Getting Technical with Your CAD Resume
If you are interested in getting a job in the computer aided design industry, doubtless you already have a collection of technical skills under your belt. All of these skills are great to include in your resume if they are organized properly. Be sure to highlight the skills that are most applicable to the specific position for which you're applying — doing some research on the company ahead of time will give you a leg up. Despite the extensive knowledge you may have in computer and technical terminology, keep your wording relatively simple and readable to keep from sounding like you're showing off.

	It does not matter what industry you are in; the resume is a vital part of the process which absolutely cannot be overlooked.

Writing a resume for a position within the computer aided design (CAD) industry is like laying out a technical drawing; each element of the resume is carefully written out with a full understanding of the complete picture. Between providing information the prior work experience, skill set and education that you have accumulated, the CAD resume is a short summary of who you are and what you plan to bring to the table. It does not matter what industry you are in; the resume is a vital part of the process which absolutely cannot be overlooked.

As the name suggests, the primary purpose of people in the CAD industry is the design of parts, materials, houses, etc., utilizing computers for speed and accuracy. The drawings are typically 2D or 3D representations of the part being designed. CAD's primary purpose is the design of machinery for production purposes, and drafting everything from buildings to whatever else.

From this, it is clear that any skill that you put on your CAD resume should be applicable to geometric and trigonometric math, problem solving, machining methods, architecture, perspectives in art, and quite a few other topics that are all transferable within the Computer Aided Drafting and Design industry. You may be at varying levels of expertise in each of these areas; your strongest and most prevalent skills should be highlighted in the resume. Every skill that is included in your CAD resume should be tailored to fit the needs of the company you’re applying for.

It can be helpful to first list all of your skills in a master resume. This document is not tailored to any one company but is representative of everything you are capable of offering. From this document, you can pick out the skills that will be most applicable to the company to which you are applying. In this way, you can easily create a custom tailored resume for any position you’re applying for.

The person reviewing the resumes will only spend an extremely limited time on each, so unless your resume is short and to the point, you will just get passed over, lost in the sea of other entry level candidates.

If you are applying for a CAD position without any relevant experience and have just graduated from university, then the best route is to highlight your prior education, training and or certifications. A lot of the skills that are needed for CAD are the same skills that are learned in school. Any field specific training is also good for your resume. List any certifications that you possess. These are government endorsements of your talents and can be equivalent to possessing the work experience. If, however, you are changing careers and starting anew in the computer aided design industry, then you will have plenty of experience, most of which does not directly apply. What is best in this situation is to take all the transferable skills that are applicable to the computer aided design industry and include those in your resume.

Your resume should only be a single page if you are new to the computer aided design industry and two only if you have ten or more years of experience. The person reviewing the resumes will only spend an extremely limited time on each, so unless your resume is short and to the point, you will just get passed over, lost in the sea of other entry level candidates. Besides, the resume is only meant to give the employer a taste, to get your foot in the door and blow him away during the interview.

Working in computer aided design, like any other technical field, leads to terminology that only those within the field can understand. The purpose behind such terms is to allow an expedition of communication. For the most part, your resume should be plain English, but having a sparing use of jargon and terminology will show your proficiency in the industry. Too much industry-specific jargon, however, will just sound like padding.

Writing a resume is about balance. You need to balance plain English and specialty terminology; too much of either will make your resume look weak. Experience and skills should similarly be balanced whenever possible. Computer aided design is a fun profession where you use modern tools to create depictions of real life objects in a way that allows them to be precisely built. If you are looking to enter a job in the computer aided design industry, then the most important first step is your resume.