Maintenance Technician Resume Example

After reading this guide, you'll know what it takes to create a resume that really stands out from other maintenance technician applicants. The article will take you through the key steps of creating a resume that presents your key skills, qualities and career achievements in a format that employers favor. It will also help you tailor your resume according to your unique skills and experience level. Continue reading to find the best maintenance technician resume tips from careers experts at Jobseeker.

Core sections to include in a maintenance technician resume

The key sections to include in a maintenance technician resume are similar to those for any role or profession. A resume for candidates with little or no work experience may focus less on the work experience section, and bring sections to the fore that emphasize their skills, such as hobbies and interests, volunteer work, education, projects and skills lists.

How you choose to present your resume is up to you. There are plenty of options for a professional resume layout and format, but every application should include the following:

Resume Header with Contact Details

Your maintenance technician resume header is the place to add your contact details. Start by adding your full name and underneath, include your email address, phone number and location. Adding your LinkedIn profile, if you have one, can help the employer get a better insight into your skills and industry expertise. You don't need to include any additional personal information or a photo. Keep your header clear and concise, with only the most necessary information included. Opt for a stylish, professional design that creates a strong first impression.

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 Summary

The next section is the resume summary. The section might also be called 'resume objective' or 'personal profile'. This is a brief introduction to you, your key skills and your career achievements and ambitions. While a resume summary focuses on your career achievements and experience, a resume objective typically focuses on your ambitions for the future. Always make sure your summary reflects the job description and highlights some of the key skills required for maintenance technician roles.

Alternatively, you could use this section to reference your objectives and ambitions, and how this role would fit into your career journey.

The best resume summaries reflect the job description and focus on qualities that are relevant to working as a maintenance technician, while highlighting elements of your personality that make you an ideal candidate. They also quantify the information provided with evidence. See below for some great examples of how to approach your maintenance technician resume.

On the other hand, a resume summary can be ineffective if it lacks specific information about how your skills align with the job description, or fails to paint a picture of your unique qualities and talents. See above for some examples of things to avoid when writing your maintenance technician resume summary.

Hard and Soft Skills

The skills section is one of the main ways to show employers you've got the skills required for maintenance technician roles. Whether your skills include HVAC system repair, time management or any other useful skills for the role, you'll want to list them here. Once more, review the job description and pick out any key maintenance technician skills listed that match yours. Focus on these skills and any other key transferable skills that make you a strong candidate for the job.

Highlighting your hard skills

In your hard skills list, include any specific abilities related to the role you're applying for. These could be technical skills or industry knowledge that showcases your expertise in your chosen profession. Furthermore, an extensive list of hard skills helps to make a compelling case for your maintenance technician job applications, as they show employers your understanding of the maintenance technician role. Add up to five key hard skills that show you're an ideal candidate for the role. It can also be beneficial to add context to each skill, showing how you've used it to positive effect in your career to date.

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 a maintenance technician resume below.

Listing soft skills on your maintenance technician resume

Soft skills are your transferable skills and personal qualities that make you a good match for a maintenance technician position and the organization. Soft skills tend to be more universal than hard skills, and can often apply to multiple jobs and industries. Indeed, transferable skills are growing in importance in the modern world of work, so make sure you include several of these in your resume. It's best to aim for four or five soft skills that match the job description and reflect your strongest personal qualities.

A good soft skills section would include skills that match the job description, and also reflect your key strengths and qualities. See the graphic below for an indication of what to include in a strong soft skills section for a maintenance technician resume.

Education

Under education, add details of any degrees or professional qualifications relevant to maintenance technician roles.

A maintenance technician role tends to require candidates to have a university or college degree, so make sure you list yours in your resume. A Bachelor of Science in Industrial Maintenance Technology degree or similar is the most suitable for this job, but you could also include any other relevant qualifications that show your mechanical troubleshooting skills or PLC programming expertise.

Include any qualifications relevant to the role. For each, add the name and level of the award, the institution name, its location and your dates of study. You can also add some bullet points outlining any high grades, awards you won or specialist subjects you studied. Adding this information will show the employer your dedication to learning and your areas of specialist knowledge.

