Best CNC Machinist Resume Examples for 2025
Secure your dream CNC Machinist role this year by learning about the sections you need to include in your professional resume to impress a hiring manager.
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What To Highlight in a CNC Machinist Resume
A CNC machinist creates tools and parts from various materials, such as metal and plastic. They usually specialize in a specific type of machinery but can also work with various machines. When hiring a CNC machinist, a recruiter wants to see that you have experience working with the specific machines in their manufacturing facility and that you can create the needed parts.
In this article, you will learn how you can show off your skills, experience and extensive industry knowledge in an impressive and engaging way!
Creating tools and parts for machinery is hard work, and candidates will need specialist skills such as operating a CNC lathe or knowing g-code before working as full-time CNC machinists. You’ll need to produce an impressive resume to increase your chances of securing an interview. You should highlight:
- CNC machinist skills
- In-depth knowledge of the manufacturing process from planning to the fulfillment stages
- Previous work experience
Structure of a CNC Machinist Resume
Your CNC machinist resume structure will depend on the resume format you choose. For example, choosing a chronological resume format will mean focusing on your work experience. Choosing a functional resume format will highlight your skills and if you have gaps in your employment history or are changing careers, you can choose a combination resume format to showcase your skills and experience.
Header
The header is at the top of your resume and contains your contact information with your name, email address and phone number. Be sure to also add any professional links like your Linkedin.
Resume summary or objective
You will need a resume summary or resume objective. This is a short two- to three-sentence paragraph. This section intends to hook the recruiter and entice them to read your entire resume.
If you have several years of experience, you will write a resume summary where you can highlight your best achievements and work experience. Summarize your years of experience in the manufacturing industry and point out one or two prominent skills.
If you don’t have a lot of industry experience you can write a resume objective, it is similar in length to a resume summary but focuses on your career intentions and goals. You should explain why a CNC machinist role aligns with your career development plan. You should also explain how your knowledge of CNC machines and specialist skills compensate for a lack of experience.
Skills
Including the right skills is an important part of creating the best resume. You must include a mix of CNC machinist-specific hard skills and soft skills, hard skills require training and certification (e.g., CNC milling), while soft skills are transferable across many industries (e.g., communication skills).
Here are some bullet points to consider adding to your resume:
- Problem-solving skills
- Machine tool operation
- Designing and reading blueprints
- Troubleshooting machine parts
- Computer numerical control
- Grinder operation
- CNC programming
- Quality control
- Cutting tool operation
- Precision measuring with measuring instruments
- Completing all work orders to customer satisfaction
- Forklift operation
- Working safely with hand tools
- Comprehensive knowledge of the machining process
- Preventative maintenance
- CNC milling machines
- CNC Programmer and technical skills
- Automotive knowledge
- Collaborating with several industry professionals (e.g., aerospace construction workers and engineers)
- AutoCAD
- Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
- Quality assurance
Work history
Depending on the seniority of the job title, you might need to include a long list of previous roles in the work history section. You need to list your previous job titles in reverse-chronological order, starting from the most recent job. You should also provide a list of brief bullet points underneath each job title, explaining your primary responsibilities.
For a perfect resume, you should include only relevant experience in a CNC machinist role to avoid cluttering your resume. You should also provide the employer’s details in this section, such as the company name and the date you started and finished.
Education
Typically, in your education section, you’ll need a high school diploma or GED to become a CNC machinist. To fully qualify, candidates undergo intensive training and education to become a safe and effective CNC operator.
There are also many CNC machinist certifications that you can benefit from. Here are some examples:
- CNC Machinist Certificate
- CNC Milling
- Advanced Machining Certification
List all your education and training in the education section with the name of the school you attended or the certifying authority for the certificates you hold.
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Do’s and Don’ts for a CNC Machinist Resume
Here are some do’s and don’ts for a CNC machinist resume:
Do:
- Use a machinist resume template. This can provide structure to a professional resume.
- Use a resume builder to simplify your resume writing process.
- Include keywords that describe your CNC machinist skills and qualities. You can find these in the job description which will help you get through applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Don’t:
- Include unrelated information, such as unnecessary qualifications or experience.
- Forget to provide specific examples of when you operated machinery from your previous job.
- Over-explain your experience. This might make your resume sections too long.
FAQ: CNC Machinist Resumes
Have questions? We’re here to help.
Do I need to include a cover letter for a CNC machinist application?
Yes! A cover letter is important to your application process and you can use the ResumeHelp resume builder to assist you in writing yours. This short letter lets you go into further detail about your experience and skills. You can also provide specific anecdotes to evidence some of your key skills. For example, you can describe an instance where you demonstrated high safety conformity.
How can I write a CNC machinist resume without a lot of experience?
You can still create a resume if you’re applying for an entry-level position. You can use a functional resume format and a resume objective. You should focus on transferable skills instead of CNC machinist-specific qualities. For example, instead of including role-specific keywords like machine operation, you can focus on transferable skills, like dexterity or collaboration skills.
How do I change my CNC machinist resume to apply to different jobs?
Customizing your resume is an important part of creating the best resume you can. To customize, you should adapt your resume summary or objective for each application. You can also change your skills section to match the exact role. To do this, you’ll need to choose keywords from the job description. Keywords are terms that describe role-specific qualities, include these words in your resume to match yourself to the exact role.
You should draw parallels between you and the ideal candidate’s profile. You can also include company-specific information, such as company values and mention them in your resume summary.
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