ATS Resume Checker for Mechanical Engineers
This page checks a mechanical engineering resume for the CAD package, analysis tools, standards and licensure the posting names. The pitfall is writing “CAD software” instead of SolidWorks, CATIA or Creo, and burying your PE or EIT status. Two-column layouts with skill bars are the other common cause of lost text.
Scan my resume free →No account · No email · 100% private — runs in your browser
Paste your resume
🔒 100% private: analysis runs entirely in your browser. Your resume is never uploaded to any server.
Don't take our word for it — turn off your wifi and scan again. It still works, because the whole analysis runs on your device.
How resume screening works for mechanical engineers
Mechanical engineering postings name specific tools: SolidWorks, CATIA, Creo or Siemens NX for design, ANSYS for simulation, MATLAB for analysis, Teamcenter or Windchill for product data. A search for one package will not match another, so name the package you used and what you designed with it.
State your licensure plainly, as PE or as EIT/FE with the exam status, in its own section. Add the standards and methods of your field, such as GD&T, FMEA, DFM, Six Sigma or AS9100, where you have used them. Describe projects with their engineering context: the part or system, the constraint and the result, not just “designed components”.
Terms to compare with a vacancy for mechanical engineers
Include the terms you can genuinely defend in an interview — then paste the actual job posting above to see your exact gaps.
SolidWorks
Compare this term with the actual vacancy. Include it only if it accurately describes your experience or a qualification you hold; this checklist does not measure recruiter search frequency.
CATIA
Standard at aerospace and automotive OEMs; often searched as 'CATIA V5'.
Creo (Pro/ENGINEER)
Searched as 'Creo'; add 'Pro/E' only if the posting still uses the old name.
Siemens NX
Common at large OEMs; searched as 'NX' or 'Siemens NX'.
AutoCAD
Still a filter for 2D drafting, plant, and facilities-adjacent roles.
Autodesk Inventor
Frequent in machine design and industrial equipment postings.
GD&T
Compare this term with the actual vacancy. Include it only if it accurately describes your experience or a qualification you hold; this checklist does not measure recruiter search frequency.
ASME Y14.5
The drawing standard recruiters pair with GD&T searches for drafting-heavy roles.
FEA
Searched as both 'FEA' and 'finite element analysis'; always name the solver you used.
ANSYS
Compare this term with the actual vacancy. Include it only if it accurately describes your experience or a qualification you hold; this checklist does not measure recruiter search frequency.
CFD
Filter for thermal and fluids roles; pair it with the tool (Fluent, STAR-CCM+).
MATLAB
Common screen for analysis, controls, and test engineering roles.
PE license
US roles: write 'Professional Engineer (PE), [state]'. UK/CA/AU equivalents: CEng, P.Eng, CPEng.
EIT / FE exam
Early-career filter; list 'Engineer in Training (EIT)' with the state board if you hold it.
DFM / DFA
Design-for-manufacturing keywords recruiters use for product design and NPI roles.
FMEA / DFMEA
Quality and automotive postings search this; spell out 'failure mode and effects analysis' once.
Six Sigma Green Belt / Black Belt
Searched with the belt level — 'Six Sigma Green Belt' matches more than 'Six Sigma' alone.
Lean Manufacturing
Process and manufacturing engineering filter; '5S' and 'kaizen' often ride along in reqs.
Tolerance stack-up analysis
The specific phrase recruiters use for precision design roles.
PLM (Teamcenter / Windchill)
Name the system — large OEMs filter on Teamcenter or Windchill experience specifically.
Root cause analysis
Often searched alongside '8D' or '5 Whys' for quality and sustaining engineering roles.
CNC machining
Process keywords like CNC, sheet metal, and casting signal hands-on shop knowledge.
Injection molding
Key filter for consumer product and plastics design roles.
AS9100 / ISO 9001
Quality system keywords — AS9100 for aerospace, ISO 9001 for general manufacturing.
PPAP / APQP
Automotive supplier postings filter hard on these; include them if you've run part launches.
Resume mistakes that hurt mechanical engineers
Writing 'CAD software' instead of naming the package
Recruiters search 'SolidWorks', 'CATIA', 'Creo', 'NX' — never 'CAD software'. Mirror the posting's exact term: if the req says Creo and your resume says Pro/E, you don't match the search even though it's the same tool.
Burying your license or exam status
PE, EIT, CEng, P.Eng, or CPEng belongs in your header line and again in a credentials section, spelled out with the state or institution. A license mentioned once in a paragraph on page two is easy for both the parser and a 7-second skim to miss.
Two-column templates with text boxes and skill bars
Engineering resumes built from Canva or heavily customized LaTeX templates often put tools in sidebars, icons, or graphic 'skill bars'. Parsers read text in order and skip graphics entirely — your SolidWorks rating bar contributes literally nothing.
A tools list with no evidence
Twelve packages in a skills block that never appear in your experience bullets reads as keyword stuffing to any human reviewer. Tie your top three or four tools to actual parts, assemblies, or analyses you shipped.
Using only the acronym, or only the spelled-out form
GD&T vs. geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, FEA vs. finite element analysis, DFM vs. design for manufacturability — different recruiters search different forms. Use the acronym throughout and spell each one out once.
Skipping the industry's quality and standards language
Aerospace, automotive, and med-device postings name AS9100, PPAP, ISO 13485, or ASME code work explicitly. If you've designed or built under those systems and never say so, the req's must-have filter passes you by.
Before / after: bullets that survive the skim
Synthetic writing examples. Numbers and achievements illustrate a format; use only facts you can verify about your own work.
Responsible for designing parts using CAD software.
✍️ Designed 30+ machined and sheet-metal components in SolidWorks with GD&T per ASME Y14.5, releasing drawings through Windchill and cutting first-article rejections from 6 to 1 per build.
Performed analysis and testing on new products.
✍️ Ran FEA in ANSYS across 6 load cases to redesign a mounting bracket, cutting mass 22% while holding a 2.0 factor of safety — results validated against strain-gauge test data within 8%.
Helped improve the manufacturing process to reduce costs.
✍️ Led DFM reviews with 3 suppliers on a 14-part assembly, converting two machined housings to castings and reducing unit cost 18% (roughly $190K/year at production volume).
Frequently asked questions
Should I list every CAD and simulation package I've ever opened?
No. List the ones you could interview on, and put the package the posting names first. Recruiters do search literal tool names, so include exact strings like SolidWorks or CATIA — but three tools backed by real project bullets beat twelve unsupported ones, because a human reads the resume right after the software does.
How do I list my PE or EIT so both the ATS and the recruiter catch it?
Twice. Put it in your header ('Jane Smith, PE') and again in a credentials section spelled out: 'Professional Engineer (PE), State of Texas'. In the UK, Canada, or Australia, do the same with CEng (IMechE), P.Eng (provincial body), or CPEng (Engineers Australia). The duplication covers both keyword search and the human skim.
Is a two-page resume OK for a mechanical engineer?
Yes. Engineers with five-plus years, multiple product launches, or patents routinely run two pages, and ATS software doesn't penalize length. Recruiters skim, though — so your tools, license status, and strongest quantified results need to live on page one.
Does this checker upload my resume anywhere?
No. Parsing and scoring run entirely in your browser; the file never leaves your machine. That matters if you're under NDA or hold a clearance and have to be careful about where program and design details travel.
Keep improving your resume
More resources (English)
- Resume score vs job match score
- What ATS resume checkers can and cannot prove
- Ten ATS myths fact-checked with primary sources
- Workday vs Greenhouse vs Lever vs Taleo
- The ATS-friendly resume template
- How ATS keyword matching works
- The ATS-friendly resume format
- Why resumes get rejected by ATS
- Free ATS checker with no signup
- All ATS and resume guides
- Resume checker by ATS
- Resume checker by role
- Resume parser test
- Resume keyword scanner
- Resume action verbs
- ATS CV checker for UK, EU and India CVs
- ATS optimization: parsing and keywords
Compare resume checkers (English) →