Mechanical Engineer Sample

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Career advice featured in – Forbes, Glassdoor, Reader's Digest, MarketWatch, The CheatSheet
Career advice featured in Forbes, Glassdoor, MarketWatch, Reader's Digest, The CheatSheet

In a world that relies upon technology in every area of life, mechanical engineers continue to be in great demand. Their role includes everything from designing and developing to building and testing the machines, engines, and tools that power modern life. As a mechanical engineer, you understand just how much the world relies on your knowledge and skills to sustain and advance mankind’s quality of life. To get a job in this field, however, you need an exceptional and compelling Mechanical Engineer resume.

That resume should focus on technical skills like proficiency in CAD software, knowledge of engineering principles, and experience with mechanical systems. Not only that, you are probably a problem-solving wizard. Don’t forget to mention that, too! The ability to think critically about a situation and resolve issues is highly sought-after. 

Considering everything you know how to do, it can feel a bit overwhelming to craft an interview-winning resume. That’s okay, we’ve got you covered!

In this guide, you’ll find crucial information about the key components you need to include in your Mechanical Engineer resume, insights into what employers are looking for when they read your resume (well, skim through your resume), and tips that can help you separate yourself from the competition and make a powerful first impression.

How to write a resume

It may be hard to believe, but there was a time when you could land an interview with a resume that just provided an overview of your work history and basic skills. These days, however, you need much more than that. 

To really capture a hiring manager’s attention and land that job interview, your resume needs to deliver a powerful message that sells your skills, experience, and overall fitness for your desired job role. To achieve that goal, you should:

Choose a reverse-chronological format

There are many reasons so many job seekers rely on resumes that use the reverse chronological format. Chief among those reasons is that it is almost guaranteed to get past the applicant tracking system companies use to weed out candidates. 

On top of that, employers prefer it to all other format types. 

Why? 

There are several benefits to using the reverse-chronological format for your Mechanical Engineer resume.

  • This format presents your work history in an easy-to-follow way. It lists each job you’ve held over the last 10-15 years, starting with your most recent role and working backward to the oldest position.

  • That clear approach to listing your work history enables employers to see your career progression year-by-year and job-by-job.

  • Employers who are looking for potential gaps in employment will have an easier time identifying them when you use a chronological format.

Use the right structure

A powerful and compelling resume will also use clear structure. That means breaking your resume up into distinct sections of information, with clear and understandable headings above each section. Those sections will each document different professional details, enabling the reader to easily navigate the document to locate your qualifications and key data points. Those sections should include:

Your individual contact details

This is the no-brainer section of your resume. Use your complete name (the one you go by every day), your location (city, state, and zip code), phone, email address, and even your LinkedIn URL. However, you should only use your LinkedIn URL if your profile is properly optimized.

A title that reflects the position you are seeking

Many people fall into the trap of putting the title they currently hold, or something similar, at the top of their resume. This isn’t what you should do. The title of your resume should mirror the title of the job description you’re responding to. In fact, you should take it a step further and turn that title into a headline. 

When you write a headline at the top of your resume, you inject keywords and skills that will help you stand out from the crowd. Take a look at this:

  • Title: Mechanical Engineer

  • Headline: Creative Mechanical Engineer Passionate about Solving Tomorrow’s Problems Today


Which one of those stands out to you? Which one of those makes you want to read more? If you use a headline on your Mechanical Engineer resume, the hiring manager will be immediately impressed. 

A profile or summary statement

Providing a very brief overview of your key experiences, abilities, and achievements is what your profile paragraph will do for you. It should be focused on highlighting your potential value to the company within three to five sentences. It’s a good idea to use a balance of hard and soft skills and at least one achievement from your past that proves you have what it takes to be a great Mechanical Engineer. 

Related reading: Understanding and Creating a Resume Profile

Core competencies

The Core Competencies part of your resume is the ‘beat the bots’ section that will ensure you get past the ATS. Dissect the job description to find the keywords and phrases to use on your resume. Then, create a list of your skills in alignment with what the company seeks to build your Core Competencies section. Stick to no more than twelve to fifteen of your most relevant hard and soft skills

A professional experience section 

Now it’s time to write the meat of your resume. The part that will likely be THE THING that lands you an interview. The professional experience section of your Mechanical Engineering resume is the list of companies you’ve worked for, along with bullet point examples of your achievements in those jobs.

Related reading: How to Show Your Work Experience on Your Resume

Educational accomplishments 

Finally, add your college degrees, coursework, continuing education, certifications, and other formal education. Once you get some experience under your belt – about five years or so – you won’t need to include things like coursework. Use relevant coursework and school-based projects to prove your skills when you have very little experience.  

Tailor your resume to each company and job

It is also important to customize each resume you submit to employers, tailoring it to fit your desired role. The easiest way to do that is to first concentrate on creating a primary resume that you can later modify to meet specific employers’ needs. To effectively tailor that resume, you should alter the desired job title, adjust your skills and the keywords that describe them, and include work experience bullet points that focus on the role’s qualifications.

Mechanical Engineer resume example

Of course, that’s a lot of information to make sense of in a brief period. It may help to see an example of how these different pieces of information work together to create a powerful resume that captures a hiring manager’s attention. Check out this example of a great Mechanical Engineer resume:

Name

Title

City, State or Country if international

Phone | Email

LinkedIn URL



MECHANICAL ENGINEER PROFESSIONAL


Highly analytical and intuitive engineering professional with significant experience and success in supporting complex assembly projects. Able to support cross-functional teams in the research, design, development, testing, and delivery of leading-edge products and solutions. Expertise interpreting schematics and related documentation, and propelling quality assurance and performance improvement initiatives. Excellent communicator and collaborator.



