Prepare your Resume

You may be the best mechanic on earth, but unless you can sell yourself on paper, you are not going to get an interview. You need to be clear and concise. The best jobs will have hundreds of resumes and covering letters going in, you need to make sure yours goes onto the keep pile rather than in the trashcan. Most people make the same common mistakes with their resume. Mechanic training, unfortunately, rarely prepares you for this part.

Make sure your resume is clear and concise. Break it down into relevant sections starting with your name and contact details; don't make it difficult for them to find your cell phone number for an interview, make it easy! Next add a short pithy couple of lines which sum up your strengths and experience, just under your contact details on your resume. "Mechanic with in depth experience of XYZ. Successful team leader, with an interest in XYZ. They want dynamism and somebody who works well in a team. Make sure your resume is relevant to them. If you are applying for a job with a European car manufacturer, do not spend a whole paragraph explaining your role flipping burgers. Most employers are interested in your skills and most recent jobs, so list them as most recent first with a line about what you achieved in that role. Next on the list are your qualifications, again list them in reverse date order. Employers are less interested in what you did in kindergarten and more interested in finding out if you have the relevant training. Finally check, and double check for typos, poor grammar, and things like dirty fingerprints.