or pollution preventatives to ensure that international regulations are followed. 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.

  • Engineer
  • Ferry Engineer
  • Port Engineer
  • Tug Boat Engineer
  • Barge Engineer
  • Harbor Engineer
  • Towboat Engineer
  • Vessel Engineer
  • OICEW
  • Deck Engineer
  • Engineering Watch Officer
  • Equipment Maintenance Marine Engineer
  • Equipment Operating Engineer
  • Fire Boat Engineer
  • Fire Department Marine Engineer
  • Licensed Marine Engineer
  • Marine Engine Mechanic
  • Marine Mechanic

O*NET records 26 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.

  • Monitor engine, machinery, or equipment indicators when vessels are underway, and report abnormalities to appropriate shipboard staff.
  • Monitor the availability, use, or condition of lifesaving equipment or pollution preventatives to ensure that international regulations are followed.
  • Monitor and test operations of engines or other equipment so that malfunctions and their causes can be identified.
  • Start engines to propel ships, and regulate engines and power transmissions to control speeds of ships, according to directions from captains or bridge computers.
  • Perform or participate in emergency drills, as required.
  • Perform general marine vessel maintenance or repair work, such as repairing leaks, finishing interiors, refueling, or maintaining decks.
  • Maintain or repair engines, electric motors, pumps, winches, or other mechanical or electrical equipment, or assist other crew members with maintenance or repair duties.
  • Maintain complete records of engineering department activities, including machine operations.
  • Operate or maintain off-loading liquid pumps or valves.
  • Maintain electrical power, heating, ventilation, refrigeration, water, or sewerage systems.
  • Install engine controls, propeller shafts, or propellers.
  • Clean engine parts and keep engine rooms clean.

17 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.

  • Monitor engine, machinery, or equipment indicators when vessels are underway, and report abnormalities to appropriate shipboard staff, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Monitor the availability, use, or condition of lifesaving equipment or pollution preventatives to ensure that international regulations are followed, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Monitor and test operations of engines or other equipment so that malfunctions and their causes can be identified, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Start engines to propel ships, and regulate engines and power transmissions to control speeds of ships, according to directions from captains or bridge computers, 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.

  • Apple macOS
  • Computer aided dispatch software
  • Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
  • Customer relationship management CRM software
  • Damen DAMOS
  • Electronic data interchange EDI software
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • Kongsberg Maritime K-LOG Electronic Logbooks
  • Marine Software Marine Planned Maintenance
  • Marine Software Marine Safety Manager
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook

22 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.

  • Adjustable hacksaws
  • Aligning punches
  • Allen wrench sets
  • Aviation snips
  • Ball peen hammers
  • Ballast pumps
  • Bell-faced claw hammers
  • Bilge water pumps
  • Boilers
  • Bonney wrenches
  • Box wrenches
  • Brazers

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

  1. 01Critical Thinking
  2. 02Operation and Control
  3. 03Operations Monitoring
  4. 04Equipment Maintenance
  5. 05Repairing
  6. 06Troubleshooting
  7. 07Active Listening
  8. 08Monitoring
  9. 09Speaking
  10. 10Complex Problem Solving

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

  • Mechanical
  • English Language
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Transportation
  • Mathematics
  • Computers and Electronics

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.

  • 48%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
  • 24%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
  • 11%Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Ship Engineer do?
Supervise and coordinate activities of crew engaged in operating and maintaining engines, boilers, deck machinery, and electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment aboard ship. Day to day that includes work like monitor engine, machinery, or equipment indicators when vessels are underway, and report abnormalities to appropriate shipboard staff and Monitor the availability, use, or condition of lifesaving equipment or pollution preventatives to ensure that international regulations are followed.
What skills should a Ship Engineer put on a resume?
O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Equipment Maintenance, and Repairing 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 Ship Engineer list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Apple macOS, Computer aided dispatch software, Computerized maintenance management system CMMS, Customer relationship management CRM software, and Damen DAMOS. 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 Ship Engineer work?
O*NET records 26 titles for this occupation, including Engineer, Ferry Engineer, Port Engineer, and Tug Boat Engineer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Ship Engineer need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 48% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Ship 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.