
What to Name a Resume File & Cover Letter (+Examples)
Resume.doc is not a good idea. So what is? How to name a resume file? This guide has the answers on what to name your resume and cover letter files.
Your hands look like they’ve been through a war and your body is torn up. But you can overhaul an engine like a pro. Prove it with this in-tune automotive technician resume sample.
Your automotive technician resume has to work like a small-block Chevy. To get your resume for automotive technician jobs turning over like a Lexus, list achievements that match the shop’s job duties.
It’s not hard, and we’ve got Chelton’s specs below to get you in the coveralls in no time. Let’s make this work.
You’re about to see an automotive technician resume example you can change to fit any automotive technician position. You’ll also get fast steps to write a resume for automotive technician jobs that’ll land 10x more interviews than any other.
Here’s an automotive technician resume sample that works:
Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.
Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.
Want another auto tech resume, or something else? See these guides:
Ben Austin
Automotive Technician
907-885-0060
benzaustin@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/benzaustin
twitter.com/benzaustin
Multi-talented automotive technician with 7+ years of experience in diagnosing and fixing mechanical issues. Excited to raise customer satisfaction at Reliance Auto. At Serviceshack, serviced vehicles daily, maintaining 97% work quality.
Experience
Automotive Technician
Serviceshack
July 2015 to Jan 2020
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievement:
Automotive Technician
Unison Mech
Aug 2012 to June 2015
Lube Technician
Delta Automobile
July 2011 to July 2012
Education
Associate Degree in Automotive Technology
University Of Alaska Anchorage
2007-2011
Skills
ASE Master Technician Certificate
President, Lynn Business Society
Personal Projects
Here’s how to write an automotive technician resume step-by-step.
Format matters in an automotive tech resume. Poor layout is like a warning light—it tells the shop manager you cut corners and forget to put the oil back in. On the flipside, a well-formatted resume tells them you pay attention to the little things. Do it right and you’ll look turbocharged.
So—
Here’s how to format an automotive technician resume template:
Create these parts of a resume:
The chronological resume style is best, but it’s not the only game in town. See our guide: Best Resume Styles
You can’t get hired without experience. But—first, it doesn’t have to come from automotive technician jobs. And second, even if you have it, most techs display it wrong. That’s the source of the quiet-as-a-Yugo sound your phone makes every time you send your resume.
See these automotive technician resume samples:
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Experience
Automotive Technician Serviceshack July 2015 to Jan 2020 Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievement:
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Wrong |
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Which auto tech would you hire? But it’s not just the resume layout. The first example has tangible, numbered accomplishments. He obviously helped his shop perform better. The other? Your guess is as good as mine.
Pro Tip: You shouldn’t write a 2-page resume unless you’ve got garage-fulls of impressive things to share. A one-page resume is usually best.
An entry-level automotive technician resume must dig deeper for achievements. If you were a day laborer and you worked on the equipment, use that. If you were a woodworker and used communication skills, show how. If you were a lube technician, list mechanic job duties you performed.
See these work experience section examples:
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Lube Technician Delta Automobile July 2011 to July 2012
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Wrong |
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Of course, in an entry-level automotive technician resume, you can’t just say you were a lube tech. In your education section or your “other” sections, show more grease monkey achievements. Examples? Freelance wrenching for friends, rebuilding a car, or getting a commendation from a professor in your associate degree.
Pro Tip: There are 640 fewer automotive technician jobs each year. To make your resume stand out, think hard to find big achievements. They’re not always obvious.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and our resume checker will tell you exactly how to make it better.
If you’re an ASE Master Tech, you’re hired. Even if you’re not, listing a degree on a resume takes skill. First list your school name and your associate or bachelor’s degree. Add the years, then show you weren’t just playing intramural frisbee. Achievements give it horsepower.
See these automotive technician resume examples:
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Education
Associate Degree in Automotive Technology University Of Alaska Anchorage 2009-2011
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You can even just list relevant classes or a nice compliment from a professor. Anything that shows you aren’t faceless turns your application from a PT Cruiser into a Silverado. Teamwork and work ethic work, too. The more transferable skills you add, the better your chance to land the interview.
Pro Tip: You should put high school on a resume, if you don’t have any other schooling. You can add achievements to it if you’re still very young.
If you want your phone to ring like after a full-engine mandatory recall, don’t add just any automotive technician skills. There’s a time-tested procedure that helps you pick the right ones to get hired. Then—don’t just list your wrenching skills. Prove them with numbers and action words.
