Top 12 Automotive Engineer Skills to Put on Your Resume

In today's competitive job market, crafting an impactful resume is crucial for automotive engineers aiming to stand out. Highlighting a unique set of skills is essential not only to showcase your technical prowess but also to demonstrate your ability to drive innovation and efficiency in the rapidly evolving automotive industry.

Automotive Engineer Skills

1. MATLAB
2. SolidWorks
3. AutoCAD
4. ANSYS
5. CATIA
6. LabVIEW
7. Simulink
8. Python
9. C++
10. PLC Programming
11. Siemens NX (formerly Unigraphics)
12. FMEA

1. MATLAB

MATLAB is a high-level programming and numerical computing environment used for algorithm development, data analysis, visualization, and numerical computation, widely applied in automotive engineering for tasks such as design simulation, control systems development, and signal processing.

Why It's Important

MATLAB is crucial for Automotive Engineers due to its advanced computational capabilities, enabling the design, simulation, and testing of vehicle systems, improving efficiency, safety, and performance.

How to Improve MATLAB Skills

Improving your MATLAB skills as an Automotive Engineer involves focusing on specific areas relevant to automotive applications such as data analysis, modeling, and simulation. Try the following:

1. Strengthen Foundations: Build a firm grasp of core syntax, matrices, and scripts, then grow into functions and apps.

2. Use Automotive Toolboxes: Explore toolboxes like Automated Driving Toolbox, Vehicle Dynamics Blockset, and Powertrain Blockset for domain-specific workflows.

3. Practice Data Work: Work with real vehicle datasets. Clean, analyze, visualize, and extract signals that matter to calibration and diagnostics.

4. Model and Simulate: Pair MATLAB with Simulink for dynamic system modeling, control design, and plant-in-the-loop experiments.

5. Apply Machine Learning: Train models for fault detection, driver behavior, or energy prediction using built-in ML tools.

6. Build Projects: Recreate common automotive use cases—battery SOH estimation, sensor fusion, torque control—and iterate quickly.

7. Automate: Script repetitive analyses, generate reports, and version your work to keep models and results consistent.

How to Display MATLAB Skills on Your Resume

2. SolidWorks

SolidWorks is a computer-aided design (CAD) and engineering software used for creating 3D models and assemblies, particularly useful for automotive engineers in designing vehicle components, systems, and entire vehicles with precision and efficiency.

Why It's Important

SolidWorks enables detailed 3D modeling and simulation of vehicle components, driving design optimization, reducing physical prototypes, and compressing development timelines.

How to Improve SolidWorks Skills

To sharpen your SolidWorks muscle, aim for breadth and depth:

1. Advanced Features: Practice surface modeling, configurations, design tables, motion analysis, and Simulation to handle complex geometry and loads.

2. Automotive Challenges: Rebuild intake manifolds, brackets, clips, housings—parts with draft, fillets, thin walls, and GD&T requirements.

3. Learn from Communities: Engage with SolidWorks forums and groups; reverse-engineer shared models and compare techniques.

4. Add-Ins: Explore add-ons for plastics, sheet metal, topology optimization, and PDM to streamline workflows.

5. Keep Current: New features land yearly; fold them into your templates, standards, and macros.

How to Display SolidWorks Skills on Your Resume

3. AutoCAD

AutoCAD is a computer-aided design (CAD) software used extensively by automotive engineers for drafting and designing vehicle components, systems, and assemblies, enabling precise and efficient development of automotive designs.

Why It's Important

AutoCAD supports fast iteration on 2D/3D layouts, clear documentation, and standard-compliant drawings, improving collaboration between design, manufacturing, and suppliers.

How to Improve AutoCAD Skills

Boost your AutoCAD capability with targeted practice:

1. Master the Core: Shortcuts, layers, blocks, external references, and constraints—make them second nature.

2. Automotive Focus: Practice 3D parametric parts, section views, and exploded assemblies aligned to automotive standards.

3. Standards and Templates: Create templates with layers, title blocks, dimension styles, and GD&T suited to your organization.

4. Automate: Learn scripts and AutoLISP (or Python with compatible tools) to reduce repetitive drafting.

5. Peer Feedback: Share drawings with experienced designers for review—nits on clarity and manufacturability pay off.

6. Hands-On Projects: Tackle small fixtures, jigs, and layout drawings to cement skills.

How to Display AutoCAD Skills on Your Resume

4. ANSYS

ANSYS is a comprehensive simulation suite used for structural, thermal, fluids, and electromagnetic analysis, helping automotive engineers validate and optimize components and systems before costly builds.

