Automotive Technician Resume Example

After reading this article, you'll feel confident creating an automotive technician resume that effectively showcases your relevant skills and experience. You'll find useful insights on constructing a resume that makes the most of your unique skills, experience and strengths. You'll also learn how to tailor your resume according to the job description, and depending on your experience levels. Continue reading to find the best automotive technician resume tips from careers experts at Jobseeker.

Core sections to include in an automotive technician resume

Most resumes contain similar key sections, with an automotive technician resume being no different. If you're a candidate without much experience, you may wish to present your resume in a way that draws attention to your most valuable skills. These might not be in traditional work settings, so sections like education, projects, hobbies and skills can be more prominent.

While the content and format of your resume may vary depending on your experience levels, it's important to always include the following sections:

Resume Header

In your automotive technician resume header, list your name, email address, phone number and address or location. You can also add your LinkedIn, if you have one, to help employers better understand your work history and skills. While in some countries, you might include additional personal information or a photo, these aren't necessary. Be aware of the amount of space your resume header takes up. You don't want your contact details to take space away from the main content of your resume, so keep this section as brief as possible.

Opt for a professional-looking email address based on your name. If your email address could be construed as unprofessional or inappropriate because it contains nicknames or unsuitable language, create a new, more professional email address for your job applications. Always check your contact details to make sure they're up-to-date before you send your resume.

Resume Profile

In your resume summary, write a short paragraph that highlights two or three of your key achievements and skills for automotive technician roles. You could also call this section 'resume objective' or 'personal profile'. A resume summary covers your career experience to date, while a resume objective focuses more on your ambitions for the future. Additionally, make sure your resume summary reflects the job description and focuses on qualities that are relevant to working as an automotive technician.

Alternatively, focus on introducing your career ambitions, and why this role is a good fit, both for you and the organization.

A strong resume summary focuses on two or three key skills and achievements that showcase your suitability for automotive technician roles in a clear, quantifiable way. It also gives an insight into your personal qualities, to help the reader understand why you're a suitable candidate. See below for some great examples of what to include in your automotive technician resume summary.

On the other hand, an unsuccessful resume summary is one that mentions irrelevant skills, qualities and achievements and fails to differentiate you from other candidates. The graphic above shows some of the pitfalls to avoid when creating your resume summary.

Skills

Listing your key skills can help to prove your suitability for automotive technician jobs. These could be electrical systems, time management or various other relevant skills. Again, refer to the job description and make sure you include skills that the employer has listed as essential or desirable for employment as an automotive technician.

How to include hard skills on your automotive technician resume

Under hard skills, add any specialist skills you possess that are specifically required for automotive technician jobs. These tend to be technical skills and industry knowledge essential to the position. Furthermore, it's important to show these skills in an automotive technician resume as they provide a strong indication of your experience in the sector. Include around four or five key hard skills that are listed in the job description. These skills will help to convince the hiring manager that you're a good fit for the position.

The best resume hard skills sections focus on specific technical skills necessary for the job, showcasing skills that you have particular expertise in. There are some examples of valuable hard skills for an automotive technician resume below.

Showcasing your best soft skills

Soft skills are your transferable skills and personal qualities that make you a good match for an automotive technician position and the organization. Soft skills tend to be more universal than hard skills, and can often apply to multiple jobs and industries. In fact, as technology develops, soft skills are growing in importance for recruiters and employers, so be sure to add several of these to your resume. In this section, add four of five transferable skills that match the job description.

A strong soft skills section should play to your strengths, listing skills that reflect your personal qualities while also reflecting the skills listed in the job description. For some examples of good soft skills for an automotive technician resume, see below.

Education and Qualifications

In your education section, include details of your most relevant automotive technician qualifications and educational achievements.

Working as an automotive technician doesn't usually require a degree. Even though a degree-level education isn't a necessity, it's still important to highlight your key educational achievements, including a ASE Master Technician or other courses or training that showcases your engine diagnostics or brake systems.

Enter the name and level of the qualification, the institution you studied at, its location and your dates of study or graduation. If you have space, include some bullet points outlining any specialist areas of study, awards or high grades, so the employer can learn more about your unique skill set and knowledge.

Membership or leadership of any societies, clubs or causes while studying can also make a positive impression on hiring managers. Consider adding these to your education section for more insight into how you used your time as a student.

