Maintenance Resume: Examples and Writing Tips

Whether it is for lawn care, utilities upkeep, or sanitation needs, maintenance workers will always be in demand.

There is also ample opportunity for expanding your services, perhaps even to the point of starting your own maintenance business.

You’ve selected a great field!

All you need now is a maintenance resume that clearly demonstrates your skills and expertise as a maintenance worker.

What do you excel at in the field?

What types of maintenance positions have you held?

You will answer these questions in your resume.

So let’s get started. We’re going to help you write a resume that will impress potential employers and hopefully land you your dream job.

Summary

1. Resume Template
2. Formatting
3. Writing Your Resume Summary
4. Areas of Expertise
5. Writing Your Work Experience
6. Writing Your Education Section
7. Additional Sections
8. Resume Points to Remember
9. Resume “Don’ts” to Remember
10. Some Helpful Tools

Let’s begin with a sample maintenance resume to demonstrate how all the resume pieces fit together. Then we will break each section down to really drill into how to write the best maintenance resume you possibly can.

Maintenance Resume (Text Version)

Every well-manicured lawn or planter is laid out according to a design or format.

The same concept applies to a well-crafted resume.

Proper formatting will help your resume run the gamut of the hiring process and secure that maintenance position for you.

Formatting and language are particularly important these days because many companies are using software bots to scan resumes for keywords.

Good formatting also helps when your maintenance resume reaches the eyes of a hiring manager. On average, he or she will only spend six seconds looking it over. So it is very important that your resume is easy to read and holds the reader’s attention.

In terms of formatting, it is good practice to lay out your resume in reverse chronological order.

The potential employer will see your most recent position first, and will therefore be able to see where your career has led you up to this point.

As you structure your resume’s formatting, select a practical and easy-to-read font. Do not use anything fancy, stylish, or artistic. Keep your font simple.

For optimum scannability, make sure that you correctly utilize white spaces on your page. You want your columns and lists to look balanced and pleasing to the reader’s eye

First impressions are as important to resumes as they are to maintenance work.

A summary will be the first section of your resume. The first thing you write and the first thing a reader lays eyes on.

In 2–3 sentences, you’ll need to sum up your best qualities as a maintenance worker.

Your summary should be a powerful collection of skills and experience points that demonstrate just why you’re the perfect candidate.

Be specific but concise.

Don’t be too general.

A great summary will ensure a great start to your maintenance resume. It will indicate that the remainder of your resume is sure to impress.

PRO TIP: Don’t include your job objective in your summary paragraph. The potential employer knows why you are applying. Also, don’t make your summary your work history. That will come later.

Let’s have a look at a few summary examples

The first example is a powerful opening statement. It packs a punch and leaves an impression.

In just a few sentences, we get a comprehensive rundown of the applicant’s skill level and skill set.

Power words are on display, conveying a sense of action and competence.

Clearly, this is a strong candidate.

The second example is amateurish with clumsy language and a first-person viewpoint.

An objective is also included.

That’s a “no”!

The example communicates the bare essentials, but overall it just lacks power and a sense of confidence.

Remember, you want to impress with your summary.

It’s time to list your Areas of Expertise and Key Accomplishments.

Your summary was a collection of 2–3 sentences describing your current skill level, but now you need to drive the point home with a list of key skill areas.

Your Areas of Expertise list is a great opportunity to demonstrate what sets you apart from other applicants.

Make it a bulleted list, so a potential employer can read your accomplishments at a glance.

Example:

• Lawn Care Equipment
• Communication
• Pruning
• Management
• Observation
• Cleaning Agents

Don’t leave anything out!

To make your list, consider carefully both your hard skills and your soft skills.

What’s the difference?

Hard skills are those skills related to the position you’re seeking. As a maintenance worker, your hard skills are going to reflect knowledge, tasks, and equipment related to the field.

Soft skills are personal skills unique to you: Leadership skills, communication ability, organizational skills, etc.

As you write your list, make sure your listed skills are as relevant as possible to the job you’re pursuing.

PRO TIP: You probably have more soft skills than you realize. Don’t be shy about writing down what you view as your best qualities. Potential employers not only want to know what you can do related to the field but also the attitude with which you do it.

(See below for a helpful table of some suggested hard and soft skill ideas to inspire you in writing your skills section.)

Your work history is the real body of your maintenance resume. It demonstrates how you’ve been putting your skills into practice over time.

So take your time with it.

This section will probably take up the most space on your resume page. However, if you have little work experience this will not be the case.

It’s all about the layout.

It is a good idea to use reverse chronological order, listing your most recent position first and then going backward through your work history.

This way, the reader will see your latest work tasks and accomplishments first off and not have to read through several other entries.

Don’t worry about including every position you’ve ever held, unless you lack much work history.

Typically, you’ll want to emphasize only the relevant positions and work tasks.

As you begin your entries, be sure to include:

• The company name
• Where the company is located
• What job you performed there

Including dates of employment is common practice.

