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Automotive Technician CV example

Workshop ads want to know whether you're qualified, what you can diagnose and whether you can run a job from booking to road test. This example answers those first, with the WoF appointment where a service manager looks for it.

Written for New Zealand, with notes for Australia · Checked

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The example

A Automotive Technician CV, start to finish.

Manaaki Horomona is made up, and so are the employers. The layout and the wording are what New Zealand employers expect: no photo or date of birth, the most recent job first, and every bullet showing what was done and what came of it.

Manaaki Horomona

Qualified Automotive Technician and WoF Inspector, light vehicles

Rotorua · 021 555 0913 · manaaki.horomona@email.com

Profile

Qualified automotive technician with nine years in light vehicle workshops, including a four-year apprenticeship. Diagnoses electrical and engine faults with scan tools and wiring diagrams, carries out warrant of fitness inspections, and works through a full day of bookings without comebacks.

Skills

Diagnostics and scan tools · Servicing and repairs · Warrant of fitness inspections · Hybrid vehicle servicing · Brakes, steering and suspension · Wiring diagrams and electrical faults · Job cards and workshop software · Mentoring apprentices

Experience

Automotive Technician, Te Awa Motors

Rotorua · 2021 to now

  • Complete 25 to 30 jobs a week across servicing, repairs and diagnostics on Japanese and European cars
  • Carry out around 40 warrant of fitness inspections a month as an NZTA-appointed vehicle inspector
  • Diagnose electrical and intermittent faults with scan tools and wiring diagrams, cutting parts swapped on guesswork
  • Service and repair hybrid vehicles, following the maker's high-voltage isolation steps every time
  • Coach a second-year apprentice, checking their work before each car goes back to the customer

Apprentice Automotive Technician, Te Awa Motors

Rotorua · 2017 to 2021

  • Completed a four-year light automotive apprenticeship on servicing, brakes, suspension and clutches
  • Wrote clear job card notes so the service desk could explain the work and the invoice to customers

Education

New Zealand Certificate in Light Automotive Engineering (Level 4), Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

2021

Other details

WoF inspector
Vehicle inspector appointed by NZTA, light vehicles
Driver's licence
Full, with own tools

Referees

Available on request

Manaaki wrote a cover letter to go with it. Read the automotive technician cover letter

Skills and keywords

What automotive technician job ads look for.

Use the ad's own words where they're true of you. An ATS, and a recruiter skimming, both look for them.

  • DiagnosticsThe skill that sets a senior tech apart. Name the scan tools and the kinds of faults you find.
  • Light Automotive Engineering (Level 4)The full trade qualification. Write the name in full so it matches what the ad asks for.
  • WoF inspectorMany workshops need one on the floor. If you're appointed, say so near the top.
  • Hybrid and EVMore ads ask for it every year. Say what training you've done and what you've worked on.
  • ServicingSay the makes and the volume, such as how many jobs a week.
  • ComebacksA low comeback rate tells a service manager your work holds up.
  • Full driver's licenceYou'll road test cars and sometimes collect or deliver them.

Bullet points

9 strong lines to borrow from.

Each says what was done, how, and what came of it. Swap in your own facts: a line is only strong if it's true.

  1. 1Completed 25 to 30 jobs a week across servicing, repairs and diagnostics on Japanese and European cars
  2. 2Carried out around 40 warrant of fitness inspections a month as an NZTA-appointed vehicle inspector
  3. 3Diagnosed intermittent electrical faults with scan tools and wiring diagrams, so customers paid for the fix, not the guesswork
  4. 4Serviced and repaired hybrid vehicles, following the maker's high-voltage isolation steps on every job
  5. 5Kept comebacks to one or two a month across a full workshop week
  6. 6Coached a second-year apprentice, checking their work before each car went back to the customer
  7. 7Wrote clear job card notes so the service desk could explain the work and the invoice
  8. 8Found extra faults during servicing and quoted them before starting, so customers approved the work first
  9. 9Replaced timing belts, clutches and suspension parts to book times or better

Common mistakes

What costs automotive technician CVs interviews.

  • Writing "all aspects of mechanical work".

    Split it into servicing, repairs and diagnostics, and say the makes and how many jobs a week you get through.

  • Leaving the WoF appointment out, or burying it at the bottom.

    Put it in your headline and details. A workshop short an inspector will look for it first.

  • Not mentioning hybrids or electric vehicles.

    If you've worked on them, say so and name any high-voltage training. It's a growing part of every workshop's work.

New Zealand and Australia

What changes across the Tasman.

New Zealand

Warrant of fitness inspections in New Zealand are carried out by vehicle inspectors appointed by NZTA, for a three-year term. If you hold an appointment, say which vehicles it covers.

New Zealand CV format

Australia

In New South Wales, anyone doing work that affects how a vehicle runs or its structure needs a motor vehicle tradesperson certificate, so check the rules in the state you're moving to. Australian employers usually say resume rather than CV, and expect about two pages.

Australian CV format

Sources: NZTA Vehicle Inspection Portal: vehicle inspector appointments, NSW Government: working as a motor vehicle tradesperson.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Something else on your mind? Email support@smartcvs.ai and a person will reply.

Should I list every make I've worked on?

Name the ones you know well, especially if the workshop is a dealer or specialist. A long list of every car you've touched adds little.

I'm not a WoF inspector yet. Should I mention it?

If you've applied or your employer is putting you forward, say so in a line. Otherwise leave it out and lead with what you can do now.

How do I show my apprenticeship?

List it as a job, with the kind of work you did. Once qualified, keep it to a line or two and lead with your work since.

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