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ATS Resume Checker for Electrical Engineers

Electrical engineer resumes need specific circuit design, embedded systems, and power engineering tool keywords — the exact software and standards that ATS filters for in each electrical engineering specialty.

Electrical engineering spans a wide range of specializations — embedded systems, power systems, control systems, PCB design, FPGA development, and IoT — and ATS systems filter for the exact keywords of each specialty. Whether you are applying to a hardware startup designing IoT devices, a power utility company managing grid infrastructure, or an automotive OEM developing electric vehicle systems, your resume must contain the precise tools, protocols, and design standards referenced in the job description. Generic "electrical engineering experience" without specific tool names and domain keywords consistently scores below average in ATS screening.

Why ATS Matters for Electrical Engineer Resumes

Electrical engineering JDs are highly specialized. An embedded systems engineer role at a consumer electronics company looks completely different from a power systems engineer role at an energy utility. ATS systems filter for: PCB design tools (Altium Designer vs. KiCad vs. Cadence Allegro), simulation tools (MATLAB/Simulink, SPICE, ETAP), programmable logic (PLC brands — Siemens, Allen-Bradley; or FPGA — Verilog, VHDL), and communication protocols (CAN, SPI, I2C, UART for embedded; IEC 61850, Modbus for power). Using the exact tool and protocol names from the JD is critical.

75%+
Target ATS Score
Workday, Taleo, SAP SuccessFactors, iCIMS
Common ATS Platforms

Common Keywords for Electrical Engineer Resumes

These are the most frequently filtered keywords in electrical engineer job descriptions. Include as many relevant ones as you can — always in context, not just in a skills list.

Circuit DesignPCB DesignEmbedded SystemsMATLABAutoCAD ElectricalPLCSCADAPower SystemsC/C++FPGAAltium DesignerVerilogSignal ProcessingControl SystemsIoT

Full Skills List for Electrical Engineers

A comprehensive list of ATS-recognized skills for electrical engineer roles. Match these against each specific job description — do not use a generic list.

Circuit Design
PCB Design (Altium, KiCad, Eagle)
Embedded C/C++
MATLAB/Simulink
AutoCAD Electrical
ETAP
PLC Programming (Siemens, Allen-Bradley)
SCADA
FPGA (Verilog, VHDL)
Power Electronics
Control Systems
Signal Processing
IoT Protocols (MQTT, Modbus)
Oscilloscope
Power System Analysis
Motor Drives

How to Improve Your ATS Score for Electrical Engineer Jobs

These tactics are specific to electrical engineer resumes — not generic resume advice.

1
List PCB design tools with layer count and complexity
"Designed 8-layer mixed-signal PCB using Altium Designer — integrated 4-layer power plane with 2.4GHz RF section, impedance controlled traces." Tool name + complexity signals both ATS keyword and senior-level experience.
2
Include microcontroller families
"Embedded firmware development in C for STM32 (ARM Cortex-M4), ESP32 (WiFi/BLE), and MSP430 (ultra-low power applications)." Microcontroller family names (STM32, ESP32, Arduino, Raspberry Pi Pico) are specific ATS keywords.
3
Name communication protocols
"Implemented CAN bus communication (ISO 11898) for automotive ECU, and UART/SPI/I2C for peripheral sensor integration." Protocol names are ATS keywords for embedded and automotive roles.
4
Add power system tools for power roles
"Load flow, fault analysis, and protection coordination studies using ETAP 20.0 for 33kV distribution network." ETAP, PSCAD, PSS/E are primary ATS keywords for power systems roles.
5
Include industry standards
"Designed circuit per IEC 60335 (household appliances) and CE marking requirements." Standards knowledge (IEC, IEEE, UL, ATEX) is an ATS keyword for product compliance and certification roles.

Check Your Electrical Engineer Resume ATS Score — Free

Upload your resume and paste any electrical engineer job description. Get an instant ATS score, see exactly which keywords are missing, and know what to fix before you apply.

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Resume Tips for Electrical Engineers

Role-specific tips to help your electrical engineer resume stand out in both ATS screening and human review.

  • Lead with domain: "Embedded Systems Engineer — 4 years designing firmware for STM32 in consumer electronics"
  • List all PCB tools: Altium Designer, KiCad, Eagle, Cadence Allegro, OrCAD
  • Include RTOS experience: FreeRTOS, Zephyr, VxWorks, ThreadX, Bare-metal
  • Add communication protocols: CAN, LIN, SPI, I2C, UART, RS-485, Ethernet, USB
  • Mention power electronics: SMPS design, motor drives (BLDC, PMSM), power factor correction
  • List FPGA tools: Vivado, Quartus Prime, ModelSim — with Verilog or VHDL
  • Include test and measurement: oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, power analyzer, LabVIEW
  • Add simulation: MATLAB/Simulink, SPICE (LTspice, Multisim), ETAP
  • Mention standards relevant to your domain: IEC, IEEE, UL, ATEX, Automotive (ISO 26262, AUTOSAR)
  • Include any IoT protocols: MQTT, CoAP, Zigbee, Z-Wave, LoRaWAN, NB-IoT

Tools & Platforms for Electrical Engineers

Altium DesignerKiCadMATLAB/SimulinkAutoCAD ElectricalETAPPLC IDE (TIA Portal, Studio 5000)LabVIEWSPICEMultisimOscilloscope

Frequently Asked Questions — Electrical Engineer Resume & ATS

What software should an electrical engineer list on their resume?
List all relevant tools by category: CAD/PCB — Altium Designer, KiCad, Eagle, Cadence Allegro, AutoCAD Electrical; Simulation — MATLAB/Simulink, LTspice, Multisim, ETAP, PSCAD; Embedded — Keil, IAR, STM32CubeIDE, MPLAB; FPGA — Vivado, Quartus, ModelSim; PLC — Siemens TIA Portal, Allen-Bradley Studio 5000. Match the specific tools mentioned in the job description — companies hire for their existing toolchain.
How important is MATLAB for electrical engineers?
MATLAB/Simulink is important for control systems, power electronics, signal processing, and communications engineering roles. List it with specific toolboxes: "MATLAB/Simulink (Control System Toolbox, Signal Processing Toolbox, Simscape Electrical)". For purely embedded roles, MATLAB may be less relevant — prioritize C/C++ and RTOS instead. For power systems roles, ETAP or PSCAD may be more important than MATLAB.
Should I list Arduino or Raspberry Pi on my electrical engineer resume?
List them as project tools, not primary skills. "Built IoT sensor node prototype using ESP32 (Arduino framework) for rapid prototyping before migrating to STM32 custom PCB in production" — this context signals good engineering judgment. Pure Arduino without any other embedded experience suggests hobby-level skills. For a professional electrical engineer resume, prioritize professional tools (STM32, PSoC, PIC, MSP430) while mentioning Arduino/RPi in the context of prototyping.
What certifications are valuable for electrical engineers?
Valuable certifications by specialization: Power — PE License (US), Certified Energy Manager (CEM), ETAP Power Systems certification; Embedded — ARM Certified Engineer, Certified LabVIEW Developer (CLD); Safety — Functional Safety Engineer (TÜV, IEC 61508); Automation — Siemens TIA Portal certification, Rockwell Automation certification; General — PMP for project management roles, Six Sigma for manufacturing quality. List with issuing body and year.

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