Aerospace & Defense Resume Builder. Your resume made professional

Aerospace engineers who work on national-defense projects may need a security clearance, and some clearance levels require U.S. citizenship. If you hold one, put the level and whether it's active near the top of the page, such as "Active Secret clearance." Describe program work at an unclassified level: the system type, your role and what changed, with no details you were told to protect.

For aircraft mechanics, FAA certification is the headline credential. The FAA issues Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) ratings, and employers may prefer mechanics who hold both, so list each rating, any Inspection Authorization, and the aircraft and engine types you've worked on. Engineers should name the phase they own, whether design, analysis, test or production support, plus the tools behind it. Useful numbers here include inspection findings, aircraft turnaround, test hours, defect rates and schedule milestones met.

Here's an example bullet: "Cut average turnaround on scheduled phase inspections by two days by resequencing task cards across a 12-person crew."

• Should I put U.S. citizen on my resume?

  On an aerospace or defense resume, add it when the posting asks. Some postings require a "U.S. person," a term from the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which govern exports of defense articles and defense services. ITAR defines the term by pointing to a federal law that covers U.S. citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents and certain refugees and people granted asylum.

  If a posting uses that phrase and you qualify, put one line under your contact details, such as "U.S. citizen" or "U.S. permanent resident." When a posting doesn't raise it, the line can stay off.

• How do I list a Part 107 drone certificate on my resume?

  Write it the way the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) names it, "FAA Remote Pilot Certificate (Part 107)," with the month it was issued and the date of your latest recurrent training. To fly under Part 107, the FAA requires holders to have completed online recurrent training within the previous 24 calendar months, so a recent date shows you're current. Add any Part 107 waiver or airspace authorization you've flown under.

  Then describe the flying: aircraft, sensors such as thermal or lidar, flight hours, and what you delivered, from roof inspections to survey maps. See the Drone Pilot examples.

• Can a NASA internship lead to a NASA engineer job?

  It depends on the program. NASA runs two kinds: Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM) internships, applied for through NASA STEM Gateway, are short-term project sessions, while Pathways internships, posted on USAJOBS, are a pipeline into civil service. Federal rules let an agency convert a Pathways intern who is a U.S. citizen without competition, generally after at least 480 hours of internship work, a completed degree or certificate program and a favorable recommendation, among other conditions.

  On a NASA Intern entry, name the program, the center and your hours, since they show which route you're on toward a NASA Engineer role.