Machine operator with 4 years running injection molding and packaging equipment in a high-volume plastics plant. Handles startups, changeovers and in-line quality checks, keeps scrap under 2%, and helped cut mold changeover time 25% with zero recordable injuries.
Experience
Machine Operator II, Crestwood Plastics (Charlotte, NC)
Mar 2023 – Present
Operate 4 Engel and Arburg injection molding presses producing 60,000 closures per shift
Perform SMED changeovers with the setup tech, reducing average mold change from 80 to 60 minutes
Run hourly visual and gauge checks and log defects in the MES, keeping scrap below the 2% target
Train 5 new hires on startup, purge and LOTO steps under the plant's OSHA 1910.147 program
Production Operator, Piedmont Packaging Solutions (Gastonia, NC)
Jan 2022 – Feb 2023
Ran a case erector and shrink-wrap line at 30 cases per minute with 99% on-time order fulfillment
Earned forklift certification and handled raw material staging for 2 lines
Logged downtime reasons on every stop, giving maintenance the data to fix a recurring glue-gun fault
Education
Manufacturing Production Technician Certificate (MSSC CPT), Central Piedmont Community College (Aug 2021 – Dec 2021)
Skills
Certifications: MSSC Certified Production Technician (CPT), OSHA 10 General Industry, forklift (sit-down)
Equipment: Engel and Arburg injection molders, robots and conveyors, case erectors
Quality: visual inspection, go/no-go gauges, MES defect logging, SPC charts
Practices: SMED changeovers, 5S, LOTO, GMP basics
How to write a Machine Operator resume
A strong Machine Operator resume shows the licences you hold, the equipment and systems you work on, and how your work improved safety, uptime, quality or output. Put your most relevant recent role first and make every bullet show a result, not a duty.
Sections, in order
Summary
Certifications
Experience
Skills
Education
Length: One page for most candidates; move to two only if every line is relevant.
Summary: Write two or three lines: your role, your strongest skills, and one result that proves them.
Skills to feature
Blueprint and schematic reading
Licences and trade certifications
Safety compliance (OSHA, NFPA 70E, LOTO)
Troubleshooting and diagnostics
Preventive maintenance
PLCs and controls
Precision measurement and GD&T
Welding and fabrication
CMMS (Maximo, Fiix, UpKeep)
Lean manufacturing and 5S
Example bullet points
Rebuilt the PM schedule for 14 injection molders in Fiix, cutting unplanned downtime from 9% to 4% in six months
Passed 3G and 4G AWS D1.1 bend tests and held a weld reject rate under 1% on structural steel
Wired 120 kVA of new service and panels to NEC 2023 with zero failed inspections across 30 commercial jobs
Tips from recruiters
Put licences and certifications near the top with the issuing body, state and number of hours or expiry date where relevant.
Name the machines, controls and processes you know (Haas, Fanuc, Allen-Bradley, GTAW) because hiring managers and ATS filters search for them.
Quantify safety and quality as well as output: incident-free hours, scrap, rework and inspection pass rates all count.
Recommended templates
Classic (ATS-friendly): Jake's-style LaTeX classic: small caps and hairline rules
Compact (ATS-friendly): Dense single column that fits long histories
Modern (ATS-friendly): Clean single column with accent headings and rules
Machine Operator resume FAQ
What should a Machine Operator resume include?
A Machine Operator resume should show the licences you hold, the equipment and systems you work on, and how your work improved safety, uptime, quality or output. Use these sections in this order: Summary, Certifications, Experience, Skills and Education. Put your most relevant recent role first and make every bullet show a result, not a duty.
What is the best resume template for a Machine Operator?
Classic, Compact and Modern work well for Machine Operator roles. They are single-column with standard headings, so applicant tracking systems (ATS) parse them reliably.
How long should a Machine Operator resume be?
One page for most candidates; move to two only if every line is relevant.
Which skills should a Machine Operator put on a resume?
Prioritize the skills named in the job posting. Common ones for Machine Operator roles are Blueprint and schematic reading, Licences and trade certifications, Safety compliance (OSHA, NFPA 70E, LOTO), Troubleshooting and diagnostics, Preventive maintenance and PLCs and controls.
How do I write strong Machine Operator resume bullet points?
Start with an action verb, say what you did, and end with a measurable result such as equipment uptime, scrap rate and OEE. For example: "Rebuilt the PM schedule for 14 injection molders in Fiix, cutting unplanned downtime from 9% to 4% in six months."