Writing a Multidisciplined CV

29 Nov 2020 at 19:37 // under Work Chemical Engineering Process Control

Over the last couple of weeks I have been dusting off and attempting to update my CV and LinkedIn profile (for obvious reasons). One thing that is becoming obvious is that I am struggling to convey my multi-discipline background. I have experience and could equally work well as an operations engineer or as a control engineer. But these are two very different jobs and it is not common to be experienced in both.

I would like to think (or hope) that this would be an advantage for myself. Surely most employers would prefer someone who could provide understanding from two perspectives, who could bridge the gap between two roles and provide cover support when required. But my problem is that if employers (or recruiters) are only looking to fill one of these roles, I have to stand out for that role. And to be honest, this is where I struggle. Yes I can do either role, yes I have the experience. But it is not excellent stand up and be noticed experience. It is not so good that I can’t be ignored.

On top of this, I consider myself to be a decent general purpose programmer. While my experience with any individual language is not huge, I am perfectly comfortable picking up virtually any language and working with it, whether it is one of my favourite (and popular) languages like JavaScript or Python, or an obscure proprietary vendor language used by a control system. Of course, how do you mention this on a CV or LinkedIn? LinkedIn want’s specifics, what type of programmer are you? How many years of experience do you have? How do you put over ‘doesn’t matter, I am a fast learner’ without looking like a prat?

Overall, I think I should be in a strong position. I think my background and abilities should be something many employers should be very keen to acquire. My problem is a marketing one. How do you get them to notice?

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