Mechanical Engineer CV—Examples and 25+ Writing Tips

Warning—

The best jobs get crowded with applicants.

How can you stand out?

It’s a design problem. First understand the job. Then instal the right achievements in your mechanical engineering CV.

In this guide:

• A mechanical engineer CV sample better than most.
• How to make an integrated mechanical engineer job description for CVs.
• How to write a CV for mechanical engineer jobs they’ll notice.
• Why you can’t just list mechanical engineer skills (and what you can do).

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Not sure you need a mechanical engineering CV? See our guide:

• Entry Level Mechanical Engineer CV
• Engineering CV
• Electrical Engineer CV
• Network Engineer CV
• Software Engineer CV
• Engineering Student CV

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our CV Examples.

Mechanical Engineer CV Sample You Can Copy and Use

Here’s how to write a mechanical engineer CV that works:

1. Select Your Mechanical Engineer CV Format

What’s the #1 reason job applicants get nixed?

Lack of relevant experience.

The #2 reason?

Poor CV formatting.

That’s according to a recent survey of 150+ recruiters.

Yet formatting your mechanical engineering CV is such an easy step.

Here’s the schema:

Mechanical Engineer CV Format

• Start with reverse-chronological formatting for CVs.
• Good fonts for CVs are Cambria, Georgia, and Helvetica. Choose one.
• Include white space and 1-inch margins.
• Stick to 1-page length for your CV unless you’ve got lots of eye-popping achievements.
• Use these CV sections: Heading, Objective, Experience, Education, and Skills.

Expert Hint: Save your CV in the PDF format. PDFs adapt well to different devices. They also do just fine in ATS hiring software.

2. Write a Mechanical Engineer CV Objective or Summary

Think fast.

You’ve only got six seconds to interest that recruiter.

That’s why your mechanical engineer CV needs a career objective or career summary.

Do it well, and you’ll look like Nikola Tesla seeking work.

Use:

1. An adjective (team-player, energetic)
2. The words “mechanical engineer”
3. Years of experience (2+, 8+)
4. Who/how you’ll help (facilitate efficiency at Raytheon)
5. Best mechanical engineer achievements (cut costs 22%...)
6. A couple skills (leadership, production design)

These mechanical engineering CV examples show the specs:

Mechanical Engineer CV Summary—Example

Team-player mechanical engineer with 8+ years of experience. Seeking to deliver engineering excellence for Lockheed Martin. At Northrop Grumman, cut costs 22% department-wide through better u-shaped cell layout. Instrumental in winning the re-compete for over £2.2B in contracts. Skilled in leadership and production design.

Experienced mechanical engineer, skilled in leadership and communication. Known for high-level skills in manufacturing production design and equipment installation layout. Can be counted on to collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve production efficiency and provide high-level solutions in the aerospace field. 

No comparison.

Your summary should be full of specifics. Company names, years, numbers, and skills.

But—

You can’t do that if you’re a new engineer.

In an entry-level mechanical engineering CV, talk up freelance work and projects.

Entry-Level Mechanical Engineer CV Objective

Energetic mechanical engineer, skilled in CAD design and prototyping. Seeking to facilitate efficiency at Raytheon. As freelancer, designed and developed 7 complex projects, including a remote-controlled forklift and a miniaturised conveyor system. All projects were completed 15% under budget and ahead of schedule.

Hard-working mechanical engineer, seeking steady work with a high-end company. Interested in expanding my strong skills in material handling layout and design. A quick study who can start next week.

Expert Hint: Design your mechanical engineer CV summary or objective last. Then you’ll get good details like “instrumental in winning the recompete for £2.2 billion.”

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your CV in our CV builder now.

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3. Lock in Your Mechanical Engineer Job Description and Skills Section

“You’re hired.”

Those are beautiful words.

But remember—

The #1 reason you won’t get hired is lack of relevant experience.

Your job?

Show relevance in your mechanical engineering CV.

To do it:

1. Scan the job offer for CV keywords.
2. Put evidence of them in your bullet points.

Look how these mechanical engineer CV examples do it:

The job ad wants these mechanical engineering skills: (1) production layout (2) Poka-Yoke (3) leadership.

Mechanical Engineer Job Description for CV [Sample]

Experience

Manufacturing Engineer

Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems

2016–2019 

• Designed manufacturing processes, procedures, and cell layouts, including equipment installation, machining, material handling, and assembly.
• Redesigned u-shaped cell production layout across entire department. Result: cut costs by 22% and slashed lead times by 20% over prior layout.
• Implemented a factory-wide Poka-Yoke drive that cut defects by 30% and lowered rework by 23%. Customer satisfaction scores rose by 35%.
• Led employee-idea program that reduced costs to the customer by 15% facility-wide. Result: facility won the re-compete for £2.2 billion in contracts.

• Designed manufacturing processes, procedures, and cell layouts, including equipment installation, machining, material handling, and assembly.
• Assisted with retrofitting of outdated machinery and equipment.
• Facilitated negotiation for purchasing of supplies.
• Performed troubleshooting on machinery and processes.

