Mechanical Engineer Resume Sample & Writing Guide

Are you looking for your next Mechanical Engineering challenge? As a first step, have a look at our Mechanical Engineer resume sample.

The mechanical discipline of engineering is a very broad field. Mechanical engineers can be involved in research, product development, machine design, maintenance, quality control, reliability, validation, and testing, to name but a few. Mechanical Engineering jobs are available in virtually every industry on earth from medical devices to mines to consumer products.

Crafting a resume for a Mechanical Engineering role does not necessarily entail much writing (this is not a dissertation) however how you piece together the content of your resume will determine to a great extent the number of interview invites landing in your inbox.

In this write-up, you will gain access to guidelines, tips, and examples to assist you in creating a noteworthy application that will instantly spark the attention of recruiters and hiring managers.

Mechanical Engineer Resume Sample

(Free sample downloads are at the bottom of this page)

Mechanical Engineer Resume Writing Guide

Resume Sections

1. Contact Information:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Address
• Mobile Number
• Email Address
• LinkedIn/Alternative contact channels

2. Profile Summary:
This should be a compelling elevator pitch, enticing recruiters to look further into your resume. Your career summary must be written in a single paragraph (4-6 lines), setting the tone the rest of your resume by highlighting the most noteworthy experience, core competencies/strengths, and qualifications. (see examples below)

3. Qualifications:
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and bachelor’s degree is compulsory for most entry-level roles in mechanical engineering. Also, note that not just any Mechanical Degree would cut it. Employers prefer degree programs accredited by ABET, which is the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

4. Relevant Mechanical Engineering Experience:
It can get quite tricky to balance quality and quantity when describing your mechanical engineering experience. Always ask yourself what is most pertinent to the job advertisement when listing your duties. Work history should be presented in reverse chronological order with the correct dates (month and year). Bullet points are preferred for two reasons. Firstly, because they keep the visual aspect of the resume neat and legible and secondly, it assists with keeping descriptions concise and to the point.

5. Other Employment Experience:
If you are at entry-level or still in a junior role (less than five years working experience) you may want to include details about internships, part-time employment gained during your studies or vacation employment during high school years to ‘’beef’’ up your content.

6. Skills Summary/Key Skills:
Specifics are crucial in this section. Don’t waste space by including generic skills. Make sure that you include technical, soft skills throughout your resume document for extra validity and credibility.

7. Licenses/Certifications/Relevant Coursework/Training:
USA regulation requires a mechanical engineer offering a service to the general public directly, to have a state license. This license is obtained by completing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. Then the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam must be completed to gain a Professional Engineering (PE) certification (after gaining a minimum of four years of working experience). Other certifications are offered by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Be sure to list licenses and certifications and also indicate expiry dates. Continuous professional development (CPD) training in the form of courses and workshops may also be added in the education section.

What to Highlight in a Mechanical Engineer Resume

Mechanical engineering is a comprehensive field which may entail the design and manufacturing of anything from kitchen appliances to artificial organs.

The first aspect of addressing is the type of mechanical field you have experience in. Mechanical Engineering is divided into the following disciplines:

