CAD Drafting Resumes Computer Aided Design Resume Writing Tips

Resume Writing Tips for CAD / Drafting Positions

Like any other field, people in CAD / Drafting positions, or who are just entering the field, need to market a full range of their skills. Employers want drafters who not only have good drafting skills but can also demonstrate they can deal with other departments, solve problems, train other staff and handle responsibility. However, many job seekers in this field do not create resumes that prove they have skills in supportive areas or show how past experience relates to and can be used in drafting positions.

Let’s look at an example from my booklet, 6 Easy Steps to Create Resumes and Cover Letters for CAD / Drafting Students. Richard had been been a PUD Auditor, Computer Draftsman and a Restaurant Manager and had completed an A.A.S. Degree in CAD Technology. He’s been in the $10 an hour range but now wants to move into the $16 to $18 an hour range. Below is an abbreviated section from his before resume. If you were an employer wanting to hire a CAD Drafter who can support a staff of engineers, how convinced are you of Richard’s drafting and departmental support skills?
Will these strategies
work for you?

click here to read
these successes!

... salary is DOUBLED
... 50% salary increase
... 26% increase
... $18,000 increase
... $30,000 to $50,000
... offered $45 to $60 an hour
... plus dozens more
successful career moves
and salary increases!

PUD Auditor - MSE Corporation
Plotted service locations for Boise / County PUD customers and audited power pole and transformer attributes.

Kitchen Remodel Design - Buckley Design Group
Projects include kitchen design and electrical schematic overlay.

Restaurant Manager - Godfather’s Pizza Inc.
Developed sales forecasts and quarterly budgets.
Responsible for staffing and training program development.

Now let’s look at an abbreviated section from the resume Richard created using, 6 Easy Steps to Create Resumes and Cover Letters for CAD / Drafting Students. Does your image of him change? Which resume will result in more interviews and higher salary offers for Richard?

AutoCAD Draftsman
Buckley Design Group

Utilized AutoCAD to draft commercial kitchen layout and electrical schematic overlay.
Developed kitchen floor plan from sketch and appliance specifications.

Computerized Drafting / Plotting
PUD Auditor, MSE Corporation

Utilized microstation program to draft, plot and inventory attributes for 4,000 service locations, created over 800 computerized geographical information system maps.

Project Management / Customer Service
Godfather’s Pizza Inc.

Managed operations and annual sales in excess of $670,000, supervising customer service for over 4,000 clients per month.
Developed and implemented special projects which increased revenues over $40,000.

As you can see Richard’s new resume presents an image of his having much stronger drafting skills with an ability to manage or coordinate large projects. Both required by drafters who work with engineers completing multi-faceted design and construction projects.

The difference between the before and after resume is very typical of what can be achieved by 99% of job seekers when they are are taught why resumes do and don’t work--as the workshops in this website and my booklets teach.

$9,000 Salary Increase
The first resume workshop in this site shows how Fran's after resume resulted in a $9,000 salary increase. Fran wanted a $33,000 Corporate Customer Representative job but her resume created an image of her being at a $20,000 to 24,000 salary level -- that's $9,000 to $13,000 beneath her goal.

What Level Does Your Resume Market You At?
If you are curious to see what level your resume is marketing you at … then be sure to read and use the graphing techniques in my first workshop. By graphing the job titles used in Fran's resume it's easy to see why her resume failed … and once you understand this … you will understand why the majority of resumes fail. You'll then understand how to analyze your job titles and see if you are better off using them or replacing them with skill headings that market you more effectively.

Most People Have Job Titles that Weaken Their Image
I estimate that at least 85% of all job seekers have job titles unrelated to their current career goals … and that they are much better off using skill headings rather than job titles to land higher salaries and double and triple their interview rates.

For example, Fran had been a Directory Operator but in most people's minds that doesn't sound like she's at the level of a Corporate Customer Representative making $33,000 … that's because most people don't view directory operators as providing true customer service. Most people say that Directory Operator sounds like someone making only $20,000. However, by using the 12 Questions in my Proven Resumes Series, Fran wrote a new description of her duties as a Directory Operator that described her being selected out of 100 Directory Operators to provide specialized Customer Service to the Governor's Office and Political Dignitaries in the Washington State Capitol … now that information begins to change our image of Fran doesn't it? That makes her sound much more like someone being able to command $33,000.

Which sounds like a better match for the $33,000 Corporate Customer Service Representative goal… her old job title of Directory Operator … or a skill heading like Customer Service Representative to State of Washington Account. In Fran's actual resume we used the heading of Customer Service Representative but you can see how you can play with skill headings to control and elevate your image … this is one strategy I explain in detail with examples throughout my book, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Have Increased Salaries, and one of the strongest things I can offer you as a resume writer … just in case you don't have the time or patience to write your own.

Going from 0% to 100% Interview Rate
By using skill headings that matched her goal, Fran went from a 0% interview rate to a 100% interview rate -- meaning none of her prior resumes had landed an interview but her new resume landed an interview for each position she applied for.

Click here to learn other ways we improved Fran's resume and landed her a job paying $9,000 more click here to read my first set of resume workshops! If you've entered my site via this page, be sure to go to my home page for an overview of more than 60 Free Resume & Job Search Workshops that include tons of Resume Tips for 45 Career Fields, Job Search, Electronic Resume, Cover Letter, Interviewing, Networking and Confidence Building strategies.

The testimonials at the top of this page and throughout my site describe salary increases ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 and more. Here's one of my most recent ones:

Regina, the resume you wrote caught the attention of the world's leading software manufacturer. Thanks for helping inspire me through your thoughtful questions and objective interpretation of my work history.

I'm sure it made a big difference in my ability to be recognized in a competitive environment and cross the $100,000 threshold. By the way, the offer I accepted was an increase of $25K annually (21% increase).
Rachel Pizarro, Senior Sales Account Executive / Operations Manager

If you are a recent graduate from a CAD or drafting program, my booklet, Easy Steps to Create Resumes and Cover Letters for CAD / Drafting Students, provides resume, cover / thank you letter, and scannable resume examples written only for this field. I recommend this booklet for those job seekers who are recent graduates and need to learn how to market their CAD/Drafting training and combine it with past work experience to land positions in the $12 to $18 range. If you have extensive experience in the CAD/Drafting/Engineering field and are seeking positions in the $30,000 to $70,000+ range, then I recommend my series, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Have Increased Salaries. It is written for a higher income and experience levels and includes over 2,000 skills and skill lists for 40 industries including Engineering / Drafting.

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