Why It's Important

High-fidelity simulation cuts test loops, exposes failure modes early, and guides design choices that improve performance, durability, and safety.

How to Improve ANSYS Skills

Level up your simulation practice with deliberate steps:

1. Nail the Fundamentals: Meshing strategies, boundary conditions, material models, and solver settings—understand what moves results.

2. Automotive-Relevant Modules: Focus on Mechanical for structures, Fluent/CFX for aerodynamics and cooling, and LS-DYNA for crash and impact where applicable.

3. Verification Mindset: Run mesh and timestep sensitivity, compare against hand calcs or test data, and document assumptions.

4. Parametrics and Optimization: Use DesignXplorer or scripting to sweep variables and hunt better designs.

5. HPC Awareness: Partition models, select scalable solvers, and trim runtimes with efficient setup.

6. Case Library: Build a personal library of validated templates—fasteners, welds, composites, seals, heat exchangers.

How to Display ANSYS Skills on Your Resume

5. CATIA

CATIA is a leading CAD/PLM platform for designing, analyzing, and manufacturing complex vehicle systems, enabling multidisciplinary collaboration from concept to production.

Why It's Important

With robust surfacing, assemblies, and integration to manufacturing and PLM, CATIA anchors enterprise-scale automotive programs where precision and traceability matter.

How to Improve CATIA Skills

Grow fluency with both technique and process:

1. Regular Practice: Work through part design, generative shape design, assembly, drafting, and kinematics on real components.

2. Targeted Courses: Take automotive-focused training via reputable platforms or certified Dassault Systèmes partners.

3. Official Guidance: Study product documentation and release notes; fold new features into your templates and methods.

4. Community Problem-Solving: Participate in user groups and forums (e.g., COE communities) to trade approaches to tricky surfacing or large assemblies.

5. Plug-ins: Evaluate extensions for composites, electrical, or body-in-white to speed specialized tasks.

How to Display CATIA Skills on Your Resume

6. LabVIEW

LabVIEW is a graphical programming platform for data acquisition, instrument control, and automation—useful for test rigs, HIL systems, and powertrain or chassis control validation.

Why It's Important

Fast development of reliable measurement and control workflows shortens validation time and improves repeatability across benches and vehicles.

How to Improve LabVIEW Skills

Make your VIs cleaner and faster:

1. Core Patterns: Master dataflow, producer–consumer loops, state machines, and error handling.

2. Automotive Buses: Practice CAN, LIN, and FlexRay communication, logging, and diagnostics integration.

3. Hardware I/O: Work with DAQ, embedded controllers, and real-time targets; profile and optimize timing.

4. Debugging Discipline: Use probes, execution highlighting, and performance metrics to track down latency and race conditions.

5. Style and Reuse: Build libraries, use strict typedefs, and document interfaces for maintainable test systems.

How to Display LabVIEW Skills on Your Resume

7. Simulink

Simulink is a MATLAB-based environment for modeling, simulating, and analyzing multi-domain dynamic systems—widely used for controls, signal processing, and plant modeling in automotive programs.

Why It's Important

It enables early design validation, rapid iterations, and code generation for embedded controllers, slashing rework and hardware risk.

How to Improve Simulink Skills

Work smarter with models and code:

1. Modeling Essentials: Learn subsysteming, sample times, data typing, and signal routing to keep models lean and readable.

2. Advanced Techniques: Create custom blocks, leverage variant systems, and adopt model reference architectures for large projects.

3. Acceleration: Use Accelerator and Rapid Accelerator modes; trim scopes and logging to speed runs.

4. HIL and Real-Time: Practice hardware-in-the-loop workflows and fixed-step solvers for deployable control code.

5. Model-Based Design: Standardize requirements traceability, test harnesses, and coverage to improve quality.

6. Ecosystem: Reuse community-shared blocks and examples; maintain a curated internal library.

How to Display Simulink Skills on Your Resume

8. Python

Python is a versatile language for automation, data analysis, visualization, and backend tooling, supporting simulation, validation, and analytics across automotive engineering.

Why It's Important

With rich libraries and swift development, Python simplifies pipelines from data ingestion to model training to report generation.

How to Improve Python Skills

Build capability that maps to automotive work:

1. Core Proficiency: Get comfortable with syntax, data structures, OOP, and packaging.

2. Data Stack: Practice Pandas, NumPy, and Matplotlib/Seaborn on time-series, CAN logs, and test stand data.

3. Machine Learning: Use scikit-learn for predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, and regression on calibration targets.