Certifications and Training

In your certifications section, list any professional certifications or licenses that are relevant to working as an automotive technician. You could list accreditations for certain professional roles or licenses for certain activities that help to make you a strong candidate. Therefore, list any official licenses and certifications, along with their dates, so employers can assess whether you've got the necessary qualifications to work as an automotive technician.

See below for some suggestions of relevant certifications for an automotive technician resume:

Work Experience

Under your work experience section, add any jobs you've had in the past that are relevant to the position of an automotive technician. Mention only the most appropriate and relevant jobs you've had in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent and working backwards. Add your job title, the name of the employer, the location of the role and your dates of employment.

Under each job entry, add several bullet points highlighting your responsibilities and achievements. Consult the job description for a list of the key requirements for the role and make sure your work experience section showcases how you meet these requirements.

The best resume work experience sections focus only on the most relevant previous jobs, and link each bullet point back to a skill or experience listed in the job description. It's also critical to provide evidence that shows the value you added to each role in a quantifiable way, such as project outcomes, key performance indicators or feedback from customers, colleagues or managers. Review some strong examples of resume work experience sections in the graphic below.

The example above can give you some idea of what not to include in your resume work experience section. Less effective resume work experience sections might take a more vague, descriptive approach to previous jobs. They focus on responsibilities and everyday duties rather than referencing career achievements and the value you've added for previous employers.

Optional Information

As well as the main sections of an automotive technician resume, optional sections can help you prove your credentials to employers. Take a look at the sections below and add any that help you show how and why you're right for the job.

Hobbies and Interests

Add any hobbies and interests that reinforce your credentials for the position. Hobbies can help you show different sides of your personality and make your resume more memorable to hiring managers. They're ideal to include if you're a junior candidate who might lack real world automotive technician experience. Just make sure any hobbies and interests you include in your resume add genuine insight into your personality, in ways other sections of the resume can't.

Volunteer Experience

This section can be valuable for an automotive technician resume, if you've done any voluntary work that showcases your relevant skills. List your volunteer job title, the organization you volunteered for, its location and the dates of your involvement, alongside a brief explanation of your responsibilities in the role.

References

It's not typical to include references in an automotive technician resume, but some employers might ask for them. Don't add references unless requested by the employer. Add two or three professional references, and be sure to approach each referee before you include them.

Best action words for your automotive technician resume

Add strong verbs to your work experience section to show the hiring manager the impact you made in your previous roles. Choose verbs from the suggestions below that highlight your key skills or those mentioned in the job description.

If you need help creating a resume that impresses HR managers, take a look at Jobseeker's professional resume templates. You can also access beautiful cover letter templates that help your application stand out.

Example of an automotive technician resume

The automotive technician resume example below includes all the sections above, so you can see how a completed resume looks:

How to make an ATS-friendly resume

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are increasingly taking responsibility for the management and processing of job applications, helping hiring practices to become more efficient. This can include screening resumes by scanning and ranking each application according to how closely it matches the job description. When writing your automotive technician resume, a few simple tips can help you pass the ATS stage with a higher-ranking resume, giving you a better chance of success with your applications.

Here are a few quick tips for creating an ATS-friendly resume:

• Opt for an established, traditional resume format such as a reverse-chronological or functional structure. These will ensure your resume includes all the necessary details ATS systems scan for.
• Add keywords that match the job description throughout your resume, as ATS applications scan for these and well-placed, considered use can help your resume rank more highly.
• Using clear, simple headings makes it easier for an ATS application to scan your resume, as it can easily identify what's in each section of your document.
• Adopt a clean, unfussy design that gives your content enough white space to breathe. Use professional, readable fonts and subtle use of color and other design elements.
• Use simple, concise language to keep your resume to a maximum of one to two pages in length. This will make it easier for ATS software to read.

Key takeaways for your automotive technician resume

The best resumes focus on your skills and the value you've added to previous roles, rather than focusing on your duties and responsibilities. Use a suitable resume format and tailor your resume for every application you submit.

Use Jobseeker's resume templates, other tools and resources to create an application that impresses employers. Sign up today to access a wealth of valuable resume and cover letter resources. Whether you're a junior or senior candidate, a professional cover letter can help to grab the attention of the employer. Jobseeker's cover letter examples were created by careers experts to provide useful tips and ideas for your cover letter.

Sources:

(1) Writing a Resume, California Department of Human Resources: https://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/Pages/resume-tips.aspx

(2) Resumes, Cover Letters and Job Applications, New York State Department of Labor: https://dol.ny.gov/resumes-cover-letters-and-job-applications