Mechanical Engineersresume guide.
Perform engineering duties in planning and designing tools, engines, machines, and other mechanically functioning equipment. A strong Mechanical Engineers resume shows active listening, critical thinking and reading comprehension, and names the tools you have worked with, such as The MathWorks MATLAB, Autodesk AutoCAD and Dassault Systemes SolidWorks.
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- 1Use the titles and tools postings use.Mechanical Design Engineer and Project Engineer are titles this guide lists, and SolidWorks, ANSYS and MATLAB are in-demand tools. They are spelled the way the guide spells them.
- 2Show the result, not just the task."Recommend design modifications to eliminate machine or system malfunctions" from the guide becomes a seal failure that stopped happening.
- 3Show you can write code, too.Employers now want mechanical engineers who can work with data and automation. A MATLAB sizing tool that sped up quotes shows that with a number.
- 4Put a dollar figure on a catch.The guide lists checking designs for feasibility, cost and maintenance. Saying how much rework you prevented makes that review work count.
- 5Name each credential precisely.Write the full license name, discipline, state and that it is active, then the certification and who issued it. A CSWP backs up the SolidWorks skills on this resume.
- 6Keep education to one line.Most roles in this guide ask for a bachelor's degree. The degree and school are enough here.
Sample resume. The candidate is fictional; the layout and templates are real.
01Also called
O*NET02Skills employers expect
O*NETImportance is how much the skill matters to the job; level is how much of it the job demands. Both are worth naming on the resume, in this order.
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | High | Advanced |
| Critical Thinking | High | Advanced |
| Reading Comprehension | High | Advanced |
| Complex Problem Solving | High | Advanced |
| Judgment and Decision Making | High | Advanced |
| Mathematics | High | Advanced |
| Science | High | Advanced |
| Active Learning | High | Advanced |
| Operations Analysis | High | Advanced |
| Speaking | High | Intermediate |
03Knowledge areas
O*NET- Design
- Engineering and Technology
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Public Safety and Security
- Computers and Electronics
- Education and Training
- Physics
04Common responsibilities
O*NETOrdered by importance. Each one is a bullet waiting for a result and a number.
- Read and interpret blueprints, technical drawings, schematics, or computer-generated reports.
- Research, design, evaluate, install, operate, or maintain mechanical products, equipment, systems or processes to meet requirements.
- Specify system components or direct modification of products to ensure conformance with engineering design, performance specifications, or environmental regulations.
- Confer with engineers or other personnel to implement operating procedures, resolve system malfunctions, or provide technical information.
- Investigate equipment failures or difficulties to diagnose faulty operation and recommend remedial actions.
- Recommend design modifications to eliminate machine or system malfunctions.
- Research and analyze customer design proposals, specifications, manuals, or other data to evaluate the feasibility, cost, or maintenance requirements of designs or applications.
- Oversee installation, operation, maintenance, or repair to ensure that machines or equipment are installed and functioning according to specifications.
- Provide technical customer service.
- Assist drafters in developing the structural design of products, using drafting tools or computer-assisted drafting equipment or software.
05Software and tools
O*NET92 tools across 24 categories. The six largest categories are below; Hot marks a hot technology, In demand a tool employers ask for most often.
- The MathWorks MATLABHotIn demand
- Statistical softwareIn demand
- ANSYS simulation softwareIn demand
- Minitab
- Mathsoft Mathcad
- Finite element method FEM software
- Data acquisition software
- Computational fluid dynamics CFD software
- Failure mode and effects analysis FMEA software
- MAYA Nastran
- Motion analysis software
- Video analysis software
- Design of experiments DOE software
- Reliability analysis software
- ReliaSoft Weibull++ 6
- Grid generation software
- Life cycle cost software
- Accelerated life testing software
- Blue Ridge Numerics CFDesign
- Mesh generation software
- Modal analysis software
- ReliaSoft Alta 6 Pro
- ReliaSoft BlockSim
- Sigmetrix CETOL 6 Sigma
- Statistical energy analysis SEA software
- Autodesk AutoCADHotIn demand
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorksHotIn demand
- Bentley MicroStationHotIn demand
- Autodesk RevitHotIn demand
- Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3DHotIn demand
- Dassault Systemes CATIAIn demand
- PTC Creo ParametricIn demand
- ZemaxIn demand
- Computer aided design and drafting software CADD
- Reverse engineering software
- SolidWorks COSMOSWorks
- Failure assessment software
- InnovMetric PolyWorks
- Intergraph Plant Design System PDS
- Lambda Research OSLO
- Metrix Imageware Surfacer
- Optical analysis software
- UGS I-DEAS
- CHotIn demand
- Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications VBAHotIn demand
- Microsoft Visual BasicHot
- National Instruments LabVIEWIn demand
- VerilogIn demand
- Adobe ActionScript
- MUMPS M
- Ladder Logic
- Hewlett-Packard HP Graphics Language HPGL
- Rockwell Automation software
- PuppetHot
- ChefHot
- Perforce Helix software
- Microsoft OutlookHotIn demand
- IBM Notes
- Microsoft Exchange
- SAP softwareHotIn demand
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
- Adobe IllustratorHotIn demand
- Trimble SketchUp ProHotIn demand
- SmugMug Flickr
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
- Human machine interface HMI software
- Computer numerical control CNC software
- 1CadCam Unigraphics
- Rapid prototyping software
- Microsoft AccessHotIn demand
- Microsoft SQL ServerHotIn demand
- ESRI ArcGIS softwareHotIn demand
- Geographic information system GIS softwareIn demand
- Microsoft ProjectHotIn demand
- Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio ManagementHot
- Teradata DatabaseHot
- Microsoft SharePointHotIn demand
- Cost estimating software
- Blink
- Bill of materials software
- Microsoft Office softwareHotIn demand
- Shell scriptHotIn demand
- Microsoft PowerPointHotIn demand
- Microsoft VisioHotIn demand
- Microsoft ExcelHotIn demand
- Microsoft WordHotIn demand
06Education and preparation
O*NET07Putting it on your resume
ResumeXRays guidanceLead with what you built. For a Job Zone 4 role, hiring managers and parsers both look for outcomes before credentials. Put two or three results at the top of each job entry, with the scale or effect stated plainly.
Name the tools exactly. This occupation is heavy on named software. A skills section that says "The MathWorks MATLAB, Autodesk AutoCAD, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks, Bentley MicroStation" matches more job descriptions than a general phrase. Use the spelling employers use.
Show critical thinking and reading comprehension, not just active listening. Critical thinking and reading comprehension rank close to active listening for this occupation. One bullet per role that shows a decision, a tradeoff or a result covers them.
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