What Should I Include on a Petroleum Engineering Resume?

You must include several important items in your petroleum engineering resume, and you should format each in a specific order. When compiling the resume, include your current contact information, your previous employment history in the field of petroleum engineering, and your education history for each college and university from which you earned a degree. To complete your petroleum engineering resume, you will need to include a bullet point list that itemizes each of your skills and areas of expertise in petroleum extraction, refinement, or distribution. You should then include on three references that can attest to your skills, to your work history, and to your abilities as a petroleum engineer.

The first thing you need to place on your petroleum engineering resume is your up-to-date contact information. Include your first and last name along with your middle initial. Give your current residential address as well as a current telephone number that you will be available to answer during normal business hours. Avoid listing every phone number that you have as simply one phone number at a place that you are most likely to be reached is sufficient. You should also include a current e-mail address, but make sure that the address itself is professional, preferably with only your first and last name separated by a period, an underscore or some other special character, with as few numbers as possible.

Most of your petroleum engineering resume should consist of your previous employment in the petroleum engineering industry. List your most recent position first, placing the name of the company, your specific title, such as Drilling Supervisor or Operations Engineer, then list the starting and ending dates of that position. Next, include a brief one-paragraph description of your duties in that position, but only include descriptions of the main aspects of your position. After you have finished, begin with your next most recent position, and work your way backward through your employment history.

In the next section, list each college or university from which you earned a degree, whether or not that degree is related to petroleum engineering. After the name of the institution, list the type of degree that was awarded, for example, PhD in petroleum engineering, then list the date that the degree was conferred. As with your employment history, list each institution in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent school.

Create a skills section that details your primary skills as a petroleum engineer in simple one- or two-word bullet points. Include the processes you are familiar with, the equipment and technology you are proficient in using, as well as any special training you have received. Finally, list the names and telephone numbers of three references that can attest to the details of your work history and to your skills as a petroleum engineer.