Resume

FPGA Engineer Resume Example & Writing Guide

Use this FPGA Engineer resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.

FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays) are a type of chip that can be programmed to perform a wide range of functions. They’re used in everything from cell phones to space satellites to industrial control systems. If you love working with hardware and want to break into the world of engineering but aren’t sure where to start, becoming an FPGA engineer might be the perfect career choice for you!

To land your dream job as an FPGA engineer, you’ll need a resume that showcases your unique skill set as well as your passion for engineering. Here are some tips and an example resume to help you write yours.

James Smith
Phoenix, AZ | (123) 456-7891 | [email protected]
Summary

Experienced FPGA engineer with a passion for developing hardware and software solutions that solve real-world problems. Proven ability to take complex designs from concept to production, working with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality products on time and within budget.

Education
Arizona State University Jun '10
M.S. in Electrical Engineering
Arizona State University Jun '06
B.S. in Electrical Engineering
Experience
Company A, FPGA Engineer Jan '17 – Current
  • Designed and implemented a high-performance, low-power FPGA accelerator for the company’s flagship product to accelerate data encryption by over 100x compared with software alone.
  • Implemented an efficient algorithm that leveraged hardware acceleration capabilities of the FPGA to achieve performance comparable to existing solutions in less than 1% of CPU utilization on average across multiple workloads.
  • Collaborated closely with other engineers from various disciplines (software, firmware) as well as customers to design and implement new features into the core platform.
  • Developed test automation framework using Python scripting language for regression testing of newly developed code modules and algorithms in order to ensure reliability before deployment into production systems.
  • Documented all development activities through version control system such as Git/SVN along with detailed documentation including UML diagrams, flowcharts, etc., resulting in easy maintenance and future enhancements by others on the team.
Company B, FPGA Engineer Jan '12 – Dec '16
  • Developed and maintained FPGA designs for embedded systems using VHDL, including developing testbenches to verify functionality
  • Implemented a real-time data acquisition system that monitored the status of critical equipment in an industrial setting
  • Designed and implemented high-performance DSP algorithms on FPGAs for use in radar processing applications
  • Collaborated with hardware engineers to develop new products based on customer requirements and specifications
  • Reduced power consumption by ~30% through innovative clock gating techniques and improved utilization of resources
Company C, Computer Engineer Jan '09 – Dec '11
  • Developed and tested software applications according to specifications provided by software developers or system analysts.
  • Analyzed information to determine, recommend, and plan computer specifications and layouts, and peripheral equipment modifications.
  • Conferred with customers, engineers, and others to discuss existing or proposed systems.
Certifications
  • Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
  • Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
  • FPGA Design Certification
Skills

Industry Knowledge: Verilog, VHDL, Xilinx, Altera, Zynq, Zynq All Programmable SoC, Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC, ARM Cortex-A9, ARM Cortex-R5, ARM Cortex-M4, ARM Cortex-R7, ARM Cortex-R8, ARM Cortex-M7, ARM Cortex-A15, ARM Cortex-A57
Technical Skills: Cadence, Mentor Graphics, Synopsys, Allegro, Xilinx Vivado, Xilinx ISE, Altera Quartus
Soft Skills: Communication, Teamwork, Leadership, Time Management, Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking, Creativity

How to Write an FPGA Engineer Resume

Here’s how to write an fpga engineer resume of your own.

Write Compelling Bullet Points

Bullet points are the most important part of your resume because they’re the first thing recruiters and hiring managers will see. And they’re the best way to showcase your experience and skills.

But many candidates make the mistake of using generic bullet points that don’t really tell a story or provide any context about their experience.

Instead, you should use your bullet points to tell a story about your work. And that story should be as specific as possible. So rather than saying you “worked on a project,” you could say you “worked on a project to reduce power consumption by 20% in new hardware design, resulting in a $2 million annual savings for the company.”

The second bullet point is much more interesting and provides more detail about what you did and the results of your work.

Identify and Include Relevant Keywords

When you submit your resume for an FPGA engineer role, it’s likely that it will be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. ATS programs look for certain terms related to the job like “digital design” or “hardware” to determine whether your skills are a match for the job you’ve applied to. If your resume doesn’t have enough of the right keywords, your application might not make it past the initial screening process.

To increase your chances of getting an interview, use this list of keywords to help you optimize your resume.

  • FPGA Design
  • Verilog
  • HDL
  • VHDL
  • Electronic Design Automation (EDA)
  • Hardware Design
  • VLSI
  • Altera FPGA
  • C (Programming Language)
  • Embedded Systems
  • SystemVerilog
  • High-Performance Computing
  • C++
  • Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
  • RTL Design
  • FPGA Programming
  • Debugging
  • Programmable Logic
  • Altera HDL
  • C++ Programming
  • Hardware Verification
  • Simulink
  • Electronics
  • Matlab
  • VHDL Design
  • Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
  • High-Level Synthesis
  • Microcontrollers
  • Firmware
  • High-Speed Serial Design

Showcase Your Technical Skills

FPGA engineers need to be proficient in the use of FPGA development tools, such as Vivado, Quartus, and ISE. They also need to have a strong understanding of digital design concepts, such as state machines, Verilog, and VHDL. In addition, FPGA engineers should be familiar with a variety of programming languages, such as C, C++, and Java.

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