How To Write a Network Engineer Resume

A strong resume is key for getting in the door when you’re interviewing. It shows recruiters and hiring managers that you’re a great fit for the job; and if done right, it can also give you an outline of what to highlight during interviews.

That’s why it’s worth taking the time to ensure your resume is polished and accurately represents the full extent of your capabilities. Besides, you owe it to yourself. After spending time and energy honing your knowledge and skills, you deserve to paint yourself in the best light. And when it comes to in-demand fields like network engineering, you’ll want to do all you can to stand out from the crowd.

To help you land your dream job and showcase your skills to hiring managers, we’ll cover why you need a Network Engineer resume, what to include in it, and how to prepare for the interview process.

Why do you need a Network Engineer resume?

Along with your portfolio, your resume shows recruiters that you have the skills and experience required to do the job. Taking the time to fine-tune your resume also illustrates your commitment and attention to detail.

Even if you already have a technical resume, you may want to consider tweaking it to the specific role you’re applying to. One Network Engineer job may focus on network security, while another may focus on network maintenance. If you applied for both of these jobs, you’d need two different versions of the same resume — one that highlights your cybersecurity skills and another that shows you know how to maintain a network.

Reading the job description is the best way to know which specific skills a company is looking for, and adding them to your resume (if you have them) will help you get past screening software and improve your chances of landing an interview.

What to include on your Network Engineer resume

There are a few key sections that you’ll want to include on your resume. Each section should be short and sweet. Recruiters often have dozens of applicants for a single role, and they may not have time to look over each resume in-depth.

Try using bullet points to keep things concise and organized (bonus points if you can fit every section on a single page). You can get creative and use two columns on the page to achieve this.

Network Engineer heading or summary

At the top of your resume, add your name and job title. You can also include your experience level and specialization. For example: John Doe, Junior Network Engineer, or Jane Smith, Wireless Security Engineer.

Some people like to include a summary of themselves and their experience, but it’s not required. If you’re short on space, stick with the descriptive professional title.

Contact information

After your heading, provide your contact details so recruiters know how to reach out for an interview. This might include your phone number, address, email address, and technical portfolio (if you have one).

Skills section

Simply label this section “Skills” — and make it stand out. You can bold the word or use color/formatting to draw attention to this list. Consider using bullet points to showcase your most relevant skills to the role you’re applying for. If it’s a job that requires knowledge of Python, cybersecurity, and wireless networks, ensure each of them are included on your resume.

And don’t forget about your soft skills. Things like teamwork, documentation, technical writing, and project management can be especially helpful if you’re changing careers.

Experience section

This section should outline your previous jobs, your titles, and your accomplishments. Typically, you’ll also list the dates you were employed. Beneath your title, provide two or three bullets highlighting the duties most relevant to the job you’re applying for. Any metrics you can include are a plus.

If you don’t have any professional network engineering experience or are looking to round out your experience, don’t worry — more on that below.

Education or courses section

You can customize the title of this section to suit how you learned your programming and network engineering skills. If you received a degree or certificate at a traditional post-secondary institution, then be sure to list that on your resume. If you completed online courses and received certificates for completion, you can label the section “Certificates” or “Courses.”

Don’t be concerned about whether or not you have a “traditional” education — many tech companies are dropping degree requirements. All that matters is that you have the skills required to do the job.

What if this is your first job as a Network Engineer?

If you don’t have any prior experience as a Network Engineer, you can still be a great candidate. The key is to emphasize your transferable skills and illustrate how your past experience has prepared you for the role.

For example, if you’re applying for a job at a large company, you’ll need to work well in a team. Listing teamwork, leadership, or collaboration skills on your resume can help show you know how to work well with others.

You’ll also want to highlight your training and any online courses you took to grow your skill set or earn a certificate. For a Network Engineer, these courses might include:

If you know that the company you’re applying to uses a particular programming language extensively, like Python, for example, make sure it’s included in your skills section.

You can also set yourself apart from other candidates by ensuring your resume is well-written and formatted in a way that’s easy to read. You might not think this matters in a technical field, but putting time and care into your writing will pay off.

Have a friend look over your resume to catch any grammatical errors. Play around with different resume formats in your word processor, and make sure that your resume’s style also reflects your personality. A bit of color in the headings or some tidy lists in a column for skills and courses shows professionalism.

How to prepare for your Network Engineer interview

Once you’ve submitted your newly updated Network Engineer resume, it’s time to start preparing for the interview process. Some companies require technical interviews, where you’ll need to demonstrate that you understand key concepts and can solve common issues or challenges.

The best way to prepare for an interview is to practice answering common questions. Here’s a quick list to help you get started: 10 Network Engineer Interview Questions to Practice

And if you need more help, check out our interview prep courses and Career Center.