How to Write a Chemical Engineer Resume (With Template)

Updated 24 May 2023

A chemical engineer uses their scientific skills to design, develop, install and improve systems and procedures for manufacturing plants that use chemical substances. This can include work in the pharmaceutical, food or consumer product manufacturing industries. If you're interested in a role that offers the chance to affect large-scale production systems, learning how to exhibit your qualifications with a resume might help you find such a job. In this article, we define a chemical engineer position, provide a guide on how to write a successful resume for this role and offer tips, a template and an example.

What is a chemical engineer resume?

A chemical engineer resume is a document that these professionals use to exhibit their qualifications for a new role. An effective resume includes sections for education, previous experience, skills and certifications. This document demonstrates that the chemical engineer can succeed in a new position. Creating a professional and faultless document can show hiring managers that a chemical engineer is right for a role.

What is a chemical engineer?

A chemical engineer designs and develops procedures for chemical manufacturing plants. They use principles of chemistry, biology, physics and mathematics to create solutions surrounding the use or production of chemicals, fuel, drugs, food and other chemically enhanced products. Their work ranges from using nanomaterials and nanotechnology in laboratories to large-scale processes in industries that converts living cells, raw materials, energy and chemicals into useful products or forms.

Chemical engineers work in various manufacturing areas to develop commercial processes and improve existing processes' production quantity and quality. They can therefore influence the production line of customer products from raw materials. They deal with resource management, environment protection, health and safety in their jobs.

What does a chemical engineer do?

Duties that a chemical engineer may carry out regularly include:

using detailed drawings to plan chemical production and manufacturing systems
preparing production and materials budgets and estimates
creating technical customer reports to inform potential buyers
designing engineering experiments to test hypotheses
creating accurate specifications for projects
communicating with colleagues and clients about analysis results
using mathematical, engineering and scientific principles to improve processes and solve problems
conducting research, observing production processes and identifying ways to improve quality and efficiency
compiling and analysing production and product data
travelling to various manufacturing sites and plants to identify project needs
troubleshooting and testing equipment and facilities to improve ongoing processes

How to write a chemical engineer resume

These six steps can help you write an effective resume for your next role:

1. Add a header

The header at the top centre of your resume contains all the contact information a hiring manager requires. This can include your full name, phone number, email address, location and professional website. Consider selecting a professional email address or one that you create for making job applications, and ensure you check it regularly.

2. Use a professional summary

Present your most relevant chemical engineer qualifications in a professional summary. This statement summarises your most impressive and relevant experiences, skills, abilities and specialisations. It can range from one to three sentences in length. For example, you might write, Skilled and exceptionally focused chemical engineer with an excellent safety record and outstanding customer satisfaction. Able to multitask and handle crisis or high-pressure situations at work.

3. Describe work experience

Use the work experience section to detail your professional journey. Select two or three of your most relevant professional roles. You may list them in reverse chronological order beginning with the most recent role. For more context, add the position title, start and end dates, company name and location.

Next, add three to five bullet points for each role that describe your job duties and their impacts. Use strong action verbs. You could include quantifiable data like the number of projects you worked on at one time or the increased production rates that correspond with your contributions.

4. List skills

Briefly list three or four relevant chemical engineer skills. Some examples of hard skills you could use are chemical processes and manufacturing. Soft skills you might use are problem solving and organisation. Prioritise requirements from the job description document while writing this section.

5. Include education

Describe any formal training you've received throughout your career. Add your highest educational achievement along with the degree name and institution. If you finished an educational program within the last three years, you could also add your graduation year. Many chemical engineers hold a bachelor's degree in a field like chemical engineering or chemistry.

6. Note certifications

The final section of your resume describes any certifications you've earned. Many chemical engineers hold a location-specific engineering licence. They can also pursue certifications for various processes or technologies within their field. For every certification, add the name of the assigning institution and the date you received it. This shows your dedication to advancing your skills.

Tips for writing a successful resume

These tips may help you successfully demonstrate your chemical engineering abilities:

Ensure your resume is relevant to the job description

Show relevant experience and information to prove you fit the role. Only include achievements that are the best for the role. Reading the job description helps you write relevant information. Identify the problem an employer wants the applicant to solve and tell them about a time you solved a similar problem. As you read the job description, note specific skills, programs or technologies that the employer frequently mentions. Include those in your own resume.

Use different documents for each role

While you may use similar information for every job application, you can create several versions of the same resume to match each role. As an example, you may want to focus on previous food industry positions if you're applying for a chemical engineer role within that industry. If a new role requires a certain skill, create a version of your resume that showcases that ability in all the sections.

You could also use slightly different resume versions according to your experience level. For example, if you only have a few years of professional experience, you could switch the order of the education and work history sections to exhibit your more advanced educational journey first. As you gain experience and update your document, you can create a new resume that focuses on your job history.

Proofread

Before sending in your resume, proofread it for any errors or mistakes. You can also check that you've met any specific experience or formatting requirements from the job description. One proofreading method is to mark any errors on your resume using a coloured pen. Another option is to read it to a family member or friend and ask for feedback.

Resume template for a chemical engineer

This resume template can help you prepare your own document:

[Full Name]
[Phone number] | [Professional email address] | [City] | [Professional website]

Professional summary

[Brief summary that mentions your core competencies, work experience and career achievements]

Work experience

[Job Title], [Start date–End date]
[Company Name], [Location]

[strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]
[strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]
[strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]
[strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]
[strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

[Job Title], [Start date–End date]
[Company Name], [Location]

[strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]
[strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]
[strong verb] + [job duty] + [impact]

Skills

[Relevant skill] | [Relevant skill] | [Relevant skill] | [Relevant skill]

Education

[Degree earned]
[Institution name], [Graduation year if you graduated within the past three years]

Certifications

[Certification Name],[Host organisation], [Year of completion or expiration date]

Chemical engineer resume example

Look over this example resume to guide your own chemical engineer document:

Fran Jackson +61 3 9143 1876| fjackson@email.com.au | Sydney | fjackson@jobs.profile.com

Professional summary

Chemical engineer with over 11 years of experience focusing on the development of eco-friendly construction materials. Adept at integrating product design and knowledge of chemistry to manufacture and create functional products.

Work experience

Chemical Engineer, May 2017–Current
Global Powder Process, Sydney

select equipment and plant layout technology along with management
oversee chemical and pharmaceutical processing units and materials
review processes and recommend cost-effective options
conduct troubleshooting on organisation equipment and processing plants
design and implement goods production processes

Chemical Engineer, May 2011–May 2017
GFT Construction Co., Sydney

developed construction materials from recycled products
led focus groups along with contractors to pick favourite traits for new company products
invented methods to convert metal scraps into strong, functional construction components