Technical Resumes
For
UGRAD/GRAD Biomedical Engineering
Students
North Carolina State University Biomedical Engineering
126 DS Weaver Labs Campus Box 7625
Raleigh, NC 27695-7625 919.515.6732
Before you begin writing your resume, determine what you are looking for in a position. Is it an internship, co-op, permanent or on-campus research position? Then ask the question, what are you hoping to do and learn in this position. Here are some guidelines regarding the biomedical engineering industry:
Biotechnology • Skills Utilized: life science, specifically wet lab skills inclusive of chemistry, organic
chemistry, biology, physiology, cellular biomechanics • Application: typically in a pharmaceutical/drug discovery environment • Skills Gained: laboratory expertise, animal handling, small animal surgery, problem-
solving • Aspect of Biomedical Engineering: Tissue Engineering, Genomics, Proteomics, Drug
Delivery, Biomolecular Engineering, Cellular Engineering Best Resources to Find Companies: www.biospace.com , http://www.ncbiotech.org/
Drug Discovery Devices
• Skills Utilized: Electrical Engineering, programming, mechanical engineering, life science • Application: typically to create/test/modify devices needed for drug discovery or analysis,
i.e. a PCR machine (Thermocycler) • Skills Gained: In depth engineering skills, knowledge of wet-lab applications • Aspects of Biomedical Engineering: Genomics, Proteomics, instrumentation • Best Resources to Find Companies: www.biospace.com ; http://www.ncbiotech.org/
Medical/Surgical Devices
• Skills Utilized: Electronics, Mechanics, programming, physiology • Application: typically to create/test/modify medical devices which is inclusive of Research
and Development, Quality, Regulatory, Manufacturing and Marketing departments • Skills Gained: In-depth engineering skills, FDA regulations and documentation • Aspects of Biomedical Engineering: Instrumentation, Biomechanics, Optics, Imaging,
Manufacturing, Materials • Best Resources to Find Companies: MassMedic Directory, Medical Device Register • Other Options for a BME • Consulting • Law • Medicine • Clinical Research • Technical Sales • Management • Field Specialist
Once you know your job preference, you should develop a resume that highlights the skills needed for your desired position. As an example, if you are interested in the medical device field, make sure to include instrumentation projects and computer skills.
Sections of a Resume (View the University Career Center Resume Guidelines for Format and Style Suggestions: http://www.ncsu.edu/career/) Header
Contact Information, inclusive of phone number and e-mail address Objective/Summary/Summary of Qualifications
Objective • Definition: Short statement explaining what you are looking for in a position • Example: A summer internship in the biomedical engineering industry, focusing on
medical devices • Benefits: Allows recruiters to know your needs, making it easier to find a position that
matches your interest • Drawbacks: If you are too specific, you can narrow yourself out of consideration for a
position • Best Uses: Applying for an entry level or co-op/intern position, having a very specific
position sought, space constraints on resume Summary
• Definition: One to two lines indicating the contributions you hope to make and your strengths; MAKE SURE THAT YOU SUBSTANTIATE YOUR CLAIMS IN OTHER PORTIONS OF YOUR RESUME
• Example: Highly motivated, dynamic candidate capable of contributing both technical and leadership skills
• Benefits: Demonstrates your soft skills, allows a company to view how you would fit into their culture
• Drawbacks: Does not let the company know what you are seeking in a position • Best Uses: When applying for positions that are not as technically oriented
Summary of Qualifications
• Definition: A list of three to five bullets listing both technical and non-technical skills, specifically your most marketable traits for a position; MAKE SURE THAT YOU SUBSTANTIATE YOUR CLAIMS IN OTHER PORTIONS OF YOUR RESUME
• Example: Experience in biomedical instrumentation; Training in cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices); Demonstrated capacity for leadership; Excellent attention to detail
• Benefits: Allows employers to scan resume quickly, gives a well-rounded synopsis of your candidacy, highlights both technical and soft skills
• Drawbacks: Takes up more space on a resume, really useful only if a developed skill set is possessed, does not address the goals of the candidate
• Best Uses: More experienced candidates trying to neatly summarize capabilities; career fairs that have a very fast pre-screen period; representing a diverse skill set as a marketable trait; experienced candidates that would like to change careers
None of the Above
• Definition: Omitting this entire section • Benefits: Saves space; company must focus on skills represented, avoids being pigeon-
holed in a certain category; avoids a narrow job search
• Drawbacks: Takes longer for a company to review resume, need a clearly defined cover letter to address your capabilities and expectations
• Best Uses: An applicant that has a general resume fitting all pertinent experiences and has not yet defined a target industry/job description or is open to a variety of positions
Education Degree/Date awarded/University/Location
• Since many BME jobs do not specify a biomedical engineer, you may want to add a statement that says “Coursework emphasized _________” to more appropriately qualify your skills
• You should mention your GPA if it is over 3.0 or close to it; It should be listed as 3.XX/4.00 maintaining consistent significant digits
Coursework • List the relevant courses you have taken; you do not need to list them by course title, but
can instead list them by content if it is more appropriate • Your coursework should support your career goals and not be a blanket listing of all
classes attended • Freshmen: Courses listed may include Freshman Modules (call them Seminars on your
resume), Chemistry, Programming and Physics • Sophomore: Courses listed may include Mechanics, Biology, Electric Circuit Theory,
Probability and Statistics • Junior: Courses listed may include Human Physiology, Linear Systems, Thermodynamics,
Statistics • Senior: Electives • Graduate: Any courses that demonstrate skills in your preferred area • Additional: Any courses that separate you from other candidates, i.e. business classes
Projects/Labs • List labs and course projects that support your career objective • When writing projects make sure to include the goal of the project, technical skills gained
and the results, if applicable, using technically accurate and precise language • When you develop more substantial project experience, remove older, less technical
projects from your resume • Freshman: Potential projects can be found from Programming, Chemistry and AP classes • Sophomore: Biology, Electric Circuit Theory and Mechanics Projects • Junior: Physiology and Engineering Physiology Laboratory • Senior: Electives and Senior Project (follow the guidelines for thesis work) will provide
project experience Thesis
• A thesis project takes a significant amount of time to complete; give your thesis adequate space on your resume
• Title: Include the title for your project; it may change over time, but make sure it is a title that could be used in a journal publishing; you may choose to italicize or put the title in quotes.
