If you have a diploma from a polytechnic, or an ITI trade certificate, the person reading your resume wants to know three things quickly. What branch or trade did you study? What have you done with your hands, on a real shop floor or site? Which machines, instruments and software can you use?
Many diploma resumes copy a degree-holder's format and bury the one thing that matters: the training. This guide shows what to put on the page and in what order.
The short answer
- Education first, with the branch spelt out. "Diploma in Electrical Engineering", not "DEE". Add the board or institute, the year and a labelled score.
- Training counts as experience. Apprenticeship, industrial training and in-plant training go in an "Experience and Training" section, with dates and what you did.
- Tools grouped by type. Machines, instruments, software and safety, each on its own line.
- One page, A4, plain layout. No photo-heavy designs, no tables for the main content, no rating bars.
When a job post, a campus drive or an employer's form asks for a fixed format, follow it. That instruction beats any general advice, including this guide.
How to write the diploma line
Write the full course name and branch, the institute, the board, the year you passed and the score with its scale. A clear entry looks like this (fictional details):
- Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Government Polytechnic, Nashik (MSBTE) — 2025 — 76.4% (final year)
- SSC (Class X), Maharashtra State Board, Nashik — 2022 — 81.2%
A few details make this easier to read:
- Label what the score is. Boards and institutes report marks differently. Some show an aggregate across all semesters, some stress the final year, some give a CGPA. Write exactly what your marksheet shows and say which one it is: "aggregate 72.8%" or "final year 76.4%" or "CGPA 8.1/10". Never pick the higher one without the label.
- Name the board. Your state board of technical education, or the university if your diploma came through one. It tells the reader how to compare your score.
- Do not add an empty 12th line. If you joined the diploma after Class X, there is no 12th to show. Writing "12th: NA" only draws attention to a gap that does not exist. The diploma takes that place.
- Write the year you passed. If you are in the final semester, write "2026 (expected)".
For more on scales, board names and low scores, read how to write 10th, 12th and CGPA on a resume.
Apprenticeship and industrial training
For a technician or junior engineer role, your training is your work experience. Treat it that way. Give each training its own entry with a title, the organisation, the place and the months.
Diploma holders. Many take a one-year technician apprenticeship after the diploma. The National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS), run by the regional Boards of Apprenticeship Training, covers engineering graduates and diploma holders. Its overview says apprentices receive a Certificate of Proficiency from the Government of India at the end of training. If you have one, list it under certifications as well as describing the apprenticeship under experience.
ITI holders. Trade apprenticeships under the Apprentices Act, 1961 are run through the Apprenticeship India portal. Describe the trade apprenticeship the same way: trade, establishment, months, and what you did.
Industrial training during the course. If your diploma included industrial training or an in-plant training, list it too, even if it lasted only a few weeks. Say what you worked on, not only where.
Use numbers only when you know them from records. Do not list an apprenticeship you only applied for, and do not stretch dates or titles. Employers can check your certificate and joining letter.
Before and after: one training entry
This is an illustrative example about a fictional person, Imran, a diploma holder in electrical engineering who completed a technician apprenticeship.
Before:
Apprentice at ABC Industries. Responsible for maintenance work. Hard working and eager to learn.
After:
Technician Apprentice (NATS) — ABC Industries, Chakan, Pune — Jul 2025 to Jun 2026
- Assisted in preventive maintenance of 3-phase induction motors and motor starters on the press-shop line, under the shift engineer.
- Took insulation resistance readings with a megger and recorded them in the maintenance log each week.
- Traced control wiring faults on panels using circuit drawings and a digital multimeter.
- Completed the plant's electrical safety and lockout-tagout induction before working on live panels.
The "after" version names the machines, the instruments and the level of responsibility. "Assisted" and "under the shift engineer" are honest, and they still show the reader you have been on a shop floor. Use your own real tasks, not these.
Same story. A little more breathing room.
