Mechanical Engineer Resume Tips and Examples

Mechanical Engineer Resume (Text Version)

Contact Info:

Alondra Weber
[email protected]
1 (617) 555-5500
Boston, MA 02108

Summary Statement:

Mechanical Engineer: Organized and analytical mechanical engineer with a knack for troubleshooting. Dedicated to the design process and known for persevering through the trial-and-error stage. Strong communicator with a unique ability to discuss technical issues with a wide range of audiences.

Key Accomplishments/Areas of Expertise

• SOLIDWORKS
• PRO ENGINEER
• FLOTHERM
• AUTOCAD
• CATIA
• CRITICAL THINKING
• TEAM ORIENTED
• RESULTS-DRIVEN
• EFFICIENT

Professional Experience:

Formulatrix, Bedford, MA
MECHANICAL DESIGN ENGINEER | May 2016 – Present

• Suggest & design improvements & give feedback on new designs
• Interface with vendors to insure product compliance
• Develop tolerance stack analysis & work in a conscientious manner
• Procure prototypes & ad hoc services to support product development

Raytheon, Marlborough, MA
MECHANICAL ENGINEER I | Nov 2013 – Apr 2016

• Submitted technical papers & designs for publishing to journals
• Collaborated in development of land, sea, & air-based equipment
• Developed & integrated electronic equipment on mobile platforms
• Researched, designed, analyzed, modeled, & transitioned to production

ARRIS, Lowell, MA
MECHANICAL ENGINEER | July 2010 – Oct 2013

• Created HVAC system master planning and studies
• Ensured that firm policies and practices were followed on all designs
• Completed studies to ensure design aligned with specifications
• Contributed to firm’s TKM by developing special case designs

Education/Certifications

BACHELOR DEGREE | MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Boston University | Boston, MA
Class of 2010

In order for a resume to function correctly, it needs to be built with effective components.

There is a right way and a wrong way to go about resume writing, especially in today’s world.

In many cases, before a hiring manager even looks at your mechanical engineer resume, it will be scanned by bots for keywords and relevant language.

You must keep this in mind when assembling the content of your resume.

When your resume does eventually get to a hiring manager’s desk, he or she will spend an average of 6 seconds looking it over.

They have a lot of resumes to go through!

This is why you want your own resume to stand out from the crowd and leave a lasting impression.

A good place to start is to layout your resume in reverse chronological order.

This cuts to the point by listing your most recent job position first, so a hiring manager will not have to scan the whole document to figure out what you’ve been up to lately.

Unless you’ve been instructed otherwise, always choose a simple font that looks clean and professional.
Make good use of your white spaces, ensuring that columns and lists are aligned evenly.

This will help your resume with scanning bots, and make it generally pleasing to a reader’s eye.

You’ll want to begin your mechanical engineer resume with an “elevator pitch,” a curated selection of your best skills and qualifications.

Since your summary comes first on the page, it is incredibly important.

You want to accurately convey your value to the reader.

Generalities will not do.

But at the same time, you don’t have a lot of space to work with.

In 2-3 sentences, you need to summarise what makes you the right candidate for the job.

Think about your specific skills and specialties.

You want to prove to them that you are the one for the job!

PRO TIP: Your summary will probably need to be revised several times. Don’t hesitate to rework and refine it. You really want to hone in on your most relevant skills, so take all the time you need to nail it!

Let’s look at some examples to gain a better idea of the mechanics of a summary:

See the differences?

While one example is thorough and leaves an impression, the other is very general and provides almost no substantive detail.

The first example reads well and really conveys the candidate’s passion and drive.

Strong power words are used to help form this impression.

The second example uses weak language and a first-person perspective, both of which will doom a resume summary.

A solid summary is one that communicates your value and how you excel at what you do.

To maximize the effect of your summary, you need a section highlighting your Key Accomplishments, or Areas of Expertise.

Your skill-set makes you unique, so let’s take advantage of that.

Your Areas of Expertise should be formatted as a bulleted list.

Example

• Solidworks
• Team Oriented
• Pro Engineer
• Results-Driven
• Flotherm
• Efficient
• AutoCAD
• CATIA
• Critical Thinking

This section is a focused list of the hard skills and soft skills you’ve acquired over time with your work experience and education.

What have you learned about what you do as a mechanical engineer?

What are your key skill areas?

These will be your hard skills.

Are you a critical thinker, driven, or good at communication?

Personal attributes such as these qualify as soft skills.

Your list should strike a balance between hard and soft skills.

PRO TIP: Check the description of the job opening to see if the skills they’re asking for correlate with some of your own. Be sure to list these skills first and foremost.

(See below for a helpful table of some suggested hard and soft skill ideas to inspire you in writing your skills section.)

As important as your summary and supporting skills list are, your work history section is where you’ll show how you’ve been using those skills in your career thus far.

This section will probably take up the majority of space on your mechanical engineer resume page.

An exception would be if you lack work experience (see below).

It begins with the layout.

Use reverse chronological order for your work experience section.

Let your potential employer see what you’ve been doing right off the bat.

Your most impressive skill points will be shown first.

Be sure to include:

• The company name
• Where the company is located
• What job you performed there

Typically, it is beneficial to include dates on your resume. However, maybe you have gaps between employment or short periods of employment.

If so, you may choose to leave dates off.

But be prepared to answer questions about missing dates should you progress to the interview stage. Potential employers will want to know all about gaps and short terms of employment.

