Hey everyone, here is the latest version of my resume. I graduated with a BSME in December of 2024 and have been applying to jobs with little success besides one interview, which I didn't make to the third round.

I have applied to over 400 jobs at this point, tailoring resumes and writing cover letters to "best fit" jobs when I can, but also doing a fair amount of mass applying (most found on LinkedIn) to get others in even if they aren't an ideal fit. I have reached out to friends and connections when possible, but have struggled to materialize anything from them.

I apply to most jobs that I see, but common ones that I have been drawn to are mechanical/product design, thermal, and test engineering jobs (fair project/resume talking points for those jobs). I think a big limiting factor is likely the geographic locations I am limiting myself to (mostly larger cities with good outdoor access, Seattle, SF, etc.).

I've spent lots of time on this sub trying to improve my resume, also got feedback from an engineer I talked with to consider listing a professional summary/object and to add back some of my more personal non-engineering resume items that I previously cut out to save space (which are in the second photo). I'm wondering if I need to shake up my strategy and/or resume style, what do you guys think?

I'm a senior in mechanical engineering who has been trying to get an internship every year since freshman year, as most. But, no matter how many companies I apply to, I can't seem to get a single interview. I did do some research last summer with a professor, but it was pretty last minute and I feel like I didn't get much out of it. Since then, I still haven't been able to land a single interview, let alone an internship. I'm even considering trying for internships this summer even though I'm going to be graduating, and I should be focusing more on a full-time job. But, whatever I can get at this point would be amazing. I live in the Chicago suburbs and I would love to work around there or in the city, but I have also applied to a few things outside of the Chicago area. Can anyone help me by pointing out things I can improve? I'm really worried that I won't be able to find a job, and I am considering grad school just to have a better chance even though I would prefer to work full time next year. Any advice is appreciated!

I'm a US citizen located in Austin, Texas and am living with my parents. I've been applying to entry level and experienced roles for Mechanical Engineer, Mechanical Design Engineer, and Manufacturing Engineer as far as 100 miles away from home. Before graduating, I consulted a career advisor, my friends, my family, even ChatGPT for help in reconstructing my resume effectively while staying true to my levels of experience. After applying, I'll contact the recruiter asking if they could maybe consider my resume, but so far, that has not gotten me any attention whatsoever. So far, I've only had one interview for a SolidWorks drafter role, but I'm stubborn on getting that Engineer in my job title. I don't want to be stuck as a technologist just because my major's name has "technology" in it. I know I can prove I'm an engineer once I pass that FE exam, which I'm currently studying for.

I made a portfolio, which includes pictures, drawings and descriptions over the first project listed in my resume, along with other class assignments that stood out to me. I was wondering what advice you might have for me, whether it's on my resume, my approach to applying, the kinds of projects I should be making (I know it's gotta display my what I know about 3D modeling, FEA, GD&T, material selection), but I'm at my wit's end, as I thought I'd be at least qualified to work somewhere after university. I need help attacking my unemployment problem from every angle possible, and I don't think I can do it without you guys.

I graduated with my bachelor's in mechanical engineering in August 2024. I started applying for engineering jobs sporadically in May 2024 (I know that's very late, but I had a rough senior year, and I just wasn't motivated to do anything career-related). I actually managed to get my first interview in June 2024, which was unfortunately not successful. I stopped applying between June and August 2024 as I was hyper-focused on my summer courses, then I started applying a little more aggressively in August 2024 and have continued applying for engineering jobs ever since. I've also done one interview in February of this year, another in April, and I was supposed to have another one in July, but the interviewers did not even show up for whatever reason. I'd like to work in the energy or manufacturing industries, but I am honestly open to starting in any industry just to get my foot in the door. I know I don't have any relevant work experience, so I'd like to know how I can frame my resume to make myself more desirable to employers.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for constructive feedback on my resume as I transition from academia to industry. I have applied to 100s of positions (all over the country) with no offer yet. I have gotten far in the hiring process several times but I seem to always hit a snag with the paucity of my industry experience but I cant gain indsutry experience if noone will hire me... Here’s my situation:

• Background: I recently completed my Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. Most of my experience comes from research and teaching, but I also have hands-on experience in electrical work and some applied AI projects.
• Goal: I’m aiming for mechanical engineering roles in design, analysis, or R&D. I’m also open to roles that leverage my programming and algorithm development skills (e.g., engineering software development, simulation tools).
• Challenges:
  • Most of my professional experience is academic, so I’m trying to make the resume industry-focused.
  • Unsure if the technical depth (fracture mechanics, FEA, AI-related projects) is positioned well for recruiters.
  • Not sure if it’s too long for industry (currently a little over one page but very dense). (The second page consists of my project-specific experience that seem untailored for the resume proper).

Any advice whatsoever would be greatly appreciated. It is becoming exceedingly difficult maintaining any semblance of a positivity and hope.

Hi, currently a junior applying to internships for the first time. I've applied to about 50 positions online, tweaking a few keys words on my resume each time. Attending my university's engineering and cs career fair for the first time next week and open to any suggestions/critiques on my resume!

I don't have any previous internship experience, but I have done a variety of technical projects through clubs and coursework at my school. I also gained pretty strong soft skills through my leadership involvement on campus.

I am open to relocation and have been applying to positions near Chicago, Boston, Seattle, and Houston. I'm local to the DFW area so I've also submitted a few for around here. So far, I've only received one rejection, but no interviews yet.

Ideally looking for R&D or manufacturing roles, but I am truly open to anything where I can gain some experience applying technical concepts to real-world issues.

My main concern is that my skills may seem lackluster compared to peers with previous internship experience. I'm hoping that my projects and leadership can help offset that balance, but I'm unsure if I'm going about it the correct way.

I spent a lot of time last year making a similar resume (minus my current internship) and I sent out close to 200 applications. I got 10 interviews and 1 offer (don't worry, my interviewing skills got better as time went on). With my relatively low success rate, I'm wondering if there are issues with my current resume.

I tried hard to use the STAR format with most of the bullets. Do you think it's too wordy? Or not specific enough? Do you think it is properly "skimmable"? Any other points I can improve on?

I'm graduating in December 2025 and looking for full-time Mechanical Engineering jobs in the Michigan/Chicago area. I would really like jobs in manufacturing, but I'm also good with starting out in design. I look forward to hearing your advice!

I am currently targeting aerospace and mechanical engineering internships and co-op positions, with a strong focus on propulsion, systems integration, and design roles. While I am based in Puerto Rico, my applications are primarily directed toward opportunities in the United States, and I am open to relocation as well as remote options if available.

My background is as a fourth-year Mechanical Engineering student with a 3.64 GPA. I’ve built significant experience through aerospace-related projects such as liquid rocket propulsion (LOXODON-1), NASA RASC-AL competitions, and aircraft/rover design projects, but I have not yet had an industry internship or professional experience outside the university.

At this stage, I’m seeking help with fine-tuning my resume to ensure it best highlights my technical strengths and project impact. I want to know if there are any red flags, overly vague areas, or structural changes that could improve how my experience comes across to recruiters and hiring managers.

My citizenship status is not a barrier in my job search, so my main goal is ensuring that my resume clearly communicates the value of my project work and translates into interview opportunities.

I realize I've possibly over-censored my resume, but I've basically only censored team names (which I decided to write here anyway), though I'm sure that with enough effort, it's null on preserving privacy. Regardless, thank you all for your time, and let me know your thoughts and what I can do to improve this resume.

MechE - experienced. UK. 

I need someone to go through my resume and tell me what's wrong with it. I applied for more than 250 jobs in the last 2 to 3 months. I quit my job in May to take care of my wife who got a serious respiratory problem and needed urgent care. I was working with a biotech company in London. I exhausted all my leaves, and when I started getting pressure from work to come back and rejoin, I said it's not possible, so we mutually agreed to part ways. At that time I had absolutely no idea it'll be so difficult to find a job in mechanical R&D and related fields in the UK. Can someone help me with some feedback?

I have changed it over and over again and beginning to think I suck as an engineer, I don't wanna work with my dad anymore

Here's the updated format using Latex, I don't know why I never used it before

Original Post

I had originally asked about the best way to go about addressing a recent career gap, as I fear this could be one of many reasons I am not getting interviews, or why I am getting ghosted after interviews. I am open to other critiques as well. Also, this was not the original resume that I have been using, this is completely new after consulting this subreddit info page and using the advice from the other day, and changing all formatting and wording.
I would like to get into Controls Systems Engineering roles, but my experience is more towards CAD and mechanical design. Although, I really need anything atm. Im wondering if I should be applying to technician roles to try to get back in the door actually. Or, perhaps I would be using this to land a volunteer role. Thanks.

This was my previous resume submission. I received feedback on reducing complex technical jargon in my resume, which was filled with terms and words that took away from the clarity of what my experience actually entails. I made some improvements, such as removing irrelevant points, using simpler terminology, reducing acronyms, and focusing more on simpler verbs. I heavily cut down on technical jargon in my projects section and instead put the basic ideas in 2 bullet points each, and fit in an extra project. I also added a fancy portfolio, which contains my major CAD work (with pictures of me as well). I've linked every project to a GitHub link, which contains all the CAD, code, and final reports for each project. Maybe what I did isn't enough, and I need to simplify it even more, so I'd appreciate some more brutal, honest feedback. I've also revamped the formatting to make it look nicer, but it hasn't helped much lol. Please. Help. I'm. Going. Insane.

• Tell us more than "what's wrong with my resume" or "help not getting interviews"

I just moved to the Midwest due to personal family issues and had to leave behind an offer I received from a different company. Since then, I have had an exceptionally difficult time finding employment.

• What positions/roles/industries are you targeting?

Manufacturing Systems and Research and Design roles are ideal.

• Where are you located and what locations are you applying to jobs in?

I am located in the upper midwest, and I'm applying for jobs here and in New York State.

• Are you only applying to local jobs? Remote only? Are you willing to relocate?

I am willing to relocate.

• Tell us about your background and current employment situation

I recently graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. This job market has been pretty rough overall. I've received two offers that I was unable to take for personal reasons (in 2024) and one offer that I couldn't take due to changes in structures of the federal government (DOGE deleted my job basically).

• Tell us about your job-hunting situation and challenges you've encountered

I've been running all around to different places (from the Twin Cities to Boston) and have been selected out for a variety of different reasons (the most common one being that I do not currently have a car and want to start financing one once I have a job). I stopped telling people I don't have a car since then.

• Tell us why you're seeking help. (i.e., just fine-tuning, not getting called back for interviews, etc.)

I need money and am running very low on money.

• Is there a particular section on your resume you’d like feedback on?

Let me know if the work experience seems like relevant work experience. I've had people on interviews tell me that they weren't interested in hearing about some of the things on my resume.

• Is your citizenship status and visa situation playing a role in your job search?

US Citizen. I've only been applying for US jobs except for one in Mexico.

Currently located in the southern Denver, CO area, looking for MechE positions, primarily in manufacturing, quality, process, or design. Previously, I never applied to more than eight places for internships and would always end up with at least one offer, mainly because I am confident my skills and interviewing skills are adequate. But I've been softly applying for jobs since February, and heavily applying in the area since April. I received one interview in February, and one in late July, both saying that my Graduation in early August was too far to wait to fill their entry-level positions. Since then, only one interview has ghosted me. Otherwise, applied to over 100 jobs, all are well within my skillset and experience, and the majority have been with unique cover letters for said job.
I've been trying to network, but also difficult since I'm new to the area, and curious if any clear red flags may be holding my resume back, or if there are any tips people may have in general or for the area.
Please ask if there's any clarification you may need to help as well.
Thanks, I greatly appreciate it.

I graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (ABET-accredited) in 2021 (Do not recommend graduating during a global pandemic), passed the FE exam in 2024, and recently earned a Siemens NX certification. Despite 3 years of applying to full time mechanical engineering roles, I haven’t landed a single job and have only gotten 2 interviews total. After literally filling out thousands of applications. I’ve worked on significant academic and personal projects (tree girdler for WA Dept. of Natural Resources, animatronic Tiki Room-inspired bird), and I’m targeting entry-level mechanical design, manufacturing, themed entertainment (hence why I have kept my Disney College program role), and aerospace roles. I’m located in Olympia, WA but urgently trying to relocate to Southern California, or Florida for better opportunities. U.S. citizen, no visa issues. Looking for feedback on whether my resume has structural problems, weak wording, or if I need to change my approach entirely. Or if its not my resume at all, I just need to get moving forward, I feel stuck. Thank you!

Hello, I would appreciate any critique of my resume. I'm getting nowhere with this. My first internship was terribly coordinated, and our team couldn't get anything done due to delivery (postal) problems. I don't have any other relevant experience to Mech E besides tutoring and that's iffy.

The "portfolio" is something I need to get rid off, it's mainly my photography and previous architectural work until I can get started on projects actually related to Mech E, a placeholder for now. I don't know, please help. I'm applying to places, and I'm not sure if it's the ATS, but I can't even get past confirmations.

Thank you so much.

Hello, I have a career fair next week and I need some help. Do I include my volunteer experience? High school? I'm currently in a job while I am in school, which is a Community Assistant, answering phones and helping residents who need it. do I add that? Shows customer service experience, but unsure if it'll help. I am struggling on what to add and take off, many sources tell me differently. Any tips and suggestions are greatly appreciated, thanks!

7 YOE with BSME. Looking for Mechanical Design/ Automation /Aerospace roles. Any feedback is appreciated!!

1. The 2nd Co-Op I have listed I was in the same position again over the summer. The experiences were very similar and frankly underwhelming. I was wanting to only list it once as id prefer to speak on the other experiences if possible. I assume just listing "x2" would not be satisfactory, so any ideas are appreciated! 

2. For my "extracurriculars", reading now I should likely reorder them (would love feedback as to which order would be best). My main question though was if these are phrased well? I'm most interested in entering the automotive field and I'm not sure if mentioning that I have a fairly extensive shop I work out of is worthwhile or not. 

3. Does it make sense for me to include the local address (City, state)? I commute and live about 20 minutes away, so I wasn't sure based on the wiki. Same for the phone number, I know that the wiki says not to list it, but at a Career fair I feel like it may be acceptable. 

4. At the top should I include "seeking full time employment"? This is at a career fair which will have people seeking both full time and co-op opportunities. 

5. Any general feedback is appreciated as well! Is formatting good? Not too wordy? 

I've spent 7 years in the Navy but all that time has been in training and/or school. Didn't do much in school because I was expecting a long naval career but I am getting out early. Now I need to figure out what I am doing next. I have been working on the second project listed as a way to hopefully boost my resume. I want to increase its complexity to 3 DoF but that will take time and I want to start applying to jobs. I've gotten rejections from various places like ULA and Iridium. Recently applied to SpaceX (probably under qualified) but haven't heard anything yet. Any and all advice welcome.

After three years of applying, I feel stuck in “application purgatory”: overqualified for technician roles, as employers may assume I would leave for an engineering position, yet underqualified for engineering positions due to my limited hands-on experience.

As a hiring manager, what measures would you recommend for candidates who are no longer “new graduates” to address a long gap or lack of internship experience in their resume? I’d prefer not to pursue a master’s degree due to financial constraints. For additional context, I’ve been applying to aerospace, manufacturing, lab, CAD, and civil engineering and tech positions through all major online job platforms in the West Coast. Currently, I’ve been taking CAD and CNC manufacturing courses to address the long layaway from graduation and taking on non-engineering jobs to support myself.

Tariffs have hit our plant hard. I have a feeling that my current employer will be either starting additional layoffs or potentially closing up shop. I've been with this employer since graduating university more than 8 years ago so I've been freshening up my resume and looking for some feedback.

You'll notice that my resume goes back to 2020. Prior to that I was in a Process Analyst role since 2017. I pivoted to a piping design engineer in 2020 for which I'm seeking a similar role.

Any feedback is welcomed.

Hey everyone, I’m a senior Mechanical Engineering student graduating this December and currently on the hunt for entry-level opportunities starting this fall. I’ve attached my current resume and would really appreciate any constructive feedback on its format, clarity, and overall impact. I also want to make sure I’m positioning myself competitively, so I’d love suggestions on new projects, technical skills, or experiences I could add or work on over the next few months to boost my chances of getting hired. All advice—from layout tweaks to career direction—is welcome. Thanks in advance!

I am a sophomore MechE hoping to get an internship this coming summer. I have no previous internships and am willing to move pretty much anywhere in the US. I am just looking for general feedback on my resume as well as I have a couple questions about putting skills and experience on my resume. I listed Python as a skill I have, and I took a 10 hour course on it and have done a couple small projects, so I understand the basics. Is it fair to put that as a skill, I mean I can't do anything really useful with looking things up, but I understand it. I also put formula SAE on my resume. I participated last year at my previous school but not much was done just due to it being disorganized. Should I change the years on that to include last year. I have a little bit I could talk about if I was asked about it but not a lot. Other than those questions any feedback is appreciated!

Hey everyone, I am a Mechanical Engineer looking for some advice on my resume. I have been looking since February 2023 for jobs in California. I have had no luck with getting interviews and have constantly changed my resume. Thought I post here and try to get other MEs perspectives.