Pick a clean, functional template that shows your hands-on work and safety record. Choose a reverse-chronological layout so employers see your recent aircraft engine assembly roles first.
Keep length to one page if you have under 10 years of relevant work. Use two pages only if you have long, direct experience with maintenance, FAA certifications, or heavy project work.
Use ATS-friendly fonts like Calibri, Arial, Georgia, or Garamond. Set body text to 10–12pt and headers to 14–16pt so hiring teams can scan quickly.
Give each section clear headings: Contact, Summary, Skills, Experience, Certifications, Education. Put certifications and safety classes near the top if they matter for the job.
Space matters. Use consistent margins and 6–8pt spacing between bullets. Let white space guide the eye to key achievements and certifications.
Avoid overly creative layouts, heavy graphics, and multiple columns. Those elements confuse ATS and slow human readers down.
Watch these common mistakes: packed bullet blocks without metrics, custom fonts that don't parse, and odd section names that hide important info. Use standard headings so systems find your certifications and job titles.
Show measurable impact. List torque accuracy, defect reductions, or time savings with numbers. Include FAA, IPC, or OEM training and list the issuing body and date.
Final tip: export to PDF and test it in plain text to check parsing. Keep it tidy, clear, and focused on assembly skills and safety.