4. Automation: Write scripts for report generation, file parsing, and batch simulations; schedule them reliably.

5. Projects: Build small tools—DTC decoders, data validators, or parameter tuners—and iterate.

6. Practice: Solve coding challenges periodically to sharpen problem-solving speed.

How to Display Python Skills on Your Resume

9. C++

C++ is a high-performance language used in real-time automotive systems—powertrain, ADAS, infotainment, and high-throughput perception—where deterministic behavior and hardware control matter.

Why It's Important

C++ enables tight, reliable control code and performance-sensitive applications central to modern vehicle features.

How to Improve C++ Skills

Grow both language mastery and embedded savvy:

1. Modern C++: Learn RAII, smart pointers, move semantics, constexpr, templates, and concurrency from C++11 onward.

2. Automotive Context: Practice real-time constraints, memory management, and scheduling; understand in-vehicle networks and POSIX threads.

3. Projects: Implement drivers, state machines, and communication stacks; add unit tests and static analysis.

4. Standards and Architecture: Study AUTOSAR Classic and Adaptive patterns, diagnostics (UDS), and safety concepts.

5. Tooling: Use CMake, clang-tidy, sanitizers, and coverage tools; enforce warnings-as-errors.

How to Display C++ Skills on Your Resume

10. PLC Programming

PLC programming involves creating and implementing logic on Programmable Logic Controllers to automate and control machinery and processes in automotive manufacturing—assembly lines, robotics, end-of-line testing, and diagnostics.

Why It's Important

Well-structured PLC programs lift throughput, reduce downtime, and enhance safety across production cells and lines.

How to Improve PLC Programming Skills

Sharpen both structure and system thinking:

1. Standards First: Study IEC 61131-3 languages (ladder, function block, structured text) and apply consistent styles.

2. Modular Design: Build reusable function blocks, clear state machines, and fault-handling strategies.

3. Simulation: Test in virtual environments before deployment; validate I/O maps, interlocks, and sequencing.

4. Automotive Protocols: Understand safety PLCs, safety relays, and fieldbuses common in plants.

5. Documentation: Maintain tag lists, I/O drawings, and change logs to support troubleshooting and audits.

How to Display PLC Programming Skills on Your Resume

11. Siemens NX (formerly Unigraphics)

Siemens NX is an advanced, integrated CAD/CAM/CAE suite used for designing, simulating, and manufacturing complex automotive components and systems—from concept through production.

Why It's Important

NX brings powerful surfacing, assembly management, simulation, and manufacturing planning together, accelerating design loops and improving quality.

How to Improve Siemens NX Skills

Target real use and repeatable results:

1. Focused Learning: Take courses geared to automotive surfacing, sheet metal, routing, and assemblies.

2. Practice with Purpose: Rebuild production-like parts, then scale to large assemblies with product structures and arrangements.

3. CAM and CAE: Explore toolpath strategies and integrated simulation workflows for a closed-loop process.

4. Templates and Reuse: Create start parts, expressions, and checkers; enforce modeling standards.

5. Community and Certification: Engage with user communities, and consider certification to validate proficiency.

How to Display Siemens NX Skills on Your Resume

12. FMEA

FMEA, or Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, is a structured, proactive method to identify potential failures in a product or process, assess their impact, and prioritize actions to reduce risk.

Why It's Important

It strengthens reliability and safety by exposing weaknesses early and driving mitigations that prevent defects, warranty claims, and recalls.

How to Improve FMEA Skills

Make your FMEAs sharper and more actionable:

1. Cross-Functional Teams: Include design, manufacturing, test, quality, supply chain, and service for full coverage.

2. Use Current Data: Bring in field returns, warranty trends, DFMEAs, PFMEAs, and control plans to ground decisions.

3. Prioritize Intelligently: Apply severity, occurrence, and detection ratings; use RPN or action-priority methods to focus effort.

4. Root Cause Discipline: Apply 5 Whys, Ishikawa, and fault-tree analysis to pinpoint causes, not symptoms.

5. Controls and Verification: Define design and process controls, then verify effectiveness with tests and audits.

6. Living Documents: Update FMEAs with lessons learned and engineering changes; close the loop with corrective actions.

7. Training: Align teams on rating scales, terminology, and examples to keep consistency.

8. Digital Tools: Use software to standardize formats, link artifacts, and track actions across programs.

How to Display FMEA Skills on Your Resume