• First Bullet: Address the overall goal of your thesis; if you are currently doing the research, use the present or future tense
• Second Bullet: Tell how you will/have reached the goal of your project (this make take more than one bullet), explaining the technical skills gained; This may include laboratory skills, experience with certain devices, experimental design
• Third Bullet: Results of research, if any have been determined, or useful applications of your research
• Fourth Bullet: For seniors, list that your project included a formal proposal, written report and conference presentation; for graduate students, list if you gave any poster presentations/lectures on your research and if the research was published (if published, see guidelines on including publications)
• Fifth Bullet: If applicable, include any FDA/Industry Standard regulations that were followed
Computer Skills: • List all computer skills in which you have demonstrated working knowledge
Laboratory Skills (Optional): • List wet-lab skills such as dissection, PCR, gel electrophoresis, etc
Related Experience
• Adequately represent the skills you have gained in the position, with specific attention given to key technical terms instead of using ‘various’ or another general term
Points to Include: • Overall goal(s) of the projects you contributed to • Your specific contributions • The skills you used to reach goals, highlighting specific skills gained in this position • Results of your work – if at all possible, quantify results • Training for professional development especially including cGMP/GLP/GCP • Any leadership, management, project management experience • Maintenance of laboratory notebook (undergrad only), participation in group meetings,
presentations, patents Additional Experience (Optional)
• Use this section to describe other positions that you have held in the same format as Related Experience
• Important skills to include – communication, leadership, management, finances, website design, multi-tasking, organization
• If your position did not provide opportunities in the above areas, just list the position title, company, locations, and dates working
Leadership (Optional)
• Use this section to describe non-work leadership positions such as organization of events, participation in student groups, Eagle Scout Project, volunteer projects or any other leadership experience
• There are two different methods to list your Leadership – First, you can use a format similar to the Experience section or you can choose to have a bulleted or columned listing of relevant experience; The decision to use either depends on space available and the level of importance of the experience
• If your leadership experience has a religious affiliation, please be aware that companies can ask you about your leadership, but cannot ask about your specific affiliation to a religious group or belief system; If questions are asked, steer the conversation back to your applicable leadership skills
Awards/Honors (Optional)
• List awards and honor societies Professional Affiliations (Optional)
• List all professional societies that you belong to such as: Biomedical Engineering Club, Society of Women Engineers, National Society of Black Engineers, Minority Engineering Society
• If you are a member of a society with an ethic/racial/gender affiliation, companies may not ask you questions regarding those issues; They can only address the applicable skills and experiences you have gained from your participation in the organization
Interests (Optional)
• Include any activities that may be an interesting conversation starter – things NOT to include: video games, reading and especially activities that may imply immaturity or irresponsibility
Languages (Optional)
• You may want to list languages that you are fluent or have reading capabilities; This is very important to multi-national corporations
Publications/Poster Presentations (Optional)
• If you have publications, include all of them; list them like you would any journal publishing
• Authors. Title. Journal. Volume (Issue): Pages, Date. • Make sure to bold your name in the series of authors so that a person reviewing your
resume can find it easily • Include all conferences of poster presentations along with the presentation title
Conferences (Optional)
• Include conferences attended that demonstrate professional development Citizenship (Optional)
• If you are able to work in the US without sponsorship but have international experience, it may be beneficial to include that information so companies are aware of your status
• If you have Canadian, instead of US citizenship, it may be beneficial to include that on your resume
• If you are on a student visa there are benefits and drawbacks to listing your citizenship Benefits: Companies will be aware of your status and will only interview you if they are able to provide sponsorship Drawbacks: Some companies may choose to not look at your resume further if they know you do not have a valid work permit, eliminating potential jobs
Special Considerations for Undergraduate Students
