CVs for automotive technicians: what should and shouldn't be on it
Workshop managers read a CV in thirty seconds. Here's what they're looking for, in what order, and three things you're better off leaving out.
A workshop manager doesn’t read your CV, he scans it. He’s looking for three things: which brands you’ve worked on, which certificates you have and how long you stayed in each job. Everything else is secondary. Here’s how you put those three things at the top.
The order that works
Put your most recent job at the top and work backwards. For each job, mention:
- Employer and location
- Period, in months and years
- Brands you worked on
- What you actually did: maintenance, diagnostics, MOT, EV
That last point is where it goes wrong. “Duties in the workshop” says nothing. “Diagnostics on the Golf 8 and ID.3, MOT inspections, supervising two apprentices” says everything.
Certificates in their own spot
Put your certificates in their own block, at the top or in the sidebar. Think of MOT authorisation, NEN 9140 for high voltage, brand-specific training and your driving licences. Employers filter on this.
What you can leave out
Three things we cut from CVs every day:
- A long personal statement. Two sentences about who you are and what you’re looking for is enough.
- Side jobs from ten years ago. Your shelf-stacking job from 2014 won’t get you a job as a first mechanic.
- Hobbies. Unless it’s tinkering with classic cars. That can stay.
Gaps in your CV
Everyone’s gone a few months without working at some point. Don’t hide it, but don’t make a drama of it either. One line is enough: “2023, travelling through Asia” or “2022, caring for family”.
Lots of job changes
Changed employer a lot? That’s less of a problem in automotive than people think, especially if you worked through temp agencies. Just make it clear that it was temp work, otherwise it looks like you got fired six times.
Photo or no photo?
Either is fine. If you use a photo, make sure it’s a recent one where you just look like yourself. No holiday photo, no passport-booth photo.
Get it checked
We check your CV for free before we put you forward to an employer. Not to make it look pretty, but to make sure the things that matter are in the right place. Do the job check and we’ll get in touch with you.
