Data Engineer Skills

Use a simple, clean format that highlights your skills and experiences. Focus on readability by using bullet points and short phrases to present your skills. Properly organize your resume into education, experience, and skills sections.

“Adding a skills section to your resume is a great way to draw the recruiter’s attention to your most relevant strengths and competencies.”

– Ashley Watkins, NCRW, NCOPE, Job Search Coach

For example, a data engineer’s bullet points might look like this:

• Proficient in programming languages such as Python, Java, or Scala.
• Familiarity with distributed systems, cloud computing, and big data technologies.
• Knowledge of SQL and NoSQL databases, data warehousing, and data modeling.

Hitting all the top job requirements with your skills list will help you rank highly for a keyword search within an applicant tracking system. But don’t stop there. Add context for every skill elsewhere in your work experience.

If a recruiter is excited by your Python skills, for example, the first thing they’ll do is skim your work experience to figure out when, how, and how much you used that skill.

As you list your responsibilities, it’s also important to highlight your specific achievements wherever you can.

“For soft skills, it’s often more effective to demonstrate them in the context of your past work experience. Instead of merely stating “excellent team player”, you are better off saying “collaborated with a cross-functional team of 6 on a new product launch that boosted sales by 30% in one year”. Examples of specific accomplishments or business outcomes speak louder than buzzwords.”

– Ana Lokotkova, Career Coach and Advisor

For example, if you reduced data processing time by 50%, be sure to mention this accomplishment.

Instead of saying,

“Optimized data pipelines.”

You could say,

“Optimized data pipelines and reduced processing time by 50%.”

This demonstrates your level of expertise with the skills you listed. It gives the recruiter more reason to be interested in you as a result.

If you’re applying for a role requiring a broad skillset, categorize your skills.

“If you opt to include a designated skills section on your resume, include up to 10 of your core competencies. Excessive skills lists are overwhelming and sometimes confusing to the reader.”

– Kelli Hrivnak, Marketing and Tech Recruiter

For example, someone applying for a role as a data engineer might benefit from segmenting their skill lists as follows:

Technical Skills

• Python
• MySQL
• AWS
• Azure
• Google Cloud

Soft Skills

• Analytical thinking and problem-solving
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Communication and presentation skills
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Time management and organization

Use numbers to quantify your achievements wherever possible. This helps potential employers understand your abilities and the impact you can have on their organization.

“Recruiters and hiring managers are looking for relevancy of how and when you applied those skills, so provide examples of this in your experience section. Bonus tip: Don’t just insert the skill like a task–include results.”

– Kelli Hrivnak, Marketing and Tech Recruiter

Instead of saying,

“Designed and implemented ETL pipelines for processing large datasets.”

You could say,

“Designed and implemented ETL pipelines for processing large datasets, resulting in a 50% reduction in processing time and increasing data availability by 75%.”

By using numbers, you give hiring managers a better sense of your value.

Read the description carefully and emphasize the relevant skills and experiences. Highlight the skills that the employer seeks and provide examples of how you’ve used those skills in your previous roles. Doing so can demonstrate that you’re a strong fit for the position and increase your chances of being invited to an interview.

“The ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach doesn’t work when it comes to your resume. For every job application, tailor your skill set to match the job description. Most companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that filter candidates based on keywords and skills listed in the job description. So, research the role you’re applying for and distill the skills required.”

– Ana Lokotkova, Career Coach and Advisor

In order to do this, “you must first understand what skills are most important for the target role,” says Ashley Watkins.

Here’s an example of how to tailor an account manager resume to a job description:

Job Title: Data Engineer

Requirements:

• Experience with data modeling, ETL, and data warehousing
• Proficiency in SQL and Python programming languages.

Tailored Resume Description:

• Designed and implemented ETL pipelines using Apache Airflow, resulting in a 40% reduction in processing time.
• Developed data models for complex systems using ER diagrams and UML diagrams.
• Built and maintained data warehouses on AWS Redshift and Snowflake platforms.
• Proficient in SQL programming, with expertise in writing complex queries and stored procedures.
• Proficient in Python programming, with experience in developing data pipelines using libraries such as Pandas and NumPy.

“Focus on the sought-after and in demand skills. A great way to figure out what is currently in demand is by researching current job openings from your preferred companies and reading through the posting. Pay close attention to the preferred requirements section and build your skills section based on this list.”

– Chelsea Jay, Career & Leadership Development Coach – Seasoned and Growing

Start each bullet point with an action verb. An action verb expresses an action, such as “create,” “build,” “manage,” “lead,” or “implement.”

Action verbs grab the reader’s attention and paint a vivid picture of what you accomplished at work.

Action verbs make your resume more interesting to read. They also show the kind of can-do attitude that employers are looking for.