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How to Screen Machinist Resumes
Machinist resumes list machines and software, but the real signal is what they can hold to spec and whether they program or just run. A candidate can name CNC mills, lathes, and Mastercam and still only push the cycle-start button on someone else's program. The screen that matters distinguishes setup-and-programming machinists from operators, and finds the tolerances, materials, and GD&T they actually work to.
Rank your candidate pool →What to screen for
Core qualifications
- Clear evidence of level — operator, setup, or programming machinist — not an ambiguous blend
- CNC and/or manual depth matched to your shop, with the specific machines (mill, lathe, multi-axis) named
- Programming and CAM skill where the role needs it: G-code editing, Mastercam, Fusion, or conversational
- GD&T literacy and the tolerances they routinely hold (e.g. ±0.0005"), tied to real parts
- Inspection and material experience — calipers, micrometers, CMM, first-article — across the metals you run
Red flags
What to watch for in machinist resumes
- Machines and software listed with no indication they program or set up rather than just operate
- "Tight tolerances" with no actual numbers or GD&T anywhere on the resume
- Multi-axis or programming claimed on a resume that only shows button-pushing on one machine
- No inspection, measurement, or first-article language for precision work
- Operator-level cycle-start tasks presented as full setup-and-programming machinist work
Worth verifying
Claims that are easy to write, hard to back up
- "CNC machinist" — programs and sets up, or runs an existing program someone else wrote?
- "Tight tolerances" — what's the tightest they hold reliably, and measured with what?
- "Proficient in Mastercam" — writes toolpaths from a model, or edits posted G-code at the machine?
- "Multi-axis experience" — 3-, 4-, or 5-axis, and on what kind of parts and materials?
The fast way
Screen machinists faster
For machinist reqs, decide whether you need a programmer, a setup machinist, or an operator before you read a single resume — the titles overlap but the skills and pay grades don't. Rank on the level of ownership: programming and setup beat button-pushing, and a stated tolerance with GD&T beats "precision work." Match machine and material experience to your shop, and verify the programming and measurement depth in the screen, since both are routinely inflated by candidates who only ran the cycle.
Resume Autopsy ranks your whole machinist applicant pool against the job description in minutes — a 0–100 fit score and a MATCH / PARTIAL / MISS checklist with evidence quotes for every candidate, so you know who to interview first and can defend the call.
Try it on your next req →Screen other roles
Related resources
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