CVs and covering letters: convince engineering recruiters you’re perfect for their graduate job

A CV and covering letter can reveal a lot about you - but if you don't take care with these documents you can convey the wrong impression. We asked Anand Patel, resourcing support manager at Tube Lines, for his advice on how to impress recruiters.

Target your CV

A CV should be no more than two pages of A4 – but how do you fit in all the information you’ve been collecting? By researching the skills sought by the employers you're targeting and then matching your experience to these. Use a skills-focused or chronological format - you can download template CVs for graduate jobs here - depending on what sells you best, and remember to tailor your CV to each employer. Whichever kind of CV you choose, take care to make it easy to read: consider using bullet points and clear headings.

Anand's tip The layout of your CV needs to be clear and easy to read, so avoid small fonts and large sections of text.

CV key words for engineers
Use active verbs in your CV to reflect what you would bring to the job and what you can do already:

• designed
• developed
• devised
• analysed
• optimised
• solved
• supervised
• liaised
• researched
• investigated
• presented
• drafted
• organised.

Apply your experience

When writing about your education and experience, focus on the skills you developed rather than simply listing the tasks you undertook. Engineering employers look for students with drive and motivation, so big up any experience that shows this. Think about the skills you've gained from part-time work and summer jobs: they could be highly transferable. But don't leave anything to chance: be sure to show recruiters exactly how your skills could be useful to their organisation.

Anand's tip Attainment of academic qualifications is always impressive but, as all other graduates will also have these, it tends to be the extras that make candidates stand out: work experience, voluntary work or extra-curricular activities.

Conquer the covering letter

A covering letter is as important as your CV. Make sure that you come across as enthusiastic and genuine about why you have applied and what you would bring to the organisation. Use your covering letter to show an understanding of the company aims, objectives and values – which will be shown prominently on an organisation’s website and in its targetjobs.co.uk profile - and that you believe that you would thrive in such an environment. Engineering recruiters look for professional graduates so make sure your letter is business-like, succinct and uses correct spelling and grammar.

Anand's tip Showing an understanding of the company in your letter will illustrate that you’ve done your research. Pick out the key bits that fit with your application and relate them to yourself.