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Mechanical design engineer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Charles Jenckes,

Bryant Harrison

Mechanical design engineer example skills

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical mechanical design engineer skills. We ranked the top skills for mechanical design engineers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 14.1% of mechanical design engineer resumes contained cad as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a mechanical design engineer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 mechanical design engineer skills for your resume and career

1. CAD

Here's how mechanical design engineers use cad:

Demonstrated advanced CAD skills in creating new components/ assemblies and analyzing existing designs to implement mechanical improvements while reducing costs.
Designed and implemented numerous engineering changes to increase trailer quality as well as efficiency using SolidWorks CAD software.

2. Mechanical Design

Here's how mechanical design engineers use mechanical design:

Direct, coordinate and exercise functional authority for planning, organization, integration and completion of Mechanical design projects/programs.
Provided comprehensive engineering leadership with direct responsibility for developing and implementing mechanical design solutions and Material Review Board procedures.

3. GD

GD refers to Grade Delay and is often mentioned on report cards or academic records when the instructor of a particular subject decides to hold the grade of a student. This is usually done if the instructor wants the student to improve their grade by retaking the exam or doing something for extra credit that will ultimately enhance their overall grade. Eventually, when the grade is assigned, the GD is then replaced with the original grade.

Here's how mechanical design engineers use gd:

Employed GD & T to generate 2-D prints' dimensions by means of the dimensional management technique.
Provided Design and Documentation per ANSY Y14.5 and GD & T

4. Creo

Here's how mechanical design engineers use creo:

Utilize CREO 2.0 CAD System to Create 2D Orthographic Production Drawings as related to Sheet Metal Radiation Shielding Panels.
Utilize CREO 2.0 CAD System to Create 2D Orthographic Production Drawings relating building Universal Satellite Integration Work Platform.

5. FEA

The Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is software that can simulate physical phenomenon with the help of numerical procedures. FEA helps companies in developing better and cost-effective products by reducing the number of physical prototypes.

Here's how mechanical design engineers use fea:

Performed FEA evaluations of components and assemblies utilizing ANSYS DesignSpace for durability and reliability prediction to meet product duty cycle.
Documented standardized FEA procedures and wrote training material for consistency across global business unit locations.

6. UL

Here's how mechanical design engineers use ul:

Drafted engineering documentation and testing procedures while working with UL auditors and Quality Assurance.
Supervised product development in coherence with UL standards and manufacturers.

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7. Engineering Design

Engineering design is defined as the method that engineers use to recognize and solve problems. It is an extensive and flexible approach to problem-solving and provides the necessary information needed regarding every step of the process. An engineering design is a collaborative effort of the team to identify problems underlying a process and find out ways to solve them.

Here's how mechanical design engineers use engineering design:

Performed engineering design and documentation of a specialized gantry crane for the remote handling of hazardous containers within an underground environment.
Specify system components or direct modification of products to make sure conformance with engineering design performance specifications.

8. Mechanical Systems

Here's how mechanical design engineers use mechanical systems:

Worked closely with Electrical and System Engineers, designing power distribution systems, control systems and numerous other mechanical/electrical systems.
Developed, organized and conducted complex design assignments in mechanical systems as required for new business.

9. Design Reviews

A dеѕіgn review іѕ a mіlеѕtоnе wіthіn a рrоduсt dеvеlорmеnt рrосеѕѕ іn whісh a design іѕ evaluated bаѕеd on іtѕ rеԛuіrеmеntѕ. Thе рurроѕе of dеѕіgn rеvіеwѕ іѕ tо examine thе overall design or a ѕресіfіс аѕресt оf a dеѕіgn аt еасh ѕtаgе of the development оf a nеw оr еxіѕtіng рrоduсt.

Here's how mechanical design engineers use design reviews:

Communicate design and project status to immediate supervisor and solicit feedback form management and team members by conducting internal design reviews.
Prepared and conducted formal presentations to customers, including IBM Federal Systems Division, for preliminary and critical design reviews.

10. Product Design

Product design can be described as a process of imagining, creating, and iterating products that solve user's problems and talk about the specific needs of users in the market. Product design is an engineering disciple and it is the basic design and idea that goes before the mass production of the product.

Here's how mechanical design engineers use product design:

Coordinated and monitored all aspects of production, including selection of manufacturing methods, fabrication, or operation of product designs.
Originate and developed a novel vacuum platform prototype via the modification and improvement of existing product designs for new customer applications.

11. Project Management

Here's how mechanical design engineers use project management:

Maintained close relationship and communication with vendors, manufacturing, procurement, as well as project management to insure product development.
Perform Mechanical Project Management duties for Original Design Manufacturers in domestic and foreign markets for design implementation and production.