Start with this list of skills for automotive technician resumes:
But—
Here’s how to pick the best automotive technician skills:
See this automotive tech resume example:
Say the shop’s job ad calls for vehicle maintenance, communication skills, and brake work.
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Automotive technician skills on a resume like that will overload your phone. Want more resume tips? Start your bullets with resume action words and add some numbers like 200+ and 5+. Metrics take your resume from hypothetical to actual.
83% of employers value problem-solving skills on a resume. See our guide: +30 Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume
By now you know that most automotive technician resumes are as generic as Duralast plugs. Pull one out and stick another in—no difference. To make an OEM resume, add resume achievements in bonus sections like conferences, certifications, volunteer work, and even fitness.
Choose from:
Certifications aren’t mandatory in an auto technician resume. But an ASE Tech cert will get you higher pay, and other certs help too. List these or others:
Have you worked on your local animal shelter’s rescue van or organized a fundraiser? You can use volunteering to prove key skills. It also shows you don’t just pound Schlitz in your spare time.
You shouldn’t always put a second language on your resume. But if the customers or other techs speak Spanish, adding it can help your odds.
Association memberships in IATN are clues that you don’t just do this for a paycheck. Bonus points for mentoring other techs.
Were you mechanic of the month at your last dealership? Did you get a bonus for efficiency? Kudos like that can telegraph your skill level.
See these automotive technician resume samples:
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ASE Master Technician Certificate
Personal Projects
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Wrong |
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Is it ever wrong to add weightlifting? Nope. But use it to show an accomplishment or transferable skill. Example? Say, “organized 2 powerlifting championships” or “Lift weights 3x a week to maintain fitness.”
Pro Tip: For past achievements, use the past tense in a resume like repaired, serviced, or maintained. For current positions, use the present like repair or service.
The death knell—the customer takes 3 hours to describe that grinding sound in the left rear wheel. Don’t be that guy. Your automotive technician resume should get its points across at highway speed. Do it with an auto tech resume summary or resume objective, front and center.
Here’s how to write a career summary:
See these two career summary examples:
Right |
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Multi-talented automotive technician with 7+ years of experience in diagnosing and fixing mechanical issues. Excited to raise customer satisfaction at Reliance Auto. At Serviceshack, serviced vehicles daily, maintaining 97% work quality. |
Wrong |
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Skilled, hard-working automotive technician with extensive skills in providing high quality mechanical services. A dedicated technician with amazing communication skills and excellent customer service. A team player as well as excellent in individual performance. |
Those look identical, but one’s got a worn bushing that’ll crash your job search hopes. To diagnose, look at all the adjectives in the second example. It talks a lot, but it’s not saying anything. See the details in the first? Those make it roar.
An entry-level automotive technician resume needs a career objective instead. The difference? Not much—except you can’t list auto-tech experience. So, pull achievements from lube tech work, freelance wrenching, school, or even volunteering or non-automotive-technician jobs.
See these examples:
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Reliable automotive technician with skills in diagnosing and fixing mechanical issues. Seeking to solve auto repair issues for Unison Mech. At Delta Automobile, changed oils and filters and performed light service for 30+ vehicles per day. |
Wrong |
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Entry-level automotive technician with updated knowledge of mechanics and automotive repairs. Knowledgeable in all aspects of mechanical service. Can also train people in various mechanical tasks. Skilled in professionally managing teams and helping companies to prosper. |
Diagnostics? The first one shows you can at least move fast and work on cars in some capacity. The second tells, but doesn’t show. I could say I’m a skilled baker, but unless I say how many of what kind of cake I made, who’ll buy it?
Pro Tip: Did you rebuild a DeLorean or build a kit car? You can put a projects section in a resume. Focus on the job-ready skills you used and don’t skimp on the numbers.
Argh, nobody wants to write a cover letter for an automotive technician resume. But you need a cover letter unless you want to cut your hiring hopes in half. That’s according to our HR statistics report. Almost half the shop managers out there will toss your resume without a letter attached.
To write your cover letter:
Need more tips for a Honda-level automotive technician resume? See our guides: How To Write A Cover Letter in 8 Simple Steps and How to Make a Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Here’s a recap of how to write an automotive technician resume:
That’s it! Now, we’d love to hear from you:
Let’s chat below in the comments, and thanks for reading!
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