What Nuclear Power Plant Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

I would hope that a gap year, especially after the turmoil of the past year, would be used to take a break and disconnect! However, if an engineering graduate has a goal in mind after the gap like getting a job or going to graduate school, that goal should inform where they focus their effort. If an engineering graduate wants to get a job, I would suggest researching thoroughly the industry or industries they might want to join and finding out what gaps exist in those industries. Trade publications, corporate websites, and career services at their alma mater can help with this. And I would suggest that they keep in mind that it is often more valuable to find out what you don't like than what you do. Don't have a fixed idea of what things will look like when you get a job because flexibility leads to opportunities. For engineers, soft skills and multidisciplinary and innovative thinking are increasingly important to employers. Taking some online classes (if one has the means) in areas where you may feel you need improvement. Or if there's something missing from your resume, think about how you will address that when you eventually interview: take steps to either fill the gap or have a plan to do so once you start work. If an engineering students wants to go to graduate school, I would use the gap year making connections at institutions where you might want to apply. Having a connection with a faculty member can both better inform your graduate school decision and give you good information about what you need to do to get in. Many graduate schools are waiving fees and/or testing requirements due to the pandemic, so this may not be a good year to take a gap since it may be less arduous to fulfill entrance requirements this year.

What type of skills will young Nuclear Power Plant Engineers need?

All the students leaving nuclear engineering degree programs have multiple opportunities for employment. Over the years, graduates have reported back that, in addition to the engineering know-how, their employers value the abilities to solve problems, work both independently and as a constructive team member, communicate in writing and verbally with many different audiences, and proactively learn new things needed to get the job done.

What technical skills for a Nuclear Power Plant Engineer stand out to employers?

Each discipline will have their own specificities which are characteristic of the degree title required (e.g., dental, electrical, mechanical, etc.) but they all prefer someone with experience. Basically, they assess each candidate by how much money the candidate can make them in terms of how long will they have to wait for them to be productive, how productive they will be and how long they will be productive (yes, it is a profit driver in the end). This has elements such as them being able to also be a team player or do projects alone as the taskings may require various flexibilities to make whatever product they sell to their customer (even in consulting). In STEM this is largely assessed by historical accomplishments (grades, awards, volunteer activities etc.) as your past performance is almost always the primary indicator that will be used to predict your future performance.

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Nuclear power plant engineer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

1 min read

Quoted experts

Erin Blumsack,

Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical nuclear power plant engineer skills. We ranked the top skills for nuclear power plant engineers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 65.7% of nuclear power plant engineer resumes contained outage as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a nuclear power plant engineer needs to be successful in the workplace.

List of nuclear power plant engineer skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a nuclear power plant engineer resume and required skills for a nuclear power plant engineer to have include:

Outage

Fire Protection

Nuclear Power

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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