The key?

Both those mechanical engineer CV examples are the same applicant.

But—

One showed the holy grail of relevant experience.

What about an entry-level CV?

See the next mechanical engineer CV sample:

The job ad wants these mechanical engineer skills: (1) design of remote-control machinery (2) actuator development (3) CAD design (4) interpersonal skills (5) communication.

Entry-Level Mechanical Engineer CV Job Description [Sample]

Freelance Mechanical Engineer

2018–2019

• Designed a remote-controlled forklift to a customer's specifications.
• Developed actuators for automated seed-sowing robot.
• Assisted with design of miniaturised conveyor-belt system.
• Used CAD to design an automatic coconut scraper.
• Completed all freelance projects 15% under budget.

Driver

Uber

2015–2019

• Used strong interpersonal skills to earn 20% more tips than average drivers.
• Communicated with two other drivers to share an area with perfect coverage.

Driver

Uber

2015–2019

• Drove 30+ clients per day, 3+ days per week during school.
• Followed all company policies and procedures.
• Resolved customer issues and complaints.

Boom.

Again—relevant experience is your shining star.

Now, make it so.

1. Find the right CV skills in the job ad.
2. Mix hard skills and soft skills.

Here’s a list of mechanical engineering CV skills to start you off:

Key Skills for Mechanical Engineer CVs

Technical Skills	Soft Skills
Design	Interpersonal Skills
Production Layout	Analytical
Lean Manufacturing	Detail-Oriented
Workflow Development	Collaboration
Technical Report Writing	Organisation
Budgeting	Leadership
Product Testing	Adaptability
AutoCAD	Flexibility
Equipment Maintenance	Problem Solving
Research	Creativity

See a more comprehensive list of computer and software skills here.

 Expert Hint: There are dozens of potential mechanical engineer skills for CVs. Don’t ever try to list them all. Stick to your wheelhouse and to the online job posting.

4. Turn Standard Education to a Reason to Hire You

Here’s a tip to get noticed:

You know you need education in a mechanical engineer CV.

But—

If you just show your school, degree, and GPA, they’ll yawn.

To get attention, look again at that all-important job ad.

Then add a bullet or two to your CV education section that underpins their needs.

These mechanical engineering CV examples show how:

Mechanical Engineer Education—Example

Education

BS Mechanical Engineering, California Polytechnic

2006–2010

• Excelled in manufacturing production design classes.
• Pursued a passion for cell layout coursework.
• Created a senior project in Total Productive Maintenance.
• Wrote weekly mechanical engineering articles in The Poly Post.

Nice.

If the job ad wants production design, cell layout, and TPM, you’re set.

Expert Hint: Does every mechanical engineer CV need 4 education bullets? Nope. Rule of thumb: if you’ve been out of school 10 years, 1–2 bullets is enough.

5. Add “Other” Sections to Your Mechanical Engineer CV

“We have a winner.”

You need the HR team to say those words.

But did you know your experience and education sections aren’t enough?

A good mechanical engineer CV shows you’re great to work with.

In other words, you’re driven. Passionate. Engaged.

Include a portfolio of your best projects.

Not sure what that should look like? Here are some tips for making mechanical engineering portfolios from the MIT.

Then—

Link it to your CV.

You can also add sections for:

• Organisations (ASME)
• Conferences
• Projects and freelance work
• Licence info
• Volunteer work
• Awards & honours
• Clubs & Groups
• Publications
• Fitness
• Hobbies and interests.
• Additional activities

These mechanical engineering CV examples show how:

Mechanical Engineer CV—Extra Sections

Licence

California Mechanical Engineer Licence #01234

Portfolio

BlakeFulgini.com

Award

Led team that received the 2017 Shingo Silver Medallion.

Additional Activities

• Member, ASME
• Delivered presentation on Improvements Kata at IMECE Conference 2018.
• Article Continuous Adjustment in Dynamic Systems published in UGears News.
• My article Efficient Fluid Power was linked to by ME Mechanical.
• Received 2 CA State Gold Medals for smokehouse design.

Additional Activities

• Avid golfer
• Regular volunteer

See that?

That first mechanical engineer CV example could be Elon Musk.

Even the smokehouse design is helpful. It shows passion.

Expert Hint: Write a cover letter. You can get more reading-time for your mechanical engineering CV if there’s a cover letter enclosed.

Double your impact with a matching CV and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter builder and make your application documents pop out.

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Key Points

For a mechanical engineer CV that functions:

• Use the mechanical engineer CV template up top. It’s got everything on the checklist to get HR teams interested.
• Add mechanical engineering accomplishments to your objective, job experience, education, and “other” sections.
• Add a portfolio link to your best projects. Portfolios are increasingly important in the job search.
• Include a mechanical engineer cover letter. In it, show you know the job inside and out.

Do you need to write a cover letter as well? Check out the guide to write a cover letter for engineering positions.

Got questions on how to write great CVs for mechanical engineer jobs? Not sure how to show mechanical engineer on a CV? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!

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