Switch the layout. Watch how spacing and hierarchy change the way this sample reads.
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Everything is asking for attention.
Closely packed headings and text leave fewer visual signposts. Try the other treatment.
Trade skills and tools
A single row of twenty tools is hard to read and easy to doubt. Group them instead:
| Group | Mechanical example | Electrical example | Civil example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machines and equipment | Lathe, milling, CNC turning (operation) | Motor starters, VFD panels | Auto level, total station |
| Instruments | Vernier, micrometer, dial gauge | Multimeter, megger, clamp meter | Measuring tape, levelling staff |
| Software | AutoCAD 2D | AutoCAD Electrical, MS Excel | AutoCAD, MS Excel for BOQ |
| Safety and standards | 5S, PPE use | Lockout-tagout | Site safety induction |
These are examples, not a list to copy. Include only what you have used, and say how when it is not obvious: "CNC turning (operation, not programming)" is more believable than "CNC". If a job post names a tool you really have used, use the same words the post uses.
Lateral-entry degree in progress
If you joined a B.E. or B.Tech through lateral entry, you are both a diploma holder and a degree student. Show both, newest first:
- B.Tech, Mechanical Engineering (lateral entry), XYZ College of Engineering — 2028 (expected) — CGPA 7.6/10 (up to Semester 4)
- Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, Government Polytechnic, Nashik (MSBTE) — 2025 — 76.4% (final year)
- SSC (Class X) — 2022 — 81.2%
Writing "lateral entry" saves the reader from wondering why the degree started in the second year. Keep the diploma score. It is often the strongest academic number you have, and forms may ask for it.
For more on degree-level resumes, see the B.Tech fresher resume guide.
ITI holders: what changes
An ITI resume follows the same plan with small changes:
- Write the trade in full: "ITI, Fitter trade". The Directorate General of Training says National Trade Certificates are issued to candidates who pass the All India Trade Test under the Craftsmen Training Scheme. Name your certificate, the institute and the year.
- Put practical skills and apprenticeship above any short computer course.
A simple one-page layout
For a fresher or someone with up to two years of work, this order works:
- Name and contact: phone, email, city. Personal details such as date of birth are optional. Add them only if the employer asks.
- Two-line summary: branch, the role you want and your strongest proof. Example: "Diploma in Electrical Engineering (2025) with a one-year technician apprenticeship in plant maintenance. Looking for a maintenance technician role."
- Education: diploma, then Class X. Degree first if you are in lateral entry.
- Experience and training: apprenticeship, industrial training, in-plant training, any job.
- Projects: your final-year project in two or three lines, including what you built or tested.
- Tools and skills: grouped, as above.
- Certifications: apprenticeship certificate, trade certificate, short courses you finished.
Use A4 paper, a plain single column and standard headings like "Education" and "Experience". Many technician applications ask for a Word file. Guul's builder uses A4 by default for India, shows percentage and CGPA labels correctly, and exports to both PDF and Word, so you can send whichever the employer asks for.
Your experience. A fresh canvas.
Try a different look. These are actual Guul template previews, with illustrative sample content.
A clean slate. Literally.
One column, distinct sections, and room for your experience to lead. A simple place to start.
Make this layout yours ↗The builder opens with your selected template.Replace all sample details with your own experience.Explore the resume lookbook →
Checklist before you send it
- The branch or trade is written in full, with board or institute and year.
- Every score has a label: aggregate, final year, or CGPA with its scale.
- There is no empty "12th" line if you went from Class X to the diploma.
- Each training has dates, a place and at least two lines on what you did.
- Tools are grouped, and each one is something you have used.
- Nothing is exaggerated. Titles, dates and certificates match your documents.
- It fits on one A4 page.
Before you apply, run the file through Guul's resume checker. It explains each finding in plain words, so you can see if a date, score or heading was read in the wrong place. Then send the resume in the format the employer asks for, and keep your marksheets and training certificates ready for the interview.