• Listing High School Education – Typically students above a sophomore status should not list high school for two different reasons: First, space constraints, Secondly, they should have had more recent experience that demonstrates the same point, i.e. a high school valedictorian is most likely going to have a high GPA in college, mentioning both is redundant
• No Applicable Work Experience – In order to demonstrate a skill set, you can list class projects and labs and then include work experience that demonstrates leadership, reliability, etc
• No Clear Career Objective – This is very common for undergraduate students that have not been exposed to much BME; Include projects that represent the Biotech/Pharma and Medical Device skills and you may even want to include the Laboratory Skills section
(Described in the Education section); Your resume ends up being a general resume that encompasses all of your skills
Special Considerations for Graduate Students
• Make sure you include thesis description, presentations, fellowships and publications • Length – Feel free to let your resume go onto two pages; Make sure your contact
information is on both pages (use headers/footers), you number the pages and you only paperclip them together-NO STAPLES
• Content – Make sure you keep your technical content to the areas applicable to your career objective; Make sure to include non-technical skills as well such as communication and leadership
• Project Management – Many grad students work in the labs deciding on project goals and mentoring undergraduate researchers; This is pertinent leadership and project management experience
Special Considerations for Alumni
• Follow advice for graduate students if you have a graduate level degree • List your experience before your education • List certifications, especially those concerning Industry Standard Regulations • Focus on the results of your work at an organization, specifically quantifying your
contributions. IE Reduced costs for manufacturing ______ device by 40% through… • If you want to stay within the same field, use a chronological resume (samples in College
of Engineering Resume Guide); if you want to change fields, a skill based resume is more valuable (see attached format)
• Skill Based Resume: any headings can be chosen to best represent the skills needed in the job transition, allowing you to change the focus from position titles to your career goals
Key BME Terms 3-D mapping AD converter Affinity chromatography Algorithms Analog circuit Anatomical Assay Bioinformatics Biomechanics Biosignal Biotechnology Cardiac Circulatory Clinical equipment Compression Computational Algorithms Concentration CT Culture Cytometry Diagnostic Digital signal processing ECG Electrochemical Electromyographic Electrophoresis Encoder FDA Filters
Forced oscillatory technique Fuzzy logic Genetic GMP Heterogeneity Hydrophilic Hydrophobic Image processing Impedance Implants Input Instruments Inverse dynamic equations Ion channels Isolation Kinematic Analysis Laser-etching Math modeling Medical device Medical instrumentation Membrane Membrane filtration Microfluidizers Micromotion Microprocessor Model fitting MRI Multiple Model Technique Neuroanatomical Neuromuscular Neurosurgical NMR spectroscopy Oscillator
Output Parameter estimation program PCR Plated Platelet Pressure transducer Proprioception Pumps Purification Respiratory Restriction mapping Saccadic eye movement Sensory Sequence Signal processing Spectrophotometer Statistical analysis Stents Stimuli Stoichastic Resonance Theory Stroke Subcloning Surface area Time and frequency domain Transducer Ultrasound Ventilator Voltage Web-based model ‘Wet-lab’ Wet- mounts
Industry Jargon Acquisition Activate Adapt Aliquot Analysis Assay Autocorrelation Bind Characterize Composition Contractile Correlated Corresponding Dissection Durability Dynamics Efficiency Force Formal proposal Homology Impedance Integrate Integrity Interpreted Manipulate Mechanics Methodology Monitor Morphology Noninvasive Novel Optimal Problem solving
Production Protocol Prototype Ratio Screened Simulate Specifications Statistical Structural Synthetic Tactical Threshold
Related Courses Analog Electronics Applied Dynamics Biochemistry Biological Database Analysis Biomechanics Biomedical Instrumentation Biomolecular Architecture Cardiac/ Respiratory Systems Cell Biology Cellular and Molecular Systems Analysis Control Systems Digital Signal Processing DNA and Protein Sequencing Analysis DNA Structure and Function Electric Circuit Theory Electronics Engineering Economy Engineering Mathematics Engineering Mechanics Engineering Physiology Labs Fluid Mechanics Genetics Human Physiology Logic Design Medical Imaging
Medical Instrumentation Design Microelectronics Neural Networks Organic Chemistry Premed Probabilistic Systems Analysis Quantum Mechanics Signals and Systems Solid Biomechanics Statistical Mechanics Thermodynamics
Computer Skills Access AIX ANOVA Architectural Desktop AutoCAD AutoSim Basic C C++ Cadence CGI Charmm DasyLab Dyna 3-D Essbase Fortran GML HP-VEE Ideas LabView Linux MacOs MADYMO MathCAD Mathematica MATLAB
Mechanical Desktop MEDX Metamorph Minitab MS Office MySQL ObjectTime Origin PageMaker Pascal Perl PhotoShop Postgres Powerview Pro/E PSPICE Quicken Rasmol Scion Image SigmaPlot Simulink Solaris SQL Statistica TDT System II UNIX Visual Basic XMGR
