Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are software programs that scan resumes for keywords and structure. They rank or reject resumes before any human reads them. For a Chemical Engineering Professor, ATS looks for terms like "reactor design," "transport phenomena," "process control," "CFD," "Aspen Plus," "ABET," "PhD," and "NSF grant".

Keep your resume simple and scannable. Use standard section titles like "Work Experience", "Education", and "Skills". Use straightforward bullets that list achievements, tools, and measures.

• Include specific technical keywords you see in job ads, such as "reactor design," "process simulation (Aspen Plus)," "computational fluid dynamics (CFD)," and "laboratory safety (OSHA)."
• Mention teaching duties: curriculum development, student supervision, and course names like "Transport Phenomena" or "Chemical Process Safety."
• List funding and publications: NSF grants, peer-reviewed journals, patents.

Avoid fancy formatting. Don’t use tables, text boxes, columns, headers, or images. ATS can skip or scramble those sections. Stick to standard fonts like Arial or Times New Roman. Save as .docx or simple PDF, and double-check the text extracts cleanly.

Common mistakes cost you interviews. Using creative synonyms instead of exact keywords will lower your match score. Hiding critical items in headers or footers can make ATS miss them. Leaving out tools like "MATLAB," "COMSOL," or "Aspen Plus" hurts your fit for technical roles.

Follow these basics and tailor each application to the job ad. That gives your resume a much better shot past the ATS and into a hiring committee's hands.

Pick a clean, professional template that highlights teaching, research, and service. Use a reverse-chronological layout so your recent faculty roles and grants appear first. That layout reads well and most applicant tracking systems (ATS) parse it reliably.

Keep length tight. One page suits early-career professors or adjuncts. You can use two pages if you have long records of publications, funded projects, and graduate student supervision.

Choose an ATS-friendly font like Calibri, Arial, Georgia, or Garamond. Use 10–12pt for body text and 14–16pt for section headers. Keep consistent line spacing and margins so a hiring committee skims easily.

Use clear headings: Contact, Academic Appointment, Education, Research, Teaching, Publications, Grants, Service, and Skills. Put dates on the right and use bullets for achievements. Quantify impact when you can, like number of students advised or grant totals.

Avoid fancy two-column designs, heavy graphics, or unusual fonts. Those elements often confuse ATS and slow down readers. Also avoid long dense paragraphs; break achievements into short bullets.

Watch these common mistakes: using images for text, inconsistent bullet styles, unclear section order, cramming too much on one page, and unclear dates. Fix them and your CV will read cleaner and scan faster.

Writing a tailored cover letter matters for a Chemical Engineering Professor role. It shows your fit beyond your resume and proves you know the department's needs.

Keep the letter focused and personal. Speak directly to the hiring committee. Use short sentences and clear examples.

Key sections to include:

• Header: Put your contact details, the department or hiring manager's name if known, and the date.
• Opening Paragraph: Name the Chemical Engineering Professor role you want. Show real enthusiasm for the university or lab. Mention one top qualification or where you saw the posting.
• Body Paragraphs (1-3): Link your research, teaching, and service to the job description. Highlight a key project, a technical skill like transport phenomena or reactor design, and a teaching success. Give numbers when you can, like grants won or students mentored. Use keywords from the posting.
• Closing Paragraph: Reiterate your interest in the department. State your confidence in contributing to research and teaching. Ask for an interview or meeting and thank the reader.

Keep the tone professional, confident, and warm. Use plain words. Avoid jargon, except one clear technical term per sentence. Tailor every sentence to the school and role. Do not reuse a generic template.

Write like you speak to a colleague. Use short paragraphs and direct claims. Edit each sentence to make it tighter and clearer.

Hiring committees expect clarity and precision from a Chemical Engineering Professor's resume. Small errors can hide strong research, teaching, or funding records. You should present your work clearly, show measurable impact, and make it easy for reviewers to find key achievements.

Below are common pitfalls I see in academic resumes for chemical engineering faculty. Fixing these will raise your chances in faculty searches and grant reviews.

If you teach chemical engineering or aim to, these FAQs and tips help you shape a clear, academic CV and resume. You’ll find advice on highlighting research, teaching, grants and technical skills so hiring committees see your fit fast.