• Robotics:
  If you are working in this field, be sure to mention the machines and devices that you design or fabricate for remote automation. Robotics engineers can design very simple machinery, for instance, the ‘’arms’’ that fill ketchup bottles in a factory repetitively. Or, more complex equipment like the levers now used to perform medical procedures where a surgeon is controlling the lever of the robot directing its activities instead of operating himself. You may even be tasked with designing and building sensory equipment such as light or heat detectors which function as safety measures in a chemical plant where heat or light could cause hazardous explosions.
• Thermodynamics:
  Mechanical Engineers working in thermodynamics would concentrate their efforts on energy and the systems and applications used to transform or conserve energy for a variety of different uses. Be specific about the product, device, equipment let say a solar panel and also the system tools you utilize, for example, Autocad. Thermodynamics is also applicable to the design of power plants, propulsion systems or refrigeration and air conditioning.
• Nanotechnology:
  Working in this area has all to do with atoms, molecules where mechanical engineering concepts are applied to problem-solving at the smallest of scales. Presenting hiring managers with exactly what the product purpose is, would provide clarity regarding your technical knowledge. For instance, you may be designing nanobots or nano factories to be used in diagnostics in the medical environment.
• Manufacturing:
  In this field, mechanical engineers would look at efficient and effective methodologies to convert raw materials into a finished product. For example, working in a food plant where cookies are made. Or, in a gold mine where extraction of gold flakes from rock deposits needs to be facilitated by using specific equipment and tools. Alternatively, you could be involved in the design and production of product items such as cars, airplanes, or recreational equipment.
• Auto Engineering:
  An innovative environment where continuous improvement, development, and design go hand in hand with researching new solutions to increase performance by fuel-efficiency or aerodynamic solutions.

Now that you have described the field you are in, it’s time to elaborate what your daily tasks entail (functional purpose of your role). Mechanical Engineering duties are divided into the following subsections. You may be involved with more than one sub-area or be a technical specialist in just one part of the development and production process.

• Analysis:
  Analyzing products, processes, or machinery to identify areas of weakness that may be improved by tweaking a system or changing products’ inner workings.
• Design:
  Once a problem is identified and a solution discovered the development process commences using analysis and computer-aided design software. Mechanical engineers can be responsible for designing machines, engines tools, equipment to create a working product itself or development functionality, aesthetics, and durability of existing products.
• Development:
  Design work and development of products often coincide within the same area of responsibility. Mechanical Engineers will develop and test prototypes of products, devices, machines, or systems, and then conceptualize them and commercialize the approved product.
• Investigation and Diagnostics:
  Mechanical Engineers tasked with investigation and diagnostics will either play devil’s advocate on a prototype before mass manufacturing is approved or inspect and conduct faultfinding and troubleshoot on an existing product or device monitoring equipment failures and the recommending remedial strategies. These activities will also involve simulations and testing under different environmental scenarios – think crash test dummies or flight simulators.
• Manufacturing Operations:
  The Mechanical Engineer is expected to oversee the manufacturing process for the product, machine, device, or tool which entails an in-depth understanding of the entire production process from inception to end product. Typically, the engineers walking around on the factory floor.
• Maintenance:
  A very large part of Mechanical Engineers are situated in a maintenance function. They are responsible for ensuring all products, machines, or systems are correctly functioning and appropriately utilized in their designed environment. Keywords you should incorporate in your job description includes reliability management, predictive maintenance, and preventative maintenance activities.

Next on the highlight list is the industry that you find yourself in. These are roughly segregated into automotive, computers and electronics, manufacturing, automation, power generation, infrastructure, medical devices, mining, gas and exploration, consumer goods, transport aerospace, and energy conservation to name but a few.

Each phase of engineering is important to a future hiring manager to validate if you can complete a project successfully. Next to follow is the scope of the projects you have worked on. Because the projects mechanical engineers engage in are so diverse, include some specific information about some of the most representative jobs you have completed while in each position. Think facts and figures here and provide project dollar values, time frames, sizing (square meters) and environment (underwater, underground, feet above ground). Also, mention if you were part industry disruptive innovation projects like the first underwater public transport system or first desalination plant in Africa.

Tools & Tech

Mechanical engineers rely heavily on computer technologies and applications to create designs, facilitate simulations, and conduct testing and validations. Make an impact by summarizing the tools and technologies you are familiar with in a table format such as the one below.

Mechanical Engineer Career Summary Examples

A career summary is a tool that serves a very specific purpose: to instantly communicate your potential value and proven capabilities to a prospective hiring manager. This ‘’personal branding statement’’ should be less about what you want out of your career (leave that for the interview) and more about your fit for the role.

A few dos and don'ts to remember:

• To mimic the language in the job offer
• Don’t use jargon
• Do spell out names in full
• Don’t use too many descriptive nouns

Considering that you are a Mechanical Engineer approach the compilation of your summary like you would approach a project….in stages.

