You’re serious about your engineering skills, and you always work like a well-oiled machine. This guide will help you create a manufacturing engineer resume that’s made-to-spec.
Aleksandra Makal
Career Expert
Looking for a new job is like starting up a new production line or having to retool—there are a lot of moving pieces, and they all have to work.
This article will help you put all the pieces together. It will show you how to create a manufacturing engineer resume that skyrockets the OEE value… and wins jobs.
In this guide:
A manufacturing engineer resume sample better than most.
How to write a manufacturing engineer resume that stands out.
How to target your manufacturing engineer job description.
Expert hints to increase your chances of landing an interview.
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My previous resume was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful! George
Methodical and committed manufacturing engineer with 5+ years of experience designing, programming, and building custom machines for a variety of industries. At Boeing, led a team of 21 technicians and engineers to develop, design and implement integrated section and plans to ensure build statement of work, technical and customer requirements are achieved. Improved manufacturing methods of outsourced parts resulting in savings of over $600,000 annually. Seeking to improve product quality and reduce costs for Neoben.
Licensure
PE license in the State of Wisconsin #79193
Experience
Manufacturing Engineer
Boeing
January 2017-February 2020
Solid working knowledge of vendor/supplier relationship management strategies. Developed layout and production flow, resulting in 65% reduction in material handling resources.
Reduced scrap production from 33% to 12% utilizing new production method.
Generated weekly and daily reports on production numbers.
Trained and mentored various engineers to ensure smooth adoption of new policies and procedures.
Manufacturing Engineer
Uniro
November 2014-January 2017
In charge of 25 work stations on the line to manufacture engine parts with advanced designs.
Assisted in organization of projects in the range of $100,000 up to $1M.
Created over $75,000 in annual cost savings through automation, system upgrades, and reuse of system components
Assisted in developing tooling, layout design, staffing requirements, purchasing of equipment and pilot run for new product lines.
1. Start With Properly Formatting Your Manufacturing Engineer Resume
Before you start writing, you should make sure that the format of your resume is set. Why is it so important? Well—
Recruiters are big on proper formatting. This is where you can prove that you have an eye for detail and perfectionist tendencies. Moreover, typos and grammatical mistakes make your communication skills appear weak. So, let’s polish your formatting first:
Pick a classic resume font like Calibri, Arial, Helvetica or Times New Roman.
Set 1-inch resume margins on all 4 sides of the document.
How long should a resume be? We recommend applying with a 1-page resume to most engineering jobs. A two-page resume is acceptable if you are a highly experienced candidate.
Now you can insert a proper resume header with your details and contact information.
2. Buy Them With a Persuasive Summary Statement (or Objective)
Before prototype development, it's crucial to establish a clear user profile for the product. The same goes for a resume. You have to present yourself in a way, that persuades a prospective employer, that you are indeed, the perfect candidate for the job.
Your professional resume summary should be 3-4 sentences long and highlight your qualifications and accomplishments. Use numbers and metrics to demonstrate the significance of your achievements.
Use these tips:
Sentence #1: Start with a potent resume word + “manufacturing engineer” + years of experience.
Sentence #3: Personalize by mentioning the name of the company.
Let’s take a look at two examples:
Resume Summary for Manufacturing Engineer
The first example comes from a resume targeted to one specific job offer. It also shows the success of this prospective candidate’s past endeavors with the use of quantifiable results. And that’s a winning combination.
If you look at the first example, you can notice that for your resume objective statement, you can use your academic accomplishments to your advantage for landing that dream position. Make use of any experience that’s relevant to the job offer: scholarships, honors, projects, even volunteer work can work to your advantage.
3. Wow Them With Your Work Experience and Skills Sections
Your work experience section is the turbine of your resume that can get you way ahead of the competition. Get it right, and your phone will be ringing off the hook. Here’s how to get started:
Manufacturing Engineer Experience on a Resume
Start off with your most recent experience and go backwards from there.
For each role, remember to list the following: position title, company name, dates of employment.
Next, write 3-4 bullet points describing your responsibilities and specific duties. But don’t just list what you did. Use numbers and metrics to clearly demonstrate your impact.
Tailor your work experience section by using specific phrases from the job ad.
For a job ad calling for: knowledge of management strategies, reporting, training, tool development and project management, a targeted job description section should look something like this:
So basically, your resume keywords will be different depending on the position you are applying for. In order to pick them out, scan the job advertisement carefully and really think about which requirements are critical for the employer.
If you fit those criteria, you need to show those skills off in a way that’s easy to understand by humans and computers. Why computers? Well—
Before anyone lays eyes on your application, it is first scanned by an ATS system that helps determine whether you are a good fit. It identifies the phrases and words specified by the employer, so if you want to be considered, you’ll need to include those resume keywords in your resume.
Expert Hint: Studies show that up to 90% of large corporations use some kind of applicant tracking system (ATS), which is why targeting your resume for a particular position is crucial.
Now that you’ve crafted your job description section, it’s time to list your skills.
The skills that you put on your resume are going to be one of the first things a recruiter will be looking at on your resume. Make sure you are truthful and not exaggerating about anything. Here’s a list that just might be yours.
Manufacturing Engineer Skills Resume
Six Sigma Principles
Data reporting
Lean Manufacturing
Time management
Leadership skills
Decision-making skills
MS Office
Analytical skills
EP&C
ERP
SAP
Commercial awareness
Team working skills
Project management
Troubleshooting
Tech net
Ultrasonic welding
Auto-CAD
ANSYS
Solid Works
FMEA
Critical thinking
Negotiation skills
Matlab
Expert Hint: Look for hard skills that are mentioned more than once in a job posting: machinery and technical abilities, methodologies, types of software, languages. Make sure to phrase them exactly like in the job description for an ATS-friendly resume.
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4. Include a Jaw-Dropping Education Section
A well-written education section will significantly reinforce your application. Yeah, your experience and certifications are the building blocks of your manufacturing engineer career, but your education is what holds it all together—the binder.
You’ve survived through one of the hardest degree programs there are, so why not show that off? Had exceptional education achievements? Scholarships? Graduated magna cum laude? Even better! Let’s look at an example of how to list education on a resume:
Expert Hint: There are many ways to describe a degree—a Bachelor of Science can be listed as B.S., BS, BSc, or B.sc. If you’re not sure which abbreviation to use—think resume keywords. Go back to the job advertisement. If it says BA, write BA, if it’s described otherwise, use the exact same abbreviation on your resume to make it ATS-compatible.
5. Add Extra Sections to Elevate Your Manufacturing Engineer Resume
The last part of your resume layout: Additional information sections. Show the plant manager that you’re not just a plain off-the-shelf product, but a purpose-built machine that’s made to succeed. Keep in mind—
There’s a right way to list bonus resume sections. First of all, list only the things that are relevant to the position: certifications, activities that are somehow connected to the job, things that show you are a people-person and have drive.
Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.
Key Points
To create a manufacturing engineer resume that lands interviews, make sure that:
The resume format has the right margins, font size & style, and that it fits onto 1 page.
The job description and education sections are in reverse chronological order.
Your skills and achievements are tailored to the job description.
You use numbers and metrics to show your accomplishments.
You’ve included a solid manufacturing engineer cover letter.
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Written byAleksandra Makal
Aleksandra is a career expert with a solid professional background in various industries. At ResumeLab, she shares her knowledge, insights and expertise with all applicants looking to make a career move with a perfect resume and cover letter that guarantee recognition and success.