Additionally, mentioning any leadership roles or any societies and clubs you participated in while studying shows proactivity and initiative.

Relevant Certifications and Licenses

Under this section, list any relevant certifications or licenses that are relevant to maintenance technician jobs. You could list accreditations for certain professional roles or licenses for certain activities that help to make you a strong candidate. Therefore, include the details of any licenses and professional certifications required for maintenance technician roles, along with completion dates so employers can see you're up-to-date.

See below for some suggestions of relevant certifications for a maintenance technician resume:

Work History

In the next section, list your employment history focusing on the most relevant previous roles and achievements that showcase your maintenance technician skills. Include any relevant jobs you've held in reverse-chronological order. Start with your current or most recent roles and work back through previous roles. For each job, list your title, the name of the company, its location and the dates you worked there.

For each job listed in this section, add some bullet points so the employer can understand the skills you developed, and your achievements. Focus on showcasing the impact you made on the organization, and show evidence of how you made a difference.

A good resume work experience section includes your most relevant previous jobs and highlights your key achievements in each role. To make the best possible impression on hiring managers, make sure each entry in your work experience section references skills and experience listed in the job description, and shows how you added value to each role with quantifiable evidence and outcomes. See the examples below for some ideas of what a great resume work experience looks like.

See above for some of the pitfalls to avoid with your resume work experience section. A poor resume work experience section would typically use vague descriptions of activities in previous jobs, while focusing too much on responsibilities rather than achievements. Failing to focus on the skills and experience that match the job description is likely to harm your chances of success.

Optional Information

To provide further information on your suitability for the role, you could add some optional sections to a maintenance technician resume. Choose optional sections from the list below, if they help to showcase your relevant skills and experience.

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 maintenance technician experience. Only include hobbies and interests that showcase your personality and personal qualities, and add something different to your application.

Volunteer Experience

If you're lacking relevant maintenance technician work experience, volunteer work can help to show you still have the relevant skills. Add any voluntary roles, including your position, the name of the organization, the dates of your voluntary work and a brief explanation of your responsibilities and achievements.

References

It's not typical to include references in a maintenance technician resume, but some employers might ask for them. Don't add references unless requested by the employer. Be sure to prepare your referees in advance, so they've agreed to provide a reference and are ready to be contacted.

Best action words for your maintenance technician resume

Using strong action words to make your resume resonate with the employer. The suggested action verbs below will help the reader to understand your key qualities and the impact you made on the organization.

Jobseeker's resume templates were created by careers experts to help you produce a professional resume in minutes. You can also find cover letter templates to complete an eye-catching job application that gets you noticed.

Sample resume for maintenance technician positions

Now that you know everything that needs to go into your maintenance technician resume, let's review an example resume that you can use as a guide when creating your own:

How to make your resume ATS compliant

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) help recruiters and employers to manage their hiring process. They can handle some of the more time-consuming and resource-intensive jobs, such as initial screening of resumes. Employers often receive hundreds of applications per vacancy, and ATS software can quickly and accurately scan and rank resumes based on their likely suitability for any role. If you follow a few simple tips when writing your maintenance technician resume, you'll give yourself a better chance of ranking highly in the ATS screening and progressing to the next stage.

Follow these simple rules when writing your resume, to make sure it's ATS compliant:

• Adopt a traditional structure for your resume, such as a reverse-chronological format or a functional format. These are likely to be the easiest layouts for ATS software to scan.
• Use of job description keywords throughout your resume will help it rank higher in the ATS scanning stage, as it will more closely match the requirements laid out in the job description.
• 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.
• Use a resume design that includes clean, professional design elements to give your content space to breathe. This might include clear, readable fonts, subtle color accents and simple 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 points for your maintenance 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. Choose the most suitable resume format for your experience levels, and focus on tailoring your resume based on the requirements listed in the job description.

Using the professional resume templates and resources of Jobseeker can help you create a great-looking resume that stands out from other applicants. Sign up today and follow the simple steps to get started. Whatever job you're applying for, a professional cover letter can make all the difference to your chances. Use Jobseeker's HR-approved tools and cover letter examples to inspire your applications.

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