12. Product Development

Product development is the complete procedure of creating a product from concept until release of the final product. Product development has many stages after which a product is released into the market. Identifying the need, creating the opportunity, conceptualizing a product, and providing a solution, all are different stages of product development.

Here's how mechanical design engineers use product development:

Coordinate efforts in a cross functional team environment interfacing with Purchasing, Manufacturing, Marketing, Industrial Design during product development.
Designed standard and custom electronic packaging equipment utilizing customer specifications, and marketing/sales input; assist in new product development.

13. HVAC

Here's how mechanical design engineers use hvac:

Surveyed HVAC systems for a powdered pharmaceutical facility in Wisconsin, discovering cross contamination of production areas with the existing equipment.
Performed cooling and heating load calculation that allowed proper equipment selection and HVAC system layout while interacting with manufacturers and representatives.

14. Prototyping

Here's how mechanical design engineers use prototyping:

Machine design engineering and prototyping of an automated comforter assembly/stitching machine using AutoCad 2D modeling software.
Performed finite element analyses to verify impact resistance as well as prototyping designs to validate findings.

15. Engineering Drawings

Engineering drawings are technical drawings that tell about the requirements for engineering components or equipment. Such drawings have standardized languages and symbols. There are multiple types of engineering drawings such as isometric drawing, orthographic or multiview drawing, schematic drawings, one view, and two view drawings, etc.

Here's how mechanical design engineers use engineering drawings:

Archived engineering change orders-controlled documents, including engineering drawings, component specifications, labeling and manuals in Agile.
Worked with machinists and learned how to better dimension engineering drawings to facilitate component production.

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What skills help Mechanical Design Engineers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on mechanical design engineer resumes?

Charles Jenckes

Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

For new graduates
1.Where the candidate went to school and what was studied
2.GPA
3.Any successful internships
4.Projects completed by the student

What soft skills should all mechanical design engineers possess?

Bryant Harrison

Instructor, Murray State University

Engineers are constantly working with a variety of people on a project. These people could be other engineers in the same department or other departments, managers, stakeholders, and customers. The ability to communicate both on a technical and non-technical level with these people is likely the most important soft skill for a design engineer.

What hard/technical skills are most important for mechanical design engineers?

Bryant Harrison

Instructor, Murray State University

Designing, prototyping, testing, and iterating are likely the most important skills for a design engineer. This is what we strive to teach at Murray State in our Design Engineering Technology program. Many sub-skills would fall into these categories, such as CAD, design for manufacturing, 3D printing, and destructive/non-destructive testing.

What mechanical design engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Richard Onyancha

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Department Head, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

For students who would like to consider taking a gap year, depending on what their goals after graduation are, they could consider enhancing their skills in any of these areas:
- Technical hands-on skills such as CAD/CAM, simulation, design, and fabrication
- Global competency
- Public policy
- Job shadowing
- Preparing for and taking professional exams if, for example, considering medical school or law school

What type of skills will young mechanical design engineers need?

Andy Gerrick

Associate Professor and Chair, Embry-Riddle, Prescott

Most important is the ability to pull together the problem-solving skills learned in the different engineering courses to solve real-world, multidisciplinary, engineering problems. This requires a clear understanding of the problem and the requirements, and it requires a thorough understanding of engineering concepts. Memorizing problem solutions is of no value because no one will pay you to solve a problem that has already been solved. An engineer's ability to communicate is also extremely important. Engineering is a collaborative endeavor, so if you are not able to communicate your ideas, you are not contributing.

What technical skills for a mechanical design engineer stand out to employers?

Martin Pietrucha Ph.D.

Program Coordinator and Professor, Pennsylvania State University

Given this trend, employers will be looking for the usual superior engineering knowledge and skill sets, but they will also be interested in those who can prove that they are excellent self-starters and time managers. Being able to demonstrate one's "flexibility" and an ability to think on one's feet will also be highly desirable.

Do you want to know more?

List of mechanical design engineer skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a mechanical design engineer resume and required skills for a mechanical design engineer to have include:

CAD
Mechanical Design
GD
Creo
FEA
UL
Engineering Design
Mechanical Systems
Design Reviews
Product Design
Project Management
Product Development
HVAC
Prototyping
Engineering Drawings
Ansys

Mechanical Components
R
Structural Analysis
Design Concepts
System Design
Tolerance Analysis
Assembly Drawings
BOM
CFD
Plumbing
Aided Design
Technical Support
Stress Analysis
Design Changes
Machine Shop
Design Process

Engineering Support
Plastic Injection
CNC
DFMEA
Material Selection
FMEA
Industrial Design
ISO
Thermal Analysis
Catia V5
Additive Manufacturing
Sigma
ECO
Mechanical Drawings
Windchill
Teamcenter

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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