Engineering
The right skills on your resume can mean the difference between landing an interview and getting filtered out. Here are the exact skills controls engineer employers are looking for in 2026.
These technical skills are the foundation of any strong controls engineer resume. Employers and ATS systems specifically scan for these:
In-demand PLC programming (Allen-Bradley/Siemens) skills are essential for plc programming (allen-bradley/siemens) workflows and employer expectations.
In-demand SCADA skills are essential for scada workflows and employer expectations.
In-demand HMI design skills are essential for hmi design workflows and employer expectations.
In-demand Control system design skills are essential for control system design workflows and employer expectations.
In-demand Instrumentation skills are essential for instrumentation workflows and employer expectations.
In-demand P&ID reading skills are essential for p&id reading workflows and employer expectations.
In-demand Python/MATLAB skills are essential for python/matlab workflows and employer expectations.
In-demand Industrial networking skills are essential for industrial networking workflows and employer expectations.
Don't just list these — demonstrate them through your experience bullets with concrete examples:
Analytical thinking
Show through specific achievements, not just mentions.
Problem-solving
Show through specific achievements, not just mentions.
Attention to detail
Show through specific achievements, not just mentions.
Communication
Show through specific achievements, not just mentions.
Collaboration
Show through specific achievements, not just mentions.
Create a dedicated Skills section
Place a "Skills" or "Core Competencies" section near the top of your resume — after your summary but before your experience.
Use columns for visual efficiency
List skills in 2–3 columns to save space and make them easy to scan. Bullet points or pipe (|) separators work well.
Match the job description exactly
Copy exact skill names from the job posting. If they say "REST APIs" and you wrote "RESTful services", you might miss ATS matches.
Separate hard from soft skills
Keep technical/hard skills in your Skills section. Demonstrate soft skills through your experience bullets and summary instead.
Most controls engineer job applications are screened by ATS before a human ever reads them. Use these keywords naturally throughout your resume:
These three skills are associated with the highest-paying controls engineer roles:
Upload your resume and paste a job description to instantly see your keyword match score.
Analyze My Skills Match