• Stage 1: Lead with a compelling personal trait/verb and then job title
• Stage 2: Provide years of experience by a number
• Stage 3: State the primary purpose of your job integrated with two special competencies (or outstanding qualities)
• Stage 4: List highest degree, certification or qualification attained
• Stage 5: Now time yourself while reading the script out loud (should be less than 30 seconds)

Examples:

Career Summary 1

Meticulously organized junior Mechanical Engineer with a head for data assimilation and research methodologies to spearhead innovative product design and development. Skilled in machine and firmware coding with a strong theoretical foundation in engineering mechanics of adhesive bonding, brazing, soldering, and welding materials. Currently pursuing the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam.

Career Summary 3

Technically orientated Mechanical Engineer with over six years of experience in reliability and maintenance activities within a clean room environment. Highly adept with mechanics supporting sanitation systems and equipment. Completed a Masters's Degree in Thermodynamics and holds a Professional Engineering license.

Career Summary 3

Accomplished, project-focused Mechanical Engineer with more than twelve years of experience in program and project management from prototype to commercialization and a guru in Stage-Gate. Recognized for valuable contributions in product improvements and efficiencies, resulting in a 90% FDA approval rate for the company. Certified Project Management Professional with uninterrupted Professional Engineer status.

Mechanical Engineer Job Descriptions & Examples

The career progression of a Mechanical Engineer is depicted by various stages which provides standardization to job titles and experience levels

Examples

A Mechanical Engineer Stage I (0-2 Years’ Experience) may:

• Design product concepts, build prototypes and conduct testing and validation on Class I medical devices
• Establish ongoing relationships with potential overseas private equity firms to secure funding for commercialization of pilot products
• Interact with potential manufacturers and create proposals to set up assembly lines, packaging requirements and production specifications
• Define product specifications, wrote inspection and testing manuals and draft failure analysis reports
• Propose design improvements and redesign suggestions to the product development team to correct problems with prototypes

A Mechanical Engineer Stage II (2-4 Years’ Experience) may:

• Support the entire production process regarding quality inspections and cost improvement initiatives.
• Collaborate with mechanical packaging-designers and electrical engineers to define upcoming projects in terms of timeframes, financial resources, and allocation of labor
• Create 2D and 3D schematics and drawings on Solidworks and AutoCAD
• Monitor project progress, record test results, write quality reports and submit to senior engineer for final approval

A Mechanical Engineer Stage III (4-7 Years’ Experience) may:

• Test CNC machinery and equipment to ensure they function correctly and schedule preventative maintenance activities
• Coordinate reliability testing and devise planned maintenance schedules to coincide with commissioning activities
• Facilitate the safe testing and commissioning of all high voltage machinery and equipment
• Make sure all PLC are tested and maintained according to the operational requirements of the plant

A Mechanical Engineer Stage IV (7-10 Years’ Experience ) may:

• Drive Cost Reduction Project to reduce materials expenditure by thirty percent over eighteen months to save over $2 million on current and new products.
• Personally resolve all DFM, DFA and quality issues with OEM / ODM contract manufacturers and renegotiated service level agreements and delivery schedules with suppliers
• Mentor junior engineers on processes and procedures of lean manufacturing technologies applied to the entire product life cycle stages of all prototypes and pilot products
• Approve new design and drawing reviews, tolerance analysis (GD&T) and packaging proposals

A Mechanical Engineer Stage V (10 Years’ and beyond) may:

• In charge of entire production plant including operations, quality control and plant maintenance activities
• Manage daily workloads of the quality engineers, and mechanical engineering team
• Ensure timely completion of start-up and commissioning processes for two semiconductor operations
• Provide leadership to coordinate design, development and commission projects

(You can create a resume with the building tool, and download unlimited, different designs!)