In some cases, if you held a position for only a short time or if you have gaps between positions, you may choose to leave dates off your history.

However, if you choose to do this, be prepared to answer questions about dates and gaps during the interview process.

List the day-to-day functions of your position with bullet points.

3–5 points should be sufficient to communicate your responsibilities in the position.

Examples for reference:

What about the first example makes it a “Yes!”?

It is a quick but effective breakdown of the position with a list of relevant experience points.

We gain an accurate picture of the applicant’s responsibilities and competence level in the position. There is just enough detail to form a complete picture. Several power words are used to help convey action and movement.

The second example is lacking in a few key areas.

The bullet points are vague with only minimal detail. Power words are not used to their full effect.

Probably the last thing you want to do is rehash your work experience entries during an interview.

So be sure to provide enough detail in your bullet points.

PRO TIP: Power words are fun. Think about the roles you’ve played over your working life and associate action words with the accomplishing of those tasks. Before you know it, you’ll have come up with descriptions that have power and drive to them!

Bots and Formatting

Your potential employer may be using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). If this is the case, you may choose to adjust your maintenance resume’s formatting to make it more easily scannable by bots.

Using a paragraph format instead of bullet points for your work experience section is an option.

Bullet point format:

Lexington Golf and Country Club | Lexington, VA | Grounds Maintenance | April 2018–Present

• Supervise team of 3 lawn care workers
• Assist in mowing grounds to a meticulous standard
• Keep pathways clear of debris
• Mulch tree plantings around clubhouse exterior
• Remove leaves and twigs from clubhouse gutters

Paragraph Format:

Supervise team of 3 lawn care workers and assist in mowing grounds to a meticulous standard. Keep pathways clear of debris and ensure that leaves and twigs are removed from clubhouse gutters.

A combination of both styles can work as well, with the roles you wish to highlight listed with bullet points:

Supervise team of 3 lawn care workers and assist in mowing grounds to a meticulous standard. Keep pathways clear of debris and ensure that leaves and twigs are removed from clubhouse gutters.

• Mulch tree plantings around clubhouse exterior
• Water plants and check for disease

The paragraph format enables you to insert more keywords, which scanning bots love. However, a downside is that paragraphs are harder to read. Bullet points are more likely to please the reading eyes of a hiring manager.

So it’s probably best to stick with the bullet point format, unless you’re fairly sure your potential employer uses an ATS.

Last but not least is your education section. It will round out the various sections of your maintenance resume, completing the picture of your working life.

List the highest level of education you’ve achieved.

Example:

Highschool Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, etc.

Write down the institution you received your degree(s) from and your class year.

Include any certifications, minors, or areas of concentration.

If you’re a recent graduate, it may prove beneficial to include your GPA. Do the same for special academic achievements or accomplishments.

If you’ve received special training or certifications, include them as well.

Example:

• “Advanced Lawncare,” Professional Workshop, Roanoke, VA
• “Maintenance 101,” Certification, Online Course

Additional Section

Sometimes, we have a special accomplishment or area of work that doesn’t quite fit with the typical resume sections, but we want to include it anyway.

Consider listing it in an additional section.

This will also be of use if your work history is thin due to changing careers or just starting out.

Some options that might apply to you:

• Awards and honors
• Publications
• Noteworthy Projects
• Social Media Influence
• Speaking Engagements
• Hobbies/Interests
• Volunteer Work

No Experience

New to the field of maintenance work?

Are you changing careers or recently graduated?

These things shouldn’t stop you from creating a great maintenance resume.

You still need to kick things off with a strong summary paragraph. Focus on your most relevant skill set.

Next, consider placing your education section directly after the summary. If you lack experience, your education is going to be a strong selling point for you.

When structuring your work history, tailor your bullet points to most closely reflect skills and work responsibilities most closely associated with the new position you’re seeking.

Since you’re seeking a job in the maintenance field, consider what jobs you’ve had in the past that could have prepared you for maintenance.

Perhaps you held a work study position in school that involved maintenance work.

Maybe you cleaned yards and mowed lawns as a teenager.

These things will count as valuable experience relative to a career path in maintenance work.

Let’s go over some things you definitely want to do before submitting your maintenance resume.

List a way to be contacted! This is surprisingly easy to forget.

Be sure to list your email address, LinkedIn profile, and any other relevant contact information.

Spacing is crucial

Start with your summary, then your areas of expertise, work history, and education. Place your most impressive skills in the summary so they’ll be seen first. You only have one page to work with, so use the space you have to maximum effect.

Power words bring the action

You want to create the impression that you are a person of action. You can “get it done.” Power words are the best way to convey action and initiative. They really add spice to a resume, so be sure to use them!

Polish with a proofreader

You’ve finished your resume. You’ve looked it over. You think it’s good. Not so fast. Bring in a proofreader to give your resume an extra look-over. Typos, as well as grammar and spelling mistakes, sneak past the best writers. