Do I Really Need a Resume for Manufacturing Work?

Many manufacturing and light industrial jobs ask applicants to fill out an application when seeking employment at their company, so do you need to submit a resume for this job as well?

If you want to stand out from other applicants – in a good way – then yes, you absolutely need to submit a resume for manufacturing work.

Submitting a polished resume offers you the chance to present your skills and expertise in a way that you can control. A good manufacturing resume tells a hiring manager that you are passionate about the job, can organize your thoughts and have good communication skills.

Resume preparations

Before you sit down to write your resume, gather all the information you’ll need. Start by writing out your work history, including employment dates, job duties, supervisor names and contact information. Also, write out your educational background, including any degrees and dates you attended each particular school.

Then, write down all the ways you can provide value to the hiring company. In particular, think up ways that set you apart from the rest of the pack.

Start your resume with an objective

Many people write out an objective statement at the top of their resume to let a hiring manager know what they are looking for, both in the short term and the long term. The objective should include ways you can add value to a company. For instance, an objective like, “To use my ten years of experience working in a fast-paced environment…” will make a hiring manager sit up and take notice.

Put your best foot forward

Your next section should be either your work history or your education, depending on which one you think give the better impression.

For instance, if you don’t have much secondary education, put your work history section next. If, on the other hand, you just graduated from college and don’t have much manufacturing experience – go with education as your next section’ followed by work history.

Your work history section doesn’t need to include every single employer starting from your first job flipping burgers. It should include your most recent employers and those jobs you think will be the most impressive or relevant to the job you are trying to get.

Finish with special skills and accomplishments

The final section should include any skills and accomplishments you think might make you more valuable to a prospective employer, such as certifications, advanced training or licenses. These should be relevant to manufacturing or related to a transferrable skill.

Hiring managers typically sift through dozens of resumes at a time, so be sure yours makes a good impression within a couple minutes. If your resume takes too long to get to the point or isn’t written in a way that makes your value obvious, the document isn’t doing its job.

At Career Concepts, we help job seekers with every part of the hiring process. If you need one-on-one assistance getting your resume together, please contact us today!