SKILLS – Mechanical Know How

Do you tinker about at home in the shed, fixing up or making stuff?... OR, Maybe you don't have a shed, perhaps your favourite subject at school is wood or metal?

Mechanic


Tell YOUR story.

By telling your MECHANICAL story, you will realise how many skills you have.

Here is Charlie’s story (as an EXAMPLE).

What is your mechanical story Charlie?

  • I do woodwork at school.

What do you do?

  • We just make things in class.

What have you made?

  • I have made a baseball bat.

How did you do that?

  • I had to use a lump of wood, chisel, lathe, sandpaper and oil.

Can you tell me about the lathe?

  • I clamp the wood either end, put on my safety goggles and make sure the guard is secure. We had to watch a safety demonstration about using the lathe at the start of the year. I use the chisel to take the wood off.

Then what happens? 

  • When the bat is the right shape, I had to take it off the lathe, remove the ends and sand it until it was really smooth, and then oil it like 6 times.

What would your teacher say about your skills when making a baseball bat?

  • I am OK at the lathe I guess, and that my bat was the smoothest.

So…

Charlie could, from his story above, write something like this for his resume.

Wood


WORDS

Charlie might be able to mention words or phrases like:

  • Power tools (Chainsaw, Drill etc)
  • Repairing bikes (motor or push)
  • Repairing cars
  • Welding
  • Painting
  • Measuring and Cutting (accurately)
  • Designing
  • Drawing up Plans
  • Keeping a clean work space
  • Keeping an organised work space
  • Caring for and maintaining equipment

Sentences:

Charlie may be able to write things like this for his/her resume or letter of application:

  • Understand the correct use of power tools – as shown in my VET Class report.
  • Able to correctly use drills, lathes, and other hand power tools to build a cabinet in woodwork class
  • Award-winning wood/metal project – Year 11 – tools used include: drills, bench saw, glue, staple gun, ________, __________
  • Enjoy working with my hands on projects at home and school – have used a variety of hand tools since I was about 10 years of age.
  • Able to use appropriate tools to pull apart motors – for example, I have dismantled and reassembled a dirt bike a number of times.
  • Always tinkering with projects at home using a variety of tools such as: ____________, ______________, _______________
  • Able to follow instructions to put together flat pack cupboards by using the appropriate tools.


Pictures

If Charlie took Pictures of his/her work, he/she could show these to a boss in a job interview.

Employers love to see pictures. As the old proverb says “a picture paints 1000 words”!


mechanical

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