What does a Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanic do?

Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul automotive vehicles. Day to day that includes work like inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made and Test drive vehicles and test components and systems, using equipment such as infrared engine analyzers, compression gauges, and computerized diagnostic devices.

What skills should a Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanic put on a resume?

O*NET rates Repairing, Troubleshooting, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, and Equipment Maintenance among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanic list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Alliance Automotive Shop Controller, Amcom AUTOS2000, AutoZone ALLDATA, Blue Streak Electronics Buell Diagnostic, and CODA Engine Analysis System. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanic work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Automotive Mechanic, Auto Mechanic, Automotive Technician, and Auto Tech. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanic need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 50% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanic role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanic resume example

A resume for a Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanic needs to show the work itself: diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul automotive vehicles. Day to day that means work like this: inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made; test drive vehicles and test components and systems, using equipment such as infrared engine analyzers, compression gauges, and computerized diagnostic devices. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Automotive Mechanic
Auto Mechanic
Automotive Technician
Auto Tech
Mechanic
Service Technician
Service Tech
Automotive Drivability Technician
Auto Drivability Tech
Automotive Service Technician
Auto Service Tech
Diagnostic Technician
Diagnostic Tech
Heavy Line Technician
Heavy Line Tech
Lube Tech
Lubrication Technician
Quick Service Technician

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What people in this job call themselves

Titles reported by people actually doing this work, which is often not the title on the job posting.

Automotive Drivability Technician (Auto Drivability Tech)
Automotive Mechanic (Auto Mechanic)
Automotive Service Technician (Auto Service Tech)
Automotive Technician (Auto Tech)
Diagnostic Technician (Diagnostic Tech)
Heavy Line Technician (Heavy Line Tech)
Lube Tech (Lubrication Technician)
Quick Service Technician (Quick Service Tech)
Service Technician (Service Tech)

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made.
Test drive vehicles and test components and systems, using equipment such as infrared engine analyzers, compression gauges, and computerized diagnostic devices.
Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications.
Repair, reline, replace, and adjust brakes.
Review work orders and discuss work with supervisors.
Estimate costs of vehicle repair.
Confer with customers to obtain descriptions of vehicle problems and to discuss work to be performed and future repair requirements.
Align vehicles' front ends.
Align wheels, axles, frames, torsion bars, and steering mechanisms of automobiles, using special alignment equipment and wheel-balancing machines.
Tear down, repair, and rebuild faulty assemblies, such as power systems, steering systems, and linkages.
Perform routine and scheduled maintenance services, such as oil changes, lubrications, and tune-ups.
Plan work procedures, using charts, technical manuals, and experience.

30 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Test drive vehicles and test components and systems, using equipment such as infrared engine analyzers, compression gauges, and computerized diagnostic devices, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Test and adjust repaired systems to meet manufacturers' performance specifications, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Repair, reline, replace, and adjust brakes, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Alliance Automotive Shop Controller
Amcom AUTOS2000
AutoZone ALLDATA
Blue Streak Electronics Buell Diagnostic
CODA Engine Analysis System
Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
Database software
Estimating software
Genisys Fast Fixes
Hunter WinAlign
IBM Notes
Internet browser software
Mainsaver Asset Management
Microsoft Excel

32 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

2-channel lab scopes
3 pound sledge hammers
5 pound sledge hammers
5-gas emissions analyzers
Adjustable wrenches
Air chisels
Air compressors
Air conditioner chargers
Air drills
Air hammers
Air sanders
Air wrenches

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Repairing
02Troubleshooting
03Critical Thinking
04Operations Monitoring
05Equipment Maintenance
06Active Listening
07Judgment and Decision Making
08Monitoring
09Operation and Control
10Complex Problem Solving

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Mechanical
Customer and Personal Service
Computers and Electronics
Engineering and Technology

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

50%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
43%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
6%Some College Courses

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanic do?: Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul automotive vehicles. Day to day that includes work like inspect vehicles for damage and record findings so that necessary repairs can be made and Test drive vehicles and test components and systems, using equipment such as infrared engine analyzers, compression gauges, and computerized diagnostic devices.
What skills should a Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanic put on a resume?: O*NET rates Repairing, Troubleshooting, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, and Equipment Maintenance among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanic list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Alliance Automotive Shop Controller, Amcom AUTOS2000, AutoZone ALLDATA, Blue Streak Electronics Buell Diagnostic, and CODA Engine Analysis System. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanic work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Automotive Mechanic, Auto Mechanic, Automotive Technician, and Auto Tech. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanic need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 50% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanic role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.