In 3-5 bullet points, list the day-to-day functions of your various jobs. Remember to use power words to emanate action and confidence.

You do not have to make entries for every job you’ve ever held. Just three former or present positions that have relevance to the job you’re seeking.

Let’s demonstrate:

One example is professional and features solid points, while the other is overly vague and poorly worded.

The first example provides just enough detail to convey the candidate’s value in the position.

Power words suggest competency and initiative.

The second example conveys almost nothing beyond the bare minimum. The candidate has even left out their official job title from the heading.

Remember, your work history entries are meant to demonstrate to the reader how you might function in a new position.

You definitely want to inspire confidence in your skills!

PRO TIP: The value of power words cannot be understated. Search the job opening description for power words to use. It is more than likely that your potential employer has included several.

More About Bots

Remember those pesky scanning bots?

Some employers use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to scan resumes.

In order to help your mechanical engineer resume satisfy such a system, you can use an alternative formatting for your work history that allows you to use more keywords.

Because bots love keywords!

Instead of looking like this:

Formulatrix | Bedford, MA | Mechanical Design Engineer | May 2016—Present

• Suggest & design improvements & give feedback on new designs
• Interface with vendors to insure product compliance
• Develop tolerance stack analysis & work in a conscientious manner
• Procure prototypes & ad hoc services to support product development

A paragraph format would look like this:

Suggest and design improvements, troubleshoot, and give feedback on new designs and initiatives. Interface with vendors to insure product compliance and longevity. Perform work in a conscientious manner and develop tolerance stack analysis.

You might also consider a mixed layout, using bullet points only to highlight special roles or achievements.

Suggest and design improvements, troubleshoot, and give feedback on new designs and initiatives. Interface with vendors to insure product compliance and longevity. Perform work in a conscientious manner and develop tolerance stack analysis.

• Procured prototypes & ad hoc services to support product development

A downside to the paragraph format is that it’s harder to read. A hiring manager is less likely to be patient with such a layout.

Given this, we feel it is best to use bullet points unless you’re really sure that beating an ATS should be a chief priority.

In some cases, your education will have made you what you are in terms of your profession and skills.

This is most likely true for a mechanical engineer.

You’ll certainly want to include your education credentials on your mechanical engineer resume.

Start with listing the highest level achieved.

Example: High School Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, etc.

Next will come your field of study and the institution(s) you attended.

Minors, certificates, and concentrations should be included as well.

Including your GPA is a good idea if you’re fresh out of school and looking to make a good impression.

As your career progresses, you will not always need this boost to your professional value. Find a complete guide on how to list education on a resume here.

Bachelor Degree | Mechanical Engineering
Boston University | Boston, MA
GPA: 3.8
Class of 2010

Also, include workshops and programs you may have completed.

Example:

• “The Mechanics of Industry,” Professional Workshop, Boston, MA
• “Applying AutoCAD Principles,” Certification, Online Program

Additional Sections to Include in Your Mechanical Engineer Resume

You can create an additional section for your mechanical engineer resume if you have a special achievement to note.

Consider adding this if your actual work history is thin.

Example:

• Awards and honors
• Publications
• Noteworthy Projects
• Social Media Influence
• Speaking Engagements
• Hobbies/Interests
• Volunteer Work

What if You Have No Experience?

Does your work experience fall short of the ideal?

Are you worried you won’t make the grade and land your dream job?

These are legitimate concerns. But they’re not insurmountable.

You can still mine your experience for relevant skill points.

And you can make some formatting changes.

Move your education section so that it follows your summary.

If you lack much experience, your education will help sell your value. It needs to be listed near the top of the resume.

When writing out your work experience, focus your bullet points on those roles most closely aligned to the position you’re seeking.

Have you designed things in the past, or worked up plans?

Have you seen projects through from conception to completion?

Experience like this could inform your work as a mechanical engineer.

If it’s relevant, list it!

Some things to keep in mind:

Include your contact information at the top of the page

It’s no good if they can’t reach you to discuss an interview.

List your phone number, email, or LinkedIn profile.

Use space effectively

Good formatting helps you use the space you have to ultimate advantage. Write out your summary, expertise areas, and education. Keep them orderly on the page.

Select effective power words

The more powerful your language, the better your skill-set comes across. Employ power words to create a good impression of yourself as an action-oriented candidate.

Recruit a trusted proofreader

Have a friend or family member read through your mechanical engineer resume once it’s finished. They will help you catch mistakes and perhaps bring some helpful suggestions to the table.

Some errors to avoid:

Avoid first-person language

Your mechanical engineer resume is not a personal letter, rather it is a focused document of your best skills and qualifications – so watch that you don’t use “I” or “me,” especially in your summary.

Avoid exceeding one page

One page is the common length for a resume. No need for another. Your experience and supporting skill points should fit nicely onto a single page. Correct formatting helps achieve this end.

Avoid repeating yourself

Repetition does not convey a broad skill-set. You want to keep your language varied and fresh. Use a variety of power words to help.

(We’ve put together a handy table of power words below to use for inspiration.)

Avoid outlandish fonts or formatting

The last thing you want is for a hiring manager to be distracted by a strange font or odd formatting. Follow our advice and choose a simple font. Likewise, adhere to our formatting guidelines and you’ll be alright!

Power Words

• Suggest
• Interface
• Perform
• Procure
• Submitted
• Supported
• Developed
• Researched
• Created
• Ensured
• Completed
• Contributed

Skills List