CORE COMPETENCIES

  • Strategic Planning

  • Performance Monitoring

  • Quality Assurance

  • Creative Problem Solving

  • Product Development

  • Process Optimization

  • Regulatory Compliance

  • Cost Analysis

  • Graphic Design

  • Assembly

  • Conceptual Design

  • General Dimensioning & Tolerances

  • Mentoring & Training

  • Part Drawing & Detailing



PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE


MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Mountain Engineering, Boulder, CO | mm/yyyy to Present

Responsibilities

Spearhead numerous, complex projects for a leading engineer company within gas turbine industry; gained invaluable experience and exposure to diverse engineering processes.

  • Designed major subassembly for military test engine development program; completed critical design tasks including model creation for a shared kinematic assembly, tolerance studies, and technical document creation.

  • Instrumental to high-performing team of six which vastly increased throughput of bottleneck component on a large-scale commercial engine program.

  • Propelled efficiency improvements through strategic data processing and automation; converted detailed analysis into actionable insights to drive creation of new business line, employing nearly 100 full-time engineers.

  • Regularly recognized as key company representative, including an extended on-site assignment at a major customer to identify and remediate process inefficiencies using six-sigma principles.

  • Key contributor in cross-disciplinary efforts to inspect backlogged inventory and troubleshoot manufacturing challenges in order to maximize productivity.


MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Virtual Precision Engineering, Denver, CO | mm/yyyy to mm/yyyy

Responsibilities

  • Collaborated on the design of cutting-edge gaming cabinets within world-leading casinos.

  • Created design prototypes for proof of concept assemblies for executive demonstrations, comprising on-site sheet metal work, strategic vendor and procurement management, and hands-on assembly experience.

  • Drove life cycle testing for a family of critical cabinet components to achieve field use approval.

  • Raised test rig efficacy 500%; reached testing cycle requirement with no routine maintenance or part replacement.

  • Completed design and detailing of numerous bracket assemblies in to retrofit hardware from old cabinets into new product lines; leveraged previously unmanaged data library and cross-functional coordination.

  • Received prestigious WIG Award, a quarterly distinction for dedication to Agilis’ core principles, for my efforts on quality assurance and process improvements; selected as new hire mentor three times.

  • Expert brand ambassador at industry trade show; successfully networked and identified emerging technologies for future applications



EDUCATION

 

Complete School Name, City, St/Country: List Graduation Years If Within the Last Ten Years
Complete Degree Name (Candidate) – Major (GPA: List if over 3.3)

  • Relevant Coursework: List coursework taken (even include those you are planning on taking)

  • Awards/Honors: List any awards, honors or big achievements

  • Clubs/Activities: List clubs and activities in which you participated

  • Relevant Projects: List 2-3 projects you have worked on


Key hard & soft skills for a Mechanical Engineer

To land a fantastic job as a Mechanical Engineer, your resume will need to successfully convey the key hard and soft skills that today’s employers are seeking. To decide which of your many skills you should list in your resume, you will first need to identify any specific abilities cited as required qualifications in the job posting. Pay attention to the exact wording used to describe those skills so that you can use the same terminology in your resume – and better ensure that your document gets past any ATS scans.

While it would be impossible to list every skill you might need for any given job, there are some key skills that every Mechanical Engineer needs to possess. Even if these skills are not specifically listed in the job posting, you may still want to consider including them in the core competencies section of your Mechanical Engineer resume.

For example, here are three common hard skills that many of today’s Mechanical Engineers need to possess to be effective in their roles:

Mathematics

Proficiency in mathematics is something that every engineer needs. Math skills are utilized in the design process for new products, machines, equipment, and tools, and essential for ensuring proper input and calculations in many of the most common software programs used by these professionals.

Engineering design

This skill describes the process many people in this profession use to make decisions and resolve problems. Often referred to as the engineering method, it encompasses all the steps engineers go through as they create processes and products.

Computer-Aided Design (CAD)

Expertise in the use of CAD software is important for many design processes. Computer-aided design enables Mechanical Engineers to optimize their creation and production processes by visualizing their output in both 2D and 3D.

It’s also helpful to consider some of the non-technical skills that these professionals use to perform their duties. Here are three of those soft skills that you might want to include on your resume:

Collaboration

A typical Mechanical Engineer is likely to be part of a larger team of engineers working to solve complex problems. The ability to work with others, share information, and think through potential solutions is vital for success in this field.

Creativity

Any job that requires innovation will also require a certain level of creativity. Make sure that you include your creative skills on your resume in your core competencies section. In addition, you may want to use one or two bullet points in your professional experience section to highlight examples of how those skills have helped you provide value for previous employers.

Problem-solving

At its core, the job of a Mechanical Engineer is to find solutions for problems. Whether it is creating a new tool to enhance performance or developing a new product for consumers, problem-solving skills are vital for success.

Summary & last words

Resumes should be more than just dull recitations of your skills and work history. Instead, a great resume should function as your primary career marketing tool – the one document you rely on to sell your value to prospective employers. That requires a resume that:

  • Highlights your key skills in a way that aligns with the company’s needs

  • Demonstrates your value by providing real, measurable results you’ve achieved for other employers,

  • Details your professional history and career growth.

By using the information contained in this Mechanical Engineer resume, you can gain the insight you need to create your own resume. But what if you decide that you want an even more polished and professional resume that lands even more interviews?

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