Home Engineering Patternmaker Resume template
Engineering Patternmaker resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what engineering patternmakers actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most engineering patternmakers should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Engineering Patternmaker with a trade background in precision pattern and tooling work for cast and moulded components. Reads engineering drawings and CAD models fluently and machines timber, resin, metal and composites to the tolerances foundry work demands, including correct shrinkage and draft allowances. Comfortable working directly with foundry staff through trial casts and taking ownership when a dimension does not come out right.
Key skills
- Pattern and core box construction
- Engineering drawing interpretation
- Shrinkage and draft allowance calculation
- CAD modelling and technical drawing (AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Fusion 360)
- CNC router setup and operation
- Timber, resin, metal and composite machining
- Hand and power tool work
- Coordinate measuring machine and hand metrology
- Pattern repair and modification
- Tolerance checking and gauge work
- Liaison with foundry and moulding staff
- Attention to detail and problem solving
Experience: example bullet points
- Machined and assembled timber and resin patterns and core boxes from engineering drawings, holding tolerances tight enough that trial castings passed dimensional inspection on the first run.
- Applied shrinkage and draft allowances to pattern dimensions, adjusting the calculations for different alloys so finished castings met specification without rework.
- Repaired and modified existing patterns for repeat foundry work, cutting the lead time on replacement tooling from several weeks to a handful of days.
- Produced CAD models and machining files in SolidWorks and ran them on a CNC router, reducing the hand finishing needed on large patterns.
- Gauged finished patterns against drawings using hand metrology and a coordinate measuring machine, catching errors before patterns reached the foundry floor.
- Worked alongside foundry staff through trial casts, tracing dimensional problems back to the pattern rather than the mould and correcting them at the source.
Education
Certificate III in Engineering (Patternmaking), completed through an Australian trade apprenticeship and delivered under the national training system, with a Certificate IV in Engineering, a drafting qualification or advanced CAD training a common next step.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- Engineering Patternmaker
- patternmaking
- Certificate III in Engineering (Patternmaking)
- trade apprenticeship
- core box
- shrinkage allowance
- draft angle
- engineering drawings
- CAD
- AutoCAD
- SolidWorks
- Fusion 360
- CNC router
- coordinate measuring machine
- CMM
- foundry
- castings
- tolerances
- pattern shop
- WHS
- Australian Standards
- quality assurance
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.