organizing resume for rf engineer

fxh7421 · March 2012

i'm a biomedical engineer trying to apply for a job as a rf engineer. can anyone help me organize my resume? and what topics should i read? like lte, gsm, etc...

Usagi · March 2012

A little more information would be helpful, but generally if you're less than two years out of college you want to start with your education, then what work experience you have, highlighting things (research, projects, programs, accomplishments) that are specifically relevant to the position you're applying for.

GnomeTank · March 2012

As an addendum to what Usagi said, with little to know real work experience, you absolutely need to play up any professional organizations you belong to (I'm assuming you're a PE) in addition to what Usagi listed, as well as any "work" you did in college...even tutelage under a more experienced engineer.

zerzhul · March 2012

Given what I can only assume is your education (biomedical engineer), you'll need to take extra time to point out why you would be qualified as an RF Engineer (which without any more information than you've provided, I wouldn't expect that biomed would imply RF). Simply reading up on a variety of topics will not be anywhere near enough. Being an RF Engineer can mean a *wide* variety of things, as there is an incredibly vast set of radio types and applications.

@GnomeTank I don't think getting certified as Professional Engineer is as common these days as it may have been in the past. It may be for certain disciplines, but I wouldn't say it's common overall early in a career.

Usagi · March 2012

Professional engineers are still very common in construction and manufacturing. And getting your PE license is impossible early in your career, most states require 5-7 years of experience in your field under supervision of an existing PE before you can apply to take the exam.

zerzhul · March 2012

Usagi wrote: »

Professional engineers are still very common in construction and manufacturing. And getting your PE license is impossible early in your career, most states require 5-7 years of experience in your field under supervision of an existing PE before you can apply to take the exam.

Ok, this is along the lines I was thinking. I'm a Comp E, and work primarily with EE and RF E and other Comp E and very few of them have their PE license (even those 15-20 years into their careers).

GnomeTank · March 2012

The PE was just an example. I'm a software engineer, so obviously no PE for me (I'm not a "real" engineer), but there are other professional groups I belong to. They are great networking opportunities, and great to put on a resume.

fxh7421 · March 2012

no i dont have a PE license. from what i know your experience speaks out louder than degrees nowadays. Thats one of the main reasons why i wanted to switch from bme eventhough i just graduated in december 2011. I have plenty of lab experience related to bme but its very difficult finding a job related to this field.

fxh7421 · March 2012

i have an interview for a field service engineer position tomorrow and I wanted to know what I could add to my resume? or what I should say during the interview?

Usagi · March 2012

Do you have any experience in rf?

fxh7421 · March 2012

entry level experience. mostly introductory knowledge. but i do work at engineering and consultants agency that deals with rf engineers and mobile testing engineers

Usagi · March 2012

Does any of your introductory knowledge align directly with what the job description is asking for? If yes, talk about that during the interview.

zerzhul · March 2012

The job listing should give an indication of what skills/knowledge they're looking for (in addition to education expectations). Try to highlight where your experience matches up with what they're looking for, and make sure you don't misrepresent yourself. If you have introductory knowledge on a topic, don't claim to have more than that. They'll want to know why you're a good fit for them, so it's up to you to match up the puzzle pieces you have with the spot they're looking to fill.

fxh7421 · March 2012

ok thanks everyone! great advice. i think i need to write a cover letter too!

lifeincognito · March 2012

I would advise you to distinguish what part of the RF world you are experienced with in terms of the agency you work for/have worked for in the past. You should list what systems you are familiar with and what sort of standards you are familiar with in terms of RF systems. If, for example, you worked on telemetry systems used by the government you might be familiar with IRIG standards used in timing and packaging of data and I am sure each subset of communications has unique standards.

However, if the position wants you to work on building, designing and testing hardware you would need a whole different set of skills. Understanding of RF circuit analysis, signals & systems, and power systems would be more towards the hardware side of building transmitters and receivers.

Best of luck.

Penny Arcade

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