So you want a job as a manufacturing engineer. It takes proving that you have the right skills.
The first step? Building the perfect Manufacturing Engineer resume.
Manufacturing engineers evaluate how to most efficiently turn raw materials into finished products. Hiring managers do the same way while they check your resume.
They usually check you resume for specifications (experience, skills, etc).
You show them what they want, and you could even work for Tesla as a Manufacturing Engineer!
But, if your resume reads like a Rube Goldberg machine, you’ll never get that chance.
That’s why we’re showing you how to manufacture the most efficient resume.
In this guide, you’ll see:
- Resumes of real Manufacturing Engineers that win 9/10 applications
- How to turn your experience and education into a quality resume
- How to avoid resume mistakes that turn recruiters away
- What your resume must have to pass their test
How to write a manufacturing engineer resume?
Demand for manufacturing engineers is expected to go up. The first thing you must know is what resume mistakes will make your chances of a job interview go down.
Many errors make that list. Let’s look at the ones that we noticed across 90 percent of rejected resumes:
- Extremely vague resume experiences
- Resumes with a lack of impact
- Bad design that made the resume incoherent
- Elements that highlighted candidates’ weaknesses instead of strengths
- Too long of resumes
- No personalization and connection to the job
- Bad resume layout
That’s a great first start for you, as you now know what not to add in your resume.
Now let’s learn how to write a resume right.
Choose the best manufacturing engineer resume layout
Job seekers typically choose between two resume layouts.
Reverse chronological order - The primary focus is on your work history, laid out like a timeline. Your manufacturing related work experience shines nicely with this resume format.
Functional resume- This resume format emphasizes your skills rather than work history.
We wouldn’t recommend Functional resume as it’s hard to do right. But, take a look at Hybrid resumes that we’ve created instead.
They apply to most situations and are hard to do wrong. A design miracle!
There’s a lot that you can include within your resume. However, there are sections that recruiters will expect to see on your resume.
Top 5 sections to include in your manufacturing engineer resume
- A precise resume header with your contact information
- A highly impactful resume summary or objective
- Professional experience that matches the job description
- Your educational qualifications
- A list of your manufacturing skills
Having these sections make it easy for both human readers and applicant tracking systems to see what qualifications you have. They tell the basis of the story that you want recruiters to know.
Let’s take a dive into some of these sections and why they matter as you build your manufacturing engineer resume in PDF or Doc.
Write a manufacturing engineer resume summary or objective.
If we were to write a resume summary, we would start by looking at the job ad first.
Try to see what they are asking. It's easy to notice whether the Manufacturing Engineer's job ad:
- Focuses on Plant and OOEs
- Requires significant MATLAB and LabView type skills
- Requires solving a complex problem
- Demands a candidate to be proficient with managing # of people
- Asks for a niche manufacturing experience(EV, Power Systems, etc)
Then shape your resume summary or object based on them.
2 Manufacturing Engineer Resume Summary Samples
2 Entry-level Manufacturing Engineer resume objective samples
If you don't have experience in the field, but you still want to create a competative resume, make sure to swap the summary with a resume objective.
02/2015 - 11/2020
- Led team that increased machines’ manufacturing output.
- Earned Lean Six Sigma and lectured employees on lean manufacturing.
- Used 3D printing.
What should be on your manufacturing engineer resume experience?
Here, we will keep moving forward with the impact we delivered in resume summary. But, be a bit more detailed here.
Word of caution before you start - don't list your job duties a a bullet list.
Don't just start listing your job duties as a bullet list. Make sure everything you list is relevant to the job you want.
You can be a lot more specific while presenting your work experience.
For example, you can say “used 3D printing technology,”
Or you can say “implemented the use of 3D technology resulting in a 14% reduction in downtime.”
Here are some manufacturing engineer resume samples.
2 senior manufacturing engineer resume experience examples
02/2015 - 11/2020
- Managed Lean Manufacturing initiatives throughout the plant utilizing Lean Six Sigma Black Belt concepts.
- Completed key steps of designing, implementing and developing a $250 million automobile engineering facility.
