Your manufacturing engineer resume has a Hadron-collider-sized job to do. And it’s called “impressing the hiring manager.”
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Need a special kind of engineering resume? See these guides:
Sample Manufacturing Engineer Resume (Text Version)
Bill Luwai
Manufacturing Engineer
661-459-6075
billzluwai@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/billzluwai
twitter.com/billzluwai
Dedicated manufacturing engineer with 5+ years of experience designing processes and automation. Seeking to improve product quality and reduce costs for Consult Acuity. At Logic Brisk, increased weekly throughput, leading to savings of $1.5 million annually.
Experience
Manufacturing Engineer
Logic Brisk
May 2017 to Jan 2020
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Performed 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.
Used data from different teams to decrease cycle time by 21%.
Built 90+ prototypes for new products and design improvements.
Cost savings of 27% over a 5-month period.
Key Achievement:
Developed and executed process validation and test protocols for two new products launched with 500K+ product runs.
Project Manager
Core Insight
June 2015 to April 2017
Contributed to over 75 process improvements.
Reduced Low Cost Container Load Lift Strap production process cycle time 50% by application of Lean Manufacturing techniques.
Designed production cell layout for two new processes.
Mechanical Consultant
Zoom Cars
April 2014 to May 2015
Performed vendor coordination and managed vendor relationships. Helped drive supplier costs down by 16%.
Contributed 5 ideas adopted in design of 2 concept cars.
Collaborated with production teams during updates of CAD drawings for 2 production cars.
Education
Bachelor of Engineering, University of California
2010-2014
Best Engineering Idea Award winner
President of the Student Mechanics Society
Skills
Analytical skills
CAD software
Critical thinking
CAM software
Commercial awareness
Active listening
Decision making
Time management
Teamwork
Member, Kern County Engineers Association
Honored by association with best engineer award 2013.
Arrange 2 business tours per year.
DesignCon Conference
Attended the conference to gain industrial experience.
Received first job opportunity at conference with Zoom Cars.
Here’s how to write a manufacturing engineer resume step-by-step.
1. Start With the Right Format for a Manufacturing Engineer Resume
Design matters. If a product feels cheap—if the doors rattle and the air vents flop—we assume the rest is chintzy, too. It’s the same with a manufacturing engineer resume. If your fonts are too small or you use the wrong ones, you’ll look phoned-in. You can’t look that way and still get interviews.
So...
Here’s how to format a manufacturing engineer resume template:
Add these resume parts :
Header: include the proper contact information .Summary: provide the key points you don’t want managers to miss.Experience: show your biggest and best metrics.Education: list schooling, but add achievements to it.Skills: display the engineering skills they value most.Other sections: are you in SME? Have you written articles? Add those to special sections in your resume.
Pro Tip: When laying out your resume , put white space between your sections. You don’t want a resume like a schematic for the Space Shuttle. Crowded isn’t a good look for your career.
Can’t stand the chronological resume format? See our guide: How to Pick the Best Resume Format
2. Add Experience to Your Manufacturing Engineer Resume
The operations manager will believe you can do what you’ve done before. But you can’t just say, “responsible for.” Someone was “responsible” for the O-rings on the Challenger. So—you’ve got to add your metrics. What did you improve, reduce, increase, or change? And how did that help your company?
To customize a resume :
Add your latest job title .
List the facility name and your working years and months.
Create a brief manufacturing engineer job description.
Include 3–6 bullet points. (Fewer as you go back in time.)
Use the PAR (Problem-Action-Result) formula to tell a story with your bullets.
Add percentages, dollar figures, hours saved, and other wins.
See these manufacturing engineer resume samples:
Manufacturing Engineer Job Description for a Resume
Right
Experience
Manufacturing Engineer
Logic Brisk
May 2017 to Jan 2020
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Performed 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.
Used data from different teams to decrease cycle time by 21%.
Built 90+ prototypes for new products and design improvements.
Cost savings of 27% over a 5-month period.
Key Achievement:
Developed and executed process validation and test protocols for two new products launched with 500K+ product runs.
Wrong
Manufacturing Engineer
Logic Brisk
Responsible for implementing 3D printing techniques to improve production.
Handled data between teams to analyze and produce results.
Helped in building prototypes.
Reduced cost through application of engineering skills.
Winner, meet loser. That bad resume example is so vague! You cut costs, but by how much? And what “engineering skills” did you use? And how? But look up at that first example. It says 10%, 21%, 90+, and 27%. You did it in a 5-month period. The more detail you add, the more they’ll want you.
What about an entry-level manufacturing engineer’s resume? It’s not much different. You still need to show experience, skills, and numbers. “But I can’t do it with manufacturing experience, ‘cos I don’t have it!” Don’t fret. You’ve got experience in other jobs and you can show transferable skills.
See these entry-level manufacturing engineer resume examples:
Entry-Level Manufacturing Engineer Resume Samples [Experience]
Right
Mechanical Consultant
Zoom Cars
April 2014 to May 2015
Performed vendor coordination and managed vendor relationships. Helped drive supplier costs down by 16%.
