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Mechanical designer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Charles Jenckes,

Bryant Harrison

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical mechanical designer skills. We ranked the top skills for mechanical designers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 8.2% of mechanical designer resumes contained mechanical design as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a mechanical designer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 mechanical designer skills for your resume and career

1. Mechanical Design

Here's how mechanical designers use mechanical design:

Supervised the mechanical design group in the development of a personal IBM compatible computer system and delivered complete package to manufacturing.
Provided mechanical design support to this manufacturer of automatic, semi-automatic, and manual shaft-straightening presses used in the automotive industry.

2. Revit

Revit, also known as Autodesk Revit, is computer software used by architects, structural engineers, and designers to perform building modeling tasks. Revit was designed to facilitate users, draw building modeling structures in a 2D and 3D format. Creating such models allows architects and engineers to pre-planning, scheduling, estimating the life of the structure and the entire cost of construction.

Here's how mechanical designers use revit:

Participated in AutoDesk Revit MEP training through in-house training and several hours of hypothetical project parameters.
Produced Revit content for corporate marketing.

3. Auto CAD

Here's how mechanical designers use auto cad:

Created machinery designs per customer specifications or needs and as-built drawings for existing equipment modifications using Auto CAD.
Designed, layout and completion of working drawings of specialized custom orders of product lines sold using Auto Cad Rel.

4. HVAC

Here's how mechanical designers use hvac:

Perform mechanical engineering design for facilities including calculated building HVAC requirements to ensure adequate capacity of system air flow.
Designed HVAC systems for residential and commercial buildings in compliance with statutory and regulatory guidance.

5. 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 designers use engineering drawings:

Assisted in creating, updating, and evaluating Dril-Quip quality plan procedures relating to engineering drawings and documentation.
Developed and maintained solid models and engineering drawings; and provided product specifications to relevant departments.

6. Creo

Here's how mechanical designers use creo:

Developed a product design to solve the problem of height adjustment of a chair using PTC CreO Direct/Elements & parametric.
Use Pro-E CREO to design both electric over hydraulic and mechanical components for sub-sea BOP control pods.

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7. Design Software

Design software is used to create, edit, and display various types of graphics and images, including but not limited to photography, 3D design, and the website interface. It enables users to create a wide variety of visual files and offers various tools and functions to enhance the user's artistic skills and techniques. Some features include design, image editing, and digital illustration. Design software might also reference the actual act of creating a piece of software or application with a larger business or product goal in mind.

Here's how mechanical designers use design software:

Prepare and maintain files of three-dimensional or interactive representations of designs, using computer assisted design software.
Designed special office furniture and components utilizing Pro/ENGINEER Sheet Metal Design software.

8. Plumbing

Here's how mechanical designers use plumbing:

Developed design/specification documents for modifications to heating, air conditioning, plumbing and fire protection systems for Duke Energy commercial buildings.
Provided technical calculation and design support on project teams including plumbing and electrical departments.

9. Assembly Drawings

Here's how mechanical designers use assembly drawings:

Provided a wide variety of individual structural steel sub-assembly drawings specifying material lists for field repairs.
Used AutoCAD to create fabrication/ assembly drawings for accessory parts of motorcycle and agriculture machinery.

10. 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 designers use gd:

Work completed to ANSI standards and Y14.5M GD &T Standard.
Followed ANSI Y14.5 M and GD &T practices.

11. Layout Drawings

Here's how mechanical designers use layout drawings:

Designed/drafted multiple view assembly, sub-assembly and layout drawings for manufacture of gas/diesel engines.
Prepared mechanical layout drawings for customer review, required revisions, and ultimate fabrication.

12. Aided Design

Here's how mechanical designers use aided design:

Performed complex computer-aided designs with emphasis on functionality, manufacturing and maintainability.
Prepared technical drawings, fabrication drawings and plans using computer-aided design.

13. IDS

An IDS (intrusion detection system) stands for a software application or device that monitors a network to identify policy violations or malicious activities.

Here's how mechanical designers use ids:

Develop IDS sheets and reports for traffic studies.

14. Mechanical Equipment

Mechanical equipment is a term referring to the machinery which have been created and gathered for the purpose of fulfilling one or more functions and consisting of, most often, multiple components.

Here's how mechanical designers use mechanical equipment:

Assist engineers, designers, and technicians in developing detailed designs of and specifications for mechanical equipment.
Arranged and detailed mechanical equipment and sheet metal enclosures using 3-dimensional modeling with CADDS5 software.

15. Mechanical Systems

Here's how mechanical designers use mechanical systems:

Compose instructions and reproduce illustrations for reference manuals and technical publications to describe operation and maintenance of mechanical systems.
Designed and installed mechanical systems for non-woven textile processes, high-speed packaging, and other continuous-motion assembly machines.

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What skills help Mechanical Designers find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on mechanical designer 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 designers 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 designers?

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 designer 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 designers 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.

Do you want to know more?

List of mechanical designer skills to add to your resume

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

Mechanical Design
Revit
Auto CAD
HVAC
Engineering Drawings
Creo
Design Software
Plumbing
Assembly Drawings
GD
Layout Drawings
Aided Design
IDS
Mechanical Equipment
Mechanical Systems
BOM

Product Design
R
Design Drawings
Fabrication Drawings
Design Projects
Mechanical Drawings
Design Changes
Windchill
Design Reviews
P Id
Mechanical Components
Mechanical Drafting
PDM
Machine Shop
Shop Drawings
Product Data Management

CNC
ECO
Design Layouts
Drawing Packages
Design Process
Sheet Metal Design
Sketch
ISO
FEA
Customer Specifications
Mechanical Assemblies
Manufacturing Support
ECN
Load Calculations
Autodesk Autocad
Lead Design

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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