- Implemented 3D printing techniques that led to a 10% decrease in downtime.
2 Medical Device Manufacturing Engineer Resume Samples
02/2015 - 11/2020
- Developed plans that continuously improved manufacturing medical devices.
- Made cycle time go down significantly.
- Prepared documents important to people who use devices.
02/2015 - 11/2020
- Utilized Six Sigma methodology including Kaizen to reduce cost and time manufacturing syringes.
- Used data from cross-functional teams to decrease cycle time by 21 percent.
- Prepared documents and guidelines on operating system manuals of glucometers.
Experience samples for manufacturing process engineer resume
02/2015 - 11/2020
- Managed teams of employees who made sure we complied with regulations.
- Built examples of what new products would look like.
- Validated manufacturing processes.
02/2015 - 11/2020
- Managed a team of 20 employees successful at increasing regulatory compliance.
- Built prototypes for new products and design improvements.
- Led validation of manufacturing procedures and processes of production systems including
- Operation Qualification (OQ) and Installation Qualification (IQ).
Manufacturing engineer skills resume
Companies hire manufacturing engineers to complete tasks like automating a chemical manufacturing facility through computer integrated technology. They may design circuit board manufacturing processes that improve product quality and reduce costs.
Employers who need someone to do these tasks want to know that you have the right skills. That’s why the manufacturing engineer skills section is one of the most important sections of your resume.
Don’t start jotting down skills on your resume yet. Create a master list of your skills first. Now, look at the skills shown in the job description.
Do you see skills that don’t match the job description? Cross them out.
Make sure you add a hard skills list and a soft skills list to your skills section. Especially if the position you are after requires constant communication with other teams and/or stakeholders.
Here is a list of important manufacturing engineering resume skills to include.
- Analytical skills
- Commercial awareness
- Lean manufacturing skills
- Organizational abilities
- Complex problem solving
- Technical knowledge
- Time management
- Teamworking
- Active listening
- Decision making
- Critical thinking
- Computer-aided design (CAD) software
- Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software
The best way to put education on your resume
Remember that your main goal is to write a manufacturing engineer resume with impact. That includes your education section.
It will be up to the employer to see if you’ve got a passing grade. Here is how to pass the test.
Let’s start with some basics. What’s the name of your college and where is it located? What years did you attend? What degree did you earn?
You can build upon that, but keep this section of your resume lean. That’s especially true if you have plenty of experience because you want to let your experience speak for itself.
Only add details if you lack experience.
Manufacturing Engineer Resume - Education Section
02/2014 - 11/2018
- Relevant courses include Reliability Engineering 101, Engineering Graphics and Modeling 101 and 201, Manufacturing Process 101, 201 and 301.
02/2014 - 11/2018
Certifications for a professional manufacturing engineer resume
You should have a great resume by now. Want to make it greater?
Include a certifications section. That will peek recruiters’ attention.
Certifications show that you are professionally committed to your career. Earning them improves your skill set.
One such certification, the Certified Manufacturing Engineer (CMfgE) certification, shows your wealth of general and manufacturing specific knowledge. You must have at least eight years of experience to take the required four-hour exam.
Another quality certification that impresses employers is Six Sigma Certification. Six Sigma Certification identifies professionals skilled in identifying and removing risks, errors, or defects in a business process.
Other resume sections to consider
Certifications is one section to consider adding to a resume. There are other sections that you can add to tell more of your story.
Other additional resume sections may include:
- Awards and honors
- Projects
- Hobbies and interests
- Conferences
- Training
- Publications
- Associations
If you add sections, make sure they reflect the professional things you have done and connect to the job description. For instance, listing awards like winning the area barbecue contest won’t add much to your manufacturing process engineer resume.
Summary
Following this guide will help you succeed as you submit your manufacturing engineer resume. Here are key points to remember as you complete your resume.
- Consider writing a reverse chronological resume.
- Only include details specific to the job posting.
- Include the resume sections that recruiters expect.
- Write a summary that adds impact.
- Add your education the right way.
Consider building your resume with Enhancv as you aim to impress.
