Currently, the automotive engineering industry is an exciting place to be. Where else can you find a job that helps work towards a sustainable future, whilst also tapping into attractive salaries and continual demand for skilled workers?
As a specialist automotive recruitment agency, we provide support to automotive engineers like you at every career stage. In this blog, we’ve broken down the different stages of a career path for engineers and provided practical advice on how you can position yourself for your next big career move.
Whether you’re fresh into the industry or at the top of your field, here’s our take on how to rewrite your CV for automotive engineering jobs.
Entry-Level Automotive Engineering Roles
At the start of your career, you may be caught in the all-too-familiar situation of needing experience to get a job and the need for a job to gain experience. With a well-crafted automotive engineering CV, you can demonstrate your passion for the industry and highlight enough achievements to secure your first role.
· Passion and Enthusiasm: Include a personal statement at the top of your resume to express your excitement for the field. Explain what motivated you to become an automotive engineer and your passion for any particular specialty such as autonomous driving or connected cars.
· Technical Skills and Knowledge: List your current technical acumen, be it programming languages, CAD software, understanding of dynamic mechanical systems, quality assurance and control or new vehicle drive-train technologies.
· University Projects and Interships: Provide an overview of group projects or individual assignments that demonstrate your ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical situations. If you’ve secured an industry placement while studying, talk through the tasks you completed and projects you contributed to.
· Internships and Part-Time Roles: If you've worked part-time during university or school, make sure you provide a brief summary in your resume. Jobs in administration, retail or customer service exhibit valuable transferable skills like teamwork, communication and organisational abilities.
Intermediate Automotive Engineering Jobs
A good few years into your career, with experience under your belt and solid development of your skills, your CV should be based on project delivery and technical nuance. The key is to show prospective employers you can hit the ground running on new projects and become an asset to any existing team.
· Professional Experience: Depending on where you are in your career, your work history can be a detailed list of your job responsibilities or a combination of tasks as well as accomplishments. This is an opportunity to showcase your ability to handle day-to-day responsibilities and contribute to project success.
· Technical Proficiency: Detail your advanced technical skills including software expertise, specialised engineering techniques or intricate analysis methods. Mention your deep understanding of complex engineering concepts, methodologies and best practices you’ve honed over the course of your career to date.
· Industry Contribution and Development: Highlight any memberships, certifications or workshops you've participated in. This demonstrates your commitment to staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends and establishing yourself as part of the automotive engineering community.
· Leadership and Collaboration: If you've taken on leadership roles or contributed to team success, make sure to highlight these experiences. Describe how you've managed teams, coordinated efforts and facilitated effective collaboration linked to project outcomes.
Leadership and Management Automotive Positions
Advancing in your automotive engineering career means embracing leadership and management responsibilities. As you prepare to transition to the next level, your CV should seamlessly blend your technical acumen with your potential to lead.
· Leadership Characteristics: Your CV should open with a concise personal statement that demonstrates the type of leader you are. It’s an opportunity to stand out from the crowd and highlight the unique attributes and characteristics that make you…you. If you find it difficult to write about yourself, ask your colleagues and staff how they would describe your leadership style. Are you results- or people-driven? Are you an empathetic or an inspiring leader?
· Focus on Achivements: At this stage of your career, your CV should have shifted its focus from responsibilities to achievements. Use your work history to highlight instances where you've effectively led large teams teams, managed multi-million euro/pound budgets and achieved tangible results.
· Skills: As mentioned above, soft skills are now just as important as technical skills, if not moreso. Ensure the skills section of your CV expands the key traits outlined in your personal statement. Some important soft skills for automotive engineering leaders include:
· Adaptability
· Contextual Problem-Solving
· Empathy
· Negotiation
· Persuasion
· Conflict resolution
· Stakeholder management
Taking the Next Step in Your Automotive Engineering Career
Here at Fields & Rudd, this is how we work with individuals to find them automotive engineering jobs that suit their passion:
· Starting Strong: If you're a recent graduate, we're dedicated to providing guidance and mentorship as you lay the foundation for your engineering career.
· Navigating Your Intermediate Career Phase: For those in the growth phase, we appreciate your expertise and can source roles that help you progress further on your journey.
· Embracing Leadership: As an experienced Engineer, you'll find in Fields & Rudd a partner aligned with your pursuit of innovation and excellence, finding an environment where you can lead and inspire.From newcomers to seasoned professionals, we're here to collaborate with you and help build a great career path for engineers who love all things automotive. Discover opportunities with Fields & Rudd and set out on a career journey that's tailored to you.