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Mechanical systems engineer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Charles Jenckes,

Bryant Harrison

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical mechanical systems engineer skills. We ranked the top skills for mechanical systems engineers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 14.6% of mechanical systems engineer resumes contained mechanical systems as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a mechanical systems engineer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 mechanical systems engineer skills for your resume and career

1. Mechanical Systems

Here's how mechanical systems engineers use mechanical systems:

Lead mechanical systems design activities.
Designed mechanical systems using Pro/E.

2. CAD

Here's how mechanical systems engineers use cad:

Designed complete mechanical packaging and electrical interface using CAD software.
Led effort to develop electronic drawing control standards in compliance with ISO-9000, working with CAD standards steering committee and engineering.

3. System Design

System design refers to the electronic structural component of a system.

Here's how mechanical systems engineers use system design:

Administered technical body of knowledge ensuring currency and accuracy of critical system designs, processes, and troubleshooting practices.
Developed system design description (requirements management document) for the High Level Waste Facility Canister Decontamination Handling System.

4. Solidworks

Here's how mechanical systems engineers use solidworks:

Used SolidWorks for the design and development of protection devices for military vehicles.
Designed over 500 unique parts and assemblies; Controlled, executed, and evaluated mechanical designs using Solidworks PDM.

5. Project Management

Here's how mechanical systems engineers use project management:

Project management of contracted services including construction, renovations, and system modifications.
Provided engineering project management for various commercial building types.

6. 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 systems engineers use fea:

Supported MRJ/BA new seal technology for development readiness level by utilizing and calibrating FEA design software specifically for seal analysis.
Participate in technical design reviews, risk assessments, DFMEA, FEA, CFD, Reliability testing etc.

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7. Mechanical Design

Here's how mechanical systems engineers use mechanical design:

Managed vendors in the areas of mechanical design scopes, scheduling, budgets, system cost, and design review issues.
Provided both Mechanical Design, Drafting, and AutoCAD services for Petrochemical and Nuclear Power clients of Bechtel.

8. PowerPoint

Here's how mechanical systems engineers use powerpoint:

Generated PowerPoint Presentations for NASA Goddard reviews on the HST and STIS upgrades.
Produced data packages using PowerPoint to present at Customer reviews.

9. 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 systems engineers use engineering design:

Determine rapid mechanical engineering design decisions during prototype and Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Programs.
Reviewed and implemented Field Change Requests (FCR) in support of engineering design changes, constructability issues.

10. DOD

Definition of Done (DoD) is a set of deliverables that are needed to devise software. These deliverables are valuable to the system and can be exemplified by writing code, coding comments, unit testing, integration testing, design documents, release notes, and so on.

Here's how mechanical systems engineers use dod:

Design in accordance with both commercial and military standards and included cost management preparation and reporting per full DoD requirements.
Lead junior engineers, designers and draftsmen to prepare detail and assembly drawings per ASME Y14.5 and DoD standards.

11. 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 systems engineers use gd:

Captured customer requirements for implementation into GD design documentation.
Employed GD & T to generate 2-D prints' dimensions by means of the dimensional management technique.

12. Landing Gear

Here's how mechanical systems engineers use landing gear:

Designed experiments concerning component and system failures related to landing gear and hydraulic systems.
Nose Landing Gear Hydraulic Up-Lock Modifications.

13. 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 systems engineers use design reviews:

Supported system requirements reviews, preliminary & critical design reviews.
Carried out design reviews at executive level in proposing incorporation of new technologies into pallet trucks.

14. Technical Support

Technical support or tech support are the services provided by any hardware or software company to users. They help in solving the technical difficulties the customers face with their products or services. Moreover, the tech support employees maintain, manage, and repair the IT faults. They are also responsible for resolving the network problems, installing and configuring hardware and software.

Here's how mechanical systems engineers use technical support:

Provided technical support in SEMI-S2 safety evaluation and prototype installation.
Provided technical support to operations and maintenance.

15. Mechanical Components

Here's how mechanical systems engineers use mechanical components:

Designed mechanical components for an automatic bag filling system, integrating with electrical engineer to develop control system for pneumatic actuators.
Reduced computational design time 50-60% and improved accuracy by developing computer programs to design and check rate vessel mechanical components.

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What skills help Mechanical Systems 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 systems 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 systems 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 systems 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 systems engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Sridhar Santhanam Ph.D.

Professor and Chair, Villanova University

In a gap year, graduates could consider retooling themselves by acquiring advanced knowledge and skills. Graduate school provides a perfect avenue for this. Enrolling in a Masters's program that aligns with one's interests and aptitudes can be an excellent investment. Many graduate schools also offer shorter certificate programs targeted to specific sub-disciplines within mechanical engineerings, such as robotics, sustainable energy, or additive manufacturing. Certificates can be obtained in a calendar year, or less, and can significantly bolster one's resume in preparation for exploring the job market after the gap year. Several programs offer online graduate classes, thereby providing convenience and accessibility to students.

What type of skills will young mechanical systems 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 systems 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 systems engineer skills to add to your resume

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

Mechanical Systems
CAD
System Design
Solidworks
Project Management
FEA
Mechanical Design
PowerPoint
Engineering Design
DOD
GD
Landing Gear
Design Reviews
Technical Support
Mechanical Components
Engineering Support

Trade Studies
System Components
DOE
FAA
Engineering Drawings
Test Equipment
Prototyping
Lifecycle Management
HVAC
Structural Analysis
ISO
Engineering Calculations
Fire Protection
Technical Review
System Integration
Plant Systems

Troubleshoot
Assembly Drawings
Test Procedures
NASA
Mechanical Engineering Design
BOM
Management System
IDS
Technical Expertise
Design Changes
Engineering Changes
Hydraulic Systems
ECS
Plumbing

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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