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CV tips for: people in engineering, manufacturing and operations

On your CV make sure you stress the value you have contributed to the success of an organisation, and if possible how this translated into figures: profit, sales, negotiating or reducing costs, maximising working capital…

The significance of what might appear to be small contributions can be made more substantial by stating outcomes over a period of several years.

Reducing work in progress (WIP) and lead times and waste elimination are highly valued initiatives.

State clearly any industry or process expertise you possess, the size of the organisation(s) for which you have worked, and the scope of your responsibility.

Include generic terms, such as those applying to a broad range of organisations, including innovation, continuous improvement, waste elimination in processes, as well as specific information such as that relating to certain niches.

Your responsibilities and achievements should be highlighted and substantiated with facts and figures. For example:

'P&l management and strategic planning for a business with a budget of £aaaa, tasked with delivering bbbb volumes/production quantities, responsible for xyz employees and planning (monthly, quarterly and annual).'

'Drove up ROI by xyz per cent through several projects by focusing on continuous improvement.'

'Reduced number of suppliers by 24 per cent, decreasing component costs by seven per cent or $50k per month, which equalled $1.8m over three years.'

'Identified a specific problem and conceived a solution which reduced work in progress (WIP) by 34 per cent, slashing costs by $40m annually.'

It’s common for people with manufacturing or engineering backgrounds to be too rich in technical detail and to give too much information. Be careful not to hide major accomplishments by mentioning too many minor ones!