Manufacturing Engineer Resume Example

After reading this article, you'll feel confident creating a manufacturing engineer resume that effectively showcases your relevant skills and experience. The guide will show you practical examples of how to structure your resume to show off your best and most relevant skills and career achievements. It will also show you how to tailor your resume according to the job description and your unique skill set. Read on to access expert insights from Jobseeker that will help you create a winning manufacturing engineer resume.

Main elements of a manufacturing engineer resume

Most resumes contain similar key sections, with a manufacturing engineer resume being no different.

Your resume layout and structure may differ depending on your experience levels, but make sure your resume includes the following:

Header and Personal Information

A manufacturing engineer resume header contains your name and contact information. Add your first and last name, your phone number and your email address. Include your address or location, but avoid adding any other personal information. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can add the URL to your header so the hiring manager can get a better understanding of your work history and experience. Make your resume header clear, concise and as brief and compact as possible. Consider different layouts that spread the information horizontally across the page rather than using a different line for each piece of information.

Use an email address that's professional and appropriate for professional communication. Typically this would be an email address based on your first and last name, or your initials. If necessary, you could include your profession or another unique identifier. Avoid using old email addresses that could be considered unprofessional or inappropriate. Additionally, always check your contact details before sending your resume to ensure they're up-to-date.

Resume Objective

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. Additionally, make sure your resume summary reflects the job description and focuses on qualities that are relevant to working as a manufacturing engineer.

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

A good resume summary is short and snappy, and focused on the skills and experience listed in the job description, with evidence to back it up. It will also help the reader to form their first impressions of you by providing an insight into your personality and unique qualities. The graphic below showcases some good examples of what to include in your manufacturing engineer resume summary.

Alternatively, a poor resume summary would include bland, generic information that does little to prove your suitability for the role, while failing to provide any useful insights on you as a person or as a candidate. In the graphic above you can find some negative examples of how to write a resume summary.

Work Experience

In the next section, list your employment history focusing on the most relevant previous roles and achievements that showcase your manufacturing engineer skills. For each entry, list the job title, the name of the employer, its location and the dates you worked there. Add each job in reverse-chronological order, starting with your current or most recent role.

Also include some bullet points for each job mentioned, showcasing your achievements so the employer can see the impact you made on the company. Pay attention to the job description and make sure each point is relevant to manufacturing engineer roles.

A good work experience section pulls the reader in with clear examples of where you've put the skills necessary for the job into good use in your career to date. This typically includes evidence of how your skills and activities contributed to positive outcomes for the organization. Take a look at the examples below for some guidance on what works best for your work experience section.

The example above can give you some idea of what not to include in 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.

Education

The education section provides space to list your highest and most recent academic achievements that are relevant to working as a manufacturing engineer.

If you're applying for manufacturing engineer positions you'll typically need to have a degree. A Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering will usually help your chances of success. You could also list any qualifications that demonstrate your PLC programming expertise or CAD software proficiency.

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. Include bullet points to show any specialist modules you studied, awards or exceptional grades and achievements that can set you apart from other candidates. These will all contribute to creating a positive impression on employers.

If you took part in any volunteering or you were a leader or member of any university societies, you could also mention these in your education section.

Hard and Soft Skills

The skills section of a manufacturing engineer resume is a chance to list any skills you have that match those of the job description. You could include PLC programming expertise, attention to detail or any other skills that show you're a suitable candidate. Again, include any skills that match those listed in the job description. Focus particularly on technical skills required for manufacturing engineer jobs and transferable skills that show your qualities as a manufacturing engineer.

How to include hard skills on your manufacturing engineer resume

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, your list of hard skills provides a strong indication to the reader of your expertise in manufacturing engineer roles, and how well you'll fit into the position. Aim to include four or five key hard skills. If you have space, explain how and where you've used that skill to create successful outcomes in your career. These skills will demonstrate your credentials and show how you meet the job description.

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 manufacturing engineer resume below.

Soft skills on your manufacturing engineer resume

Soft skills are your transferable skills and personal qualities that make you a good match for a manufacturing engineer 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. Aim to include approximately five soft skills that reflect the skills listed in 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 a manufacturing engineer resume, see below.

Licenses and Certifications

In your certifications section, list any professional certifications or licenses that are relevant to working as a manufacturing engineer. You could list accreditations for certain professional roles or licenses for certain activities that help to make you a strong candidate. Therefore, add any professional licenses or certifications, along with valid dates that show they're still valid.

See below for some suggestions of relevant certifications for a manufacturing engineer resume:

Optional Sections

If you need to provide further evidence of your suitability for the job, optional sections can be useful for a manufacturing engineer resume. Pick from the optional sections below to help show the employer you have the skills and experience for the job.

Hobbies and Interests

Listing your hobbies and interests can reveal key qualities that some employers may value. Your hobbies and interests are useful for a manufacturing engineer resume if you want to show a different side to your personality, or to stand out among other candidates. They can also be valuable if you're a junior candidate without much relevant work 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 Work

Voluntary work can help you develop useful skills, so it's a valuable addition to your manufacturing engineer resume. Add your volunteer job title or role, the name of the organization, its location and the dates you were involved.

References

It's not typical to include references in a manufacturing engineer 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 manufacturing engineer resume

Using strong action words to make your resume resonate with the employer. Add strong verbs from the list below to create a greater impact with your work experience section.

For help creating an eye-catching resume design to catch the attention of hiring managers, see Jobseeker's professional resume layouts. You can also use our clear, effective cover letter templates to complete your application.

Sample manufacturing engineer resume

Using each of the sections above, we've created this example manufacturing engineer resume, to help guide you when creating your own:

How to make an ATS-friendly resume

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is just one of the tools employers and recruiters can use to streamline their hiring practices. This typically includes screening candidates by scanning and ranking their resumes based on their likely suitability for any vacancy. When writing your manufacturing engineer 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.

Create an ATS-optimized resume by following these quick tips:

• 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.
• Add keywords throughout your resume that help ATS software match your application to the job description. A higher match means your application is more likely to proceed to be reviewed by human eyes.
• Use clear headings that break your resume up into readable, scannable sections that match the standard content employers expect from a resume.
• Adopt a resume design that uses clear, professional design principles and leaves white space for your content to breathe. Use the most readable fonts and incorporate subtle design elements to enhance the readability of your document.
• Keep your resume as concise as possible, to make it easier to read, and for ATS software to scan.

Takeaways for a winning manufacturing engineer 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. Pick a resume format that matches your experience levels, and tailor the content of your resume to reflect the details of the job description.

HR-approved resume templates and other tools by Jobseeker are the easiest way to create a winning job application. Sign up and follow the simple instructions to complete a resume that stands out from the crowd. A stylish, professional cover letter can make all the difference to your job prospects. See Jobseeker's cover letter examples, written by careers experts, to help you craft an eye-catching application.

Sources:

(1) Tips for Writing a Federal Resume, U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/general/jobs/tips-for-writing-a-federal-resume

(2) Resume Tips, Duke University: https://careerhub.students.duke.edu/resources/resume-tips/