Primarily, automotive mechanics repair cars and light trucks. They perform routine maintenance like changing oil, filter, and belt according to schedules created by various manufacturers. They interact with customers to identify the problems with their vehicles. Furthermore, they inspect various systems within the vehicles to diagnose problems. Additionally, they use computerized diagnostic equipment to identify components that have issues. Moreover, they persuade customers to opt-in for optional repairs or preventative maintenance to generate more revenue. Lastly, they document all work performed.
Most automotive mechanics have an associate's degree in automotive technology or a related field. However, applicants must hold a high school or vocational training program diploma. You must have at least two years of related experience. Having relevant certifications is a plus. Key skills include critical thinking, analytical, decision-making, time management, coordination, people, and leadership skills. Your salary will range from $35,663 to $46,813, with an average annual salary of $40,604.
How to Become an Automotive Mechanic
What is an Automotive Mechanic
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an Automotive Mechanic. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.29 an hour? That's $40,123 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -1% and produce -6,400 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does an Automotive Mechanic Do
There are certain skills that many Automotive Mechanics have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Customer-service skills, Detail oriented and Dexterity.
How To Become an Automotive Mechanic
If you're interested in becoming an Automotive Mechanic, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 14.1% of Automotive Mechanics have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.2% of Automotive Mechanics have master's degrees. Even though some Automotive Mechanics have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become an Automotive Mechanic. When we researched the most common majors for an Automotive Mechanic, we found that they most commonly earn High School Diploma degrees or Associate Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Automotive Mechanic resumes include Bachelor's Degree degrees or Diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become an Automotive Mechanic. In fact, many Automotive Mechanic jobs require experience in a role such as Mechanic. Meanwhile, many Automotive Mechanics also have previous career experience in roles such as Automotive Technician or Diesel Mechanic.
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Automotive Mechanic Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, an Automotive Mechanic can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as Automotive Technician, progress to a title such as Technician and then eventually end up with the title Maintenance Supervisor.
Automotive Mechanic Jobs You Might Like
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Average Salary for an Automotive Mechanic
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12 Automotive Mechanic Resume Examples
Build a professional automotive mechanic resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your automotive mechanic resume.
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Arthur Gonzalez Automotive Mechanic |
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Joyce Palmer Automotive Mechanic Experience Automotive Mechanic2014 - Present Walmart•Bentonville, AR
Mechanic Helper2005 - 2014 GKN Aerospace North America•Saint Louis, MO
Grounds Keeper1995 - 2005 BrightView Landscape Development•Saint Louis, MO
Skills Snow RemovalLubeA/CPower MowersHvacPower SteeringWater PumpsCompany VehicleCustomer ServiceAutomatic Sprayers Education Bachelor's Degree Automotive Technology1992 - 1995 Ranken Technical College•Saint Louis, MO |
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Learn How To Write an Automotive Mechanic Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Automotive Mechanic resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Automotive Mechanic Resume Examples And TemplatesAnd if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
Choose From 10+ Customizable Automotive Mechanic Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Automotive Mechanic templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Automotive Mechanic resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Automotive Mechanic Demographics
Automotive Mechanic Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among Automotive Mechanics, 3.6% of them are women, while 96.4% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among Automotive Mechanics is White, which makes up 65.3% of all Automotive Mechanics.
- The most common foreign language among Automotive Mechanics is Spanish at 51.0%.
Find the best Automotive Mechanic job for you
Automotive Mechanic Jobs You Might Like
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Online Courses For Automotive Mechanic That You May Like
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Top Skills For an Automotive Mechanic
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 21.5% of Automotive Mechanics listed Customer Service on their resume, but soft skills such as Customer-service skills and Detail oriented are important as well.
Best States For an Automotive Mechanic
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an Automotive Mechanic. The best states for people in this position are West Virginia, Kentucky, Colorado, and Iowa. Automotive Mechanics make the most in West Virginia with an average salary of $51,876. Whereas in Kentucky and Colorado, they would average $51,764 and $49,550, respectively. While Automotive Mechanics would only make an average of $47,789 in Iowa, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Kentucky
$51,764
Avg. Salary
2. Iowa
$47,789
Avg. Salary
3. Wyoming
$46,847
Avg. Salary
How Do Automotive Mechanic Rate Their Jobs?
5.0
5.0
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