What the work involves, what it pays, and grounded tasks, skills, tools, and experience you can choose from.
Also called certification engineer, completion engineer, completions engineer and design engineer.
$144,910
Median pay a year
18,060
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Real figures for this work, and lines you can use in your own resume. Where they come from is at the foot of this page.
An example
A Petroleum Engineer resume, filled in
Common skills that can help you remember what you used on the job.
Directing energy production
Researching advanced engineering designs
Monitoring productivity
Inspecting equipment or systems
Testing systems or equipment
Analyzing geographic data
Analyzing costs and benefits
Interpreting test results
Determining operational methods
Designing environmental control systems
Preparing detailed work plans
Collecting raw material samples
Every line comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Petroleum Engineer
1 certification
Summary
Petroleum engineer devising methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production, overseeing drilling operations and providing technical advice
Experience
Petroleum Engineer
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Specified and supervised well modification and stimulation programs to maximize oil and gas recovery
Monitored production rates and planned rework processes to improve production
Analyzed data to recommend placement of wells and supplementary processes to enhance production
Assisted engineering and other personnel to solve operating problems
Directed and monitored the completion and evaluation of wells, well testing, or well surveys
Developed plans for oil and gas field drilling, and for product recovery and treatment
Skills
Core Skills
Researching advanced engineering designs, Monitoring productivity, Directing energy production
Checking & Planning
Inspecting equipment or systems, Testing systems or equipment, Analyzing geographic data, Analyzing costs and benefits, Interpreting test results, Determining operational methods, Designing environmental control systems
Tools and software
Autodesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint
Open to
On site, Remote
Education
Bachelor's Degree Your college, Year
Certifications & Licenses
State license for this work Your state board, Year
Yours will not say this. You choose what matches your experience, and every line remains yours to confirm or change.
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What to put on a Petroleum Engineer resume
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What did you do each day?
Choose what fits, or say your own.
Specified and supervised well modification programsMonitored production rates and planned rework processesMaintained records of drilling and production operationsAnalyzed data to recommend well placementsAssisted personnel to solve operating problemsDirected and monitored completion and evaluation of wells
becomes
On your resume
Specified and supervised well modification programs to enhance oil recovery and production efficiency
Maintained detailed records of drilling and production operations to ensure compliance and operational integrity
These are written the way a resume line reads. Rung asks which ones are actually yours, keeps your own words, and never claims work you did not do.
Then it asks for one more thing
The line that could show more, and the fact that lands it.
Make it stronger
A few lines could show more. Each one is asked, and answered by choosing.
Add how much oil recovery improved after your modifications
The line
Specified and supervised well modification programs that significantly increased recovery rates and production efficiency
Add how much oil recovery improved after your modifications
Pick one that fits
Increased recovery rates significantly after modificationsBoosted production efficiency across multiple wellsEnhanced overall output from modified wells
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Show what improved once the records were maintained
The line
Maintained detailed records of drilling and production operations to ensure compliance and operational integrity
Show what improved once the records were maintained
Pick one that fits
Reduced operational errors and improved complianceStreamlined reporting processes for better oversightEnhanced accuracy in production tracking
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Every ready answer is in plain words, never a figure. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.
The work itself
What a Petroleum Engineer does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Devise methods to improve oil and gas extraction and production and determine the need for new or modified tool designs. Oversee drilling and offer technical advice.
What it pays
How much does a Petroleum Engineer make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$106,270
Median
$144,910
75th percentile
$197,920
About 18,060 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
AK
$174,050
$206,290
$219,480
CA
$126,500
$143,590
$171,980
CO
$112,070
$172,190
$214,220
KS
$92,650
$115,640
$127,820
LA
$89,880
$139,640
$178,810
MT
$80,380
$104,060
$137,540
ND
$98,510
$132,120
$158,280
NE
$95,960
$100,800
$135,540
NM
$93,200
$99,900
$127,490
OH
$93,760
$99,260
$134,940
OK
$124,460
$153,020
$178,470
PA
$96,040
$101,880
$138,890
TX
$123,450
$164,860
$220,330
UT
$122,000
$172,840
$186,860
WA
$129,510
$134,800
$176,740
WV
$82,370
$93,360
$148,350
Other names
Other names for this job
certification engineer, completion engineer, completions engineer, design engineer, drilling engineer, engineer, exploration engineer, gas distribution engineer, gas engineer, gas turbine engineer, logging engineer, mining and oil field equipment design engineer.
More names for this work
mining and oil field equipment test engineer, mining and oil well equipment research engineer, mud engineer, natural gas engineer, oil and gas engineer, oil drilling engineer, oil exploration engineer, oil well engineer, operations engineer, petroleum production engineer, pipeline engineer, project production engineer, project reservoir engineer, research engineer, reservoir engineer, supplier quality engineer, SQE, test engineer, well surveying engineer, reservoir engineering consultant, natural gas analyst, petroleum supply specialist, prospecting observer.
What you can already claim
What you can already claim as a Petroleum Engineer
Below are the tasks a Petroleum Engineer job is made of. Choose the ones you have really done. There is no wrong answer here, and you can change any of it later.
Which of these tasks have you actually done?
4 chosen. Rung never adds a task you did not choose.
You can already claim 4 of the 9 tasks this job is made of.
What you have not done yet. Testing systems or equipment, Analyzing geographic data, Analyzing costs and benefits
Your resume, already started
Petroleum Engineer
Directing energy production
Researching advanced engineering designs
Monitoring productivity
Inspecting equipment or systems
Nothing here was invented. Every line is something you chose above, and it comes with you when you start.
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This page is about the occupation Petroleum Engineers. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.