Which CAD software is most important for aerospace resumes?

CATIA V5/V6 and Siemens NX are the industry standards for major aerospace firms like Boeing and Airbus. SolidWorks is also common for components. List clearly which ones you are proficient in.

Should I list my security clearance?

Yes! If you have an active Secret or Top Secret clearance (TS/SCI), put it at the very top of your resume. It is a massive hiring advantage in this industry.

How many keywords should I include?

Aim for 15–20 hard skills that are relevant to the specific job description. Don't keyword stuff; use them naturally in your bullet points.

Do software skills matter for mechanical aerospace roles?

Absolutely. Proficiency in Python, MATLAB, or C++ for data analysis and simulation is increasingly required, even for traditional mechanical/aerodynamics roles.

How do I know if my resume will pass the ATS?

Don't guess. Use ResumeAdapter to scan your resume against the job description. It will highlight exactly which keywords you are missing.

Aerospace Engineer Resume Keywords (2025): 60+ ATS Skills for Design & Systems

🚨 Not getting Aerospace Engineering interviews? Your resume is likely missing critical keywords.

In 2025, over 97% of aerospace companies (including Boeing, Lockheed, and SpaceX) use ATS to filter tens of thousands of applications. If your resume lacks the specific technical terms they search for—like "CATIA," "CFD," or " DO-178C"—you are invisible.

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What Are Aerospace Engineer Resume Keywords?

Aerospace engineer resume keywords are the specific technical skills, software proficiency, certifications, and industry standards that recruiters and ATS bots search for.

The aerospace industry is highly regulated and technical. Generic terms like "design" or "testing" aren't enough. You need specific terms like "Finite Element Analysis (FEA)," "Propulsion Systems," or "AS9100 Rev D."

When your resume includes these keywords naturally, you prove you have the specific technical pedigree for the role.

Core Technical Keywords (The Essentials)

These are the baseline skills expected for most aerospace engineering roles.

Category	Keywords
Engineering Design	CAD, CATIA V5/V6, Siemens NX, SolidWorks, GD&T, tolerance Stack-up
Simulation & Analysis	FEA (Finite Element Analysis), ANSYS, Nastran, CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), MATLAB, Simulink
Systems Engineering	Requirements Management, DOORS, V-Model, Systems Architecture, Interface Control Documents (ICD)
Regulatory & Quality	FAA Regulations, EASA, AS9100, ISO 9001, Root Cause Analysis, FMEA

Role-Specific Keywords

Aerospace is broad. Use the keywords that match your specific discipline.

1. Structural & Mechanical Design

Focus on materials, stress, and loads.

Category	Keywords
Analysis	Stress Analysis, Fatigue Analysis, Damage Tolerance, Thermal Analysis, Vibrations
Materials	Composites, Carbon Fiber, Aluminum Alloys, Metallurgy, Material Selection
Manufacturing	CNC Machining, Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing), Sheet Metal, Fasteners

2. Avionics & Electrical Systems

Focus on power, control, and circuitry.

Category	Keywords
Systems	Flight Control Systems, Embedded Systems, PCB Design, Wire Harness Design
Protocols	ARINC 429, MIL-STD-1553, CAN bus, Ethernet
Tools	Altium Designer, SPICE, LabVIEW, Python (for scripting)

3. Flight Physics & Aerodynamics

Focus on flow, lift, and drag.

Category	Keywords
Core Skills	Aerodynamics, Flight Dynamics, Stability and Control, Wind Tunnel Testing
Tools	OpenFOAM, Fluent, Star-CCM+, Fortran, Python

Software & Coding Skills (Increasingly Critical)

Modern aircraft are "flying data centers." Even mechanical engineers need coding skills now.

Languages: Python, C++, MATLAB, VBA (Excel automation)
Data Analysis: JMP, Minitab, Tableau
Project Management: JIRA, Confluence, Microsoft Project

Resume Bullet Examples: Weak vs. Strong

❌ Weak (Generic):

"Designed aircraft parts using CAD software and tested them for safety."

✅ Strong (ATS Optimized):

"Designed complex composite wing structures using CATIA V5, performing FEA stress analysis in ANSYS to ensure compliance with FAR Part 25 safety regulations."

Why the second one wins:

Specific Tools: CATIA V5, ANSYS
Specific Materials: Composites
Regulatory Standard: FAR Part 25

❌ Weak:

"Worked on fixing problems with the guidance system."

✅ Strong:

"Led Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for avionics failures using Six Sigma methodologies, resulting in a 15% improvement in MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)."

Final Thoughts: Don't Get Filtered Out

The aerospace industry is competitive, especially with recent shifts in the market. Your resume needs to be a precision-engineered document, not a rough draft.

Every missing keyword is a missed interview opportunity.

Don't guess which acronyms matter.

👉 Scan Your Resume for Missing Keywords — Free

Get your ATS score, missing keywords, and detailed improvement feedback in under 10 seconds.