Highlight Your Accomplishments

A Mechanical Engineering resume can get very technical, and you do not want to overwhelm recruiters and hiring managers with so much detail that the most significant features of your experience get lost in terminologies.

An accomplishment section will help to draw their attention to your potential value add regarding the position.  Candidates are sometimes confused about what to include in an accomplishment section. In short, brag, boast and sell yourself by including the projects you are most proud of, where you were commended for your contribution by your superiors, and of course where you added value to the bottom line by either saving costs or making money.

Examples:

• Part of the product development team that conceptualized more than 15 thermal devices in the last quarter and received a 100% pre-approval rating for all prototypes presented
• Automated the product specification reports which resulted in the lead time from specification to prototype design decreasing by six weeks on average
• Attained a 50% reduction in maintenance expenses with a rollout of a routine preventative maintenance program for all production equipment at the facility
• Improved the undisrupted equipment reliability by adding two extra planned maintenance schedules per quarter resulting in zero shutdowns due to machine failures in the last 12 months
• Responsible for reliability testing of more than 30 pieces of outdated machinery and improved their efficiency by 70% with minor design tweaks

There are two golden rules to adhere to relevance and quantification. Your accomplishments listed should be aligned to your field of expertise, and you need to prove these statements with facts, figures, and numerical values.

Mechanical Engineer Education Section

There is a wide variety of educational options for Mechanical Engineers, as we have discussed at the beginning of our resume guide. Regardless of the discipline choice, all aspiring Mechanical Engineers have to adhere to specific requirements and regulations regarding education, accreditation and licensing.

Step 1: Complete a Bachelors from an ABET-accredited engineering program

Step 2: Pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam

Step 3: Accumulate at least four years of working experience under a licensed engineer’s supervision

Step 4: Complete the Professional Engineering (PE) exam to obtain an engineering license

List your Mechanical Engineering education as follows:

Date of commencement and completion of qualification followed by qualification name, the institution attended, location, and state.

Examples:

2019 – Professional Engineering (PE) Exam, National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), Seneca, South Carolina

2016 – 2018 Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC
Thesis Topic: Micro-electromechanical systems design and design optimization in Class II Medical Device applications

2017 – Certified Mechanical Inspector, The International Association for Plumbing and Mechanical Inspectors, Los Angeles, CA

2016 – Certified Manufacturing Engineer, Society for Manufacturing Engineers, Deerborn, MI

2016 – Advanced Civil 3D and Reality Capture, CAD Masters Inc., Sacramento, CA

2016 – Certified HVAC Designer, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Atlanta, GA

2016 – 3D, Revit and Navisworks Course, Applied Software Training Center, Atlanta, GA

2015 – Master of Science: Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

2011 – 2014 Bachelor of Science: Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN
GPA of 3.75
Curriculum: Mechanics of Materials, Visual Thinking, Mechanical Systems Design. Thermodynamics

 Mechanical Engineer Resume Skills

Technical aptitude or hard skills as recruiters call them are developed via education, training, and experience gained. However, the job of a mechanical engineer is also dependent on the ability to interact with people (not every engineering function involves robots that can’t talk back). Soft skills or interpersonal traits are required to perform your role successfully.

A great approach to specifying hard skills and soft skill is to present a matrix in your resume, including your most prominent technical competencies and personality traits.

Also, remember to incorporate these skills into your career summary and accomplishment statements to set a professional tone throughout your resume document.

Qualifications/Certifications associated with Mechanical Engineers

Action Verbs for your Mechanical Engineer Resume

Professional Information on Mechanical Engineers

Sectors: Various
Career Type:  Engineering, Planning, Design & Programming, Evaluating, Evaluation & Assessment, Maintenance, Project Implementation & Execution, Product Development, Research, Testing
Person type:  Leader, Designer, Planner, Executor, Implementer, Analyzer, Inspector, Tester, Developer
Education levels: Bachelor Degrees to Doctorate Degrees
Salary Indication: 

Labor market: Estimated 9% between 2016 – 2026 (USA Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Organizations: Various

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