Contributed 5 ideas adopted in design of 2 concept cars.
Collaborated with production teams during updates of CAD drawings for 2 production cars.
Wrong
Mechanical Consultant
Zoom Cars
Managed freelance engineering consulting business for 10 months.
Worked directly with clients to provide product design advice.
Managed budgeting and costs for business needs.
Notice anything? This applicant has dabbled in manufacturing engineering. But in one case, she found those moments where she used real engineering skills. Even if she’d only worked as a receptionist so far, she could still show communication skills. Those are valuable in any resume.
Pro Tip: Are manufacturing engineer jobs really growing ? Surprisingly, yes. But don’t get stuck in a dead-end one with no advancement. Write a targeted resume and be choosy.
Making a resume with our builder is incredibly simple. Follow our step-by-step guide, use ready-made content tailored to your job and have a resume ready in minutes.
When you’re done, our professional resume builder ATS resume checker exactly how to make it better.
Not sure how to pick the right engineering accomplishments? See our guide: How to Show Experience on a Resume
3. Fine-Tune Your Education Section
Education is the lifeblood of a manufacturing engineering resume. You at least need to show your bachelor’s degree and the school you graduated from. But don’t stop there. To make the operations manager stop skimming, add some Raytheon-worthy accomplishments from your diffy-q years.
See these manufacturing engineer resume examples:
Manufacturing Engineer Resume Example [Education]
Right
Education
Bachelor of Engineering, University of California
2010-2014
Best Engineering Idea Award winner.
President of the Student Mechanics Society.
That’s short and streamlined. It’s got Elon-Musk-style eye-openers. Didn’t quite excel that much in school? You can still find wins that prove transferable skills.
Pro Tip: Do you have to put resume achievements in your education section? Actually, if you graduated before CNC machines, you can leave them out.
How should you show school awards and fellowships in a manufacturing engineering resume? See our guide: How to Put Your Education on a Resume
4. Add the Best Skills to Your Manufacturing Engineer Resume
Want to know a secret? Most candidates don’t list the right manufacturing engineer skills in a resume. They dump a shopping list of skills on the page and hope something will stick. That’s ordinary, and it won’t get you hired. To make the cut, pull your skills straight from what the employer needs.
To start—see this list of skills for manufacturing engineer resumes:
Manufacturing Engineer Resume Skills (Hard Skills)
AutoCAD
CAM Software
Product Design
Process Design
Writing Work Instructions
Process Improvement
Policy Deployment
Lean Manufacturing
Fixture Design
Cycle Time Reduction
MATLAB
Manufacturing Engineer Skills (Soft Skills) But which ones should you choose?
Here’s how to select the right manufacturing engineer skills:
In a notes file, list the manufacturing engineer skills in the job posting.
Make a list of your manufacturing engineer skills.
Find overlaps. Those are your resume keywords .
Put them in a skills list in your resume.
Add metrics to your bullet points to prove you own those skills.
Use both hard skills and soft skills to stop the job-search silent treatment.
See this manufacturing engineer resume example:
Say the company wants process improvements , Lean manufacturing , and production cell design .
Manufacturing Engineer Resume Examples [Skills]
Right
Contributed to over 75 process improvements .
Reduced Low Cost Container Load Lift Strap production process cycle time 50% by application of Lean Manufacturing techniques.
Designed production cell layout for two new processes.
Manufacturing engineer skills on a resume like that will TIG-weld you to the job. Let’s break down the key points—that example shows the right skills. But it adds numbers (50%, 75, two) for scale. It also uses resume power verbs to grip the reader like a c-clamp. Keep your phone turned on.
Pro Tip: “But I don’t know what skills the facility wants most!” Easy. Do some informational interviews on LinkedIn. They’re so much simpler than you think.
Need other critical skills for your manufacturing engineer resume? See our guide: +30 Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume
5. Add Bonus Sections to Your Manufacturing Engineer Resume
Danger! If you just list three past jobs and your degree, you’ll blend in like excess inventory. Why? Because HR managers want to know you’ll fit in well. They can’t hire a defect. So—show them you’ll pass QC with targeted “other” sections in your resume for manufacturing engineers.
None of the below are necessary, but any can help. They’re far better space-fillers than “long walks on the beach.”
Choose from:
Resume Licenses & Certifications
Isn’t a bachelor’s degree enough? Of course. But in an entry-level manufacturing engineer resume with no experience, they help massively. They tell the HR department you’ve got at least rudimentary training in key areas. Consider these:
Professional Associations
Do you belong to SME or ASEE ? Those can boost your resume for manufacturing engineer jobs. Do you do volunteer work for them or mentor engineers? Even better. Put that in a special section.
Conferences
If you attended for example the ASME ES 2025 , you can list it on your resume. Did you give a talk or sit in on a panel? That’s an added feature.
Resume Volunteer Work
Collecting for food drives, leading Scout troops, and cooking at soup kitchens show you care. Believe it or not, employers want employees who care. (Those employees do better work .)
Languages on a Resume
Shocker—a lot of line-level manufacturing employees aren’t from the US. To show you can hurdle the language barrier like Sergey Bubka, put second languages on your resume. (Hint: only add a language if you know the employees speak it.)
Awards and Honors
Did your team get a Shingo Bronze Medallion ? Did you win a departmental award? If you want the hiring manager to say, “Wow! She knows her stuff!” add it to your resume.
See these manufacturing engineer resume samples:
Manufacturing Engineer Resume Examples [Other Sections]
Right
Member, Kern County Engineers Association
Honored by association with best engineer award 2017.
Arrange 2 business tours per year.
DesignCon Conference
Attended the conference to gain industrial experience.
Received first job opportunity at conference with Zoom Cars.
That first example will make them wonder—does their signing bonus need a boost?
Pro Tip: How long should you make a resume for manufacturing engineer jobs? Stick with a one-page resume . If yours is too long, snip out the dull parts to shorten it.
Can you put hobbies in a manufacturing engineer’s resume? Yep. See our guide: List of Hobbies & Interests for a Resume or CV
6. Write a Manufacturing Engineer Resume Objective or Resume Summary
Question: How do you start a design specification? With a simple project description, right? Well, your manufacturing engineer resume needs that too. It’s called a resume summary or a resume objective. It’s a brief glimpse of the best features in your resume. The goal—make the manager keep reading.
Here’s how to write a career summary for engineers:
Write an adjective like dedicated or insightful.
Add your title (manufacturing engineer).
Add years of experience. (2, 4, 9+)
Say what you’ll do (improve product quality and lower costs).
Include the facility name.
List your 1–2 most Tony-Stark-worthy achievements (increased weekly throughput by...)
See these career summary examples:
Manufacturing Engineer Resume Summary
Right
Dedicated manufacturing engineer with 5+ years of experience designing processes and automation. Seeking to improve product quality and reduce costs for Consult Acuity. At Logic Brisk, increased weekly throughput, leading to savings of $1.5 million annually.
Wrong
Highly committed manufacturing engineer with professional experience in automation equipment. Skilled in collaborating, lean manufacturing and using manufacturing software. Comfortable in a team as well as an individual.
Don’t miss this—that second example is what everybody does. They say how great they are at everything. But where’s the beef? Yet example #1 adds facts like 5+ and Logic Brisk and $1.5 million. The employer reads that and stops wondering about gluing processes and Poka-Yokes.
If you’re writing an entry-level manufacturing engineer resume, write a career objective instead. It’s basically the same. But it leans heavily on manufacturing engineer achievements from non-engineer jobs. For instance, did you do an internship? Show your biggest success from it, in brief.
These examples flip the andon:
Entry-Level Manufacturing Engineer Resume Objective
right
Entry-level manufacturing engineer skilled in fixture design and equipment installation. Seeking to improve quality, time, and cost at Core Insight. As mechanical consultant for Zoom Cars, helped drive supplier costs down 16% through better vendor coordination.
Wrong
Entry-level manufacturing engineer with extensive knowledge in designing circuit board manufacturing processes. Skilled worker that can adjust in any organizational environment. Can offer a broad knowledge of manufacturing processes.
Quite the standard deviation there. The first example shows you’re a new recruit who’s ready and able to cut your teeth. The second one has stripped a worm gear. It says a lot, but it’s writing checks it can’t cash. The mind-blower is, it could be the same applicant in both examples.
Pro Tip: A great student resume needs plenty of achievements from before you earned your sheepskin. Think of yours by putting yourself in the employer’s shoes.
Haven’t applied for a manufacturing engineer job before? See our guide: First Resume with No Work Experience
7. What About a Manufacturing Engineer Cover Letter?
Why write a cover letter ? Simple—to get up out of the waste stream. The hiring team has 170+ resumes in their inbox. Each one looks like a replaceable part. Your job? Show you’re unique. Your cover letter is the place to do that. But don’t just say, “Hi, here’s my attached manufacturing engineer resume.”
To write your cover letter:
Format your cover letter first.Show you care about the job by using the hiring manager’s name.
Wake them with a magnetic cover letter first paragraph .
Show engineering successes in the second paragraph.
End your cover letter with an offer, and request the interview.
Pro Tip: Your cover letter’s second paragraph should show you understand the job. That means sharing successes that fit the facility’s job requirements.
Ready to set a new record for interview requests? See our guides: How To Write A Cover Letter in 8 Simple Steps 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.
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Key Takeaway
Here’s a recap of how to write a manufacturing engineer resume:
Format your manufacturing engineer resume template in reverse-chronological order.
Find manufacturing engineer skills in the online job ad.
Create your experience section first. Customize it like a jig with the skills they’ve advertised.
To get noticed like an andon, add measurable achievements.
Write a targeted education section.
Add other resume sections to show an SME membership or other extras.
Write a manufacturing engineer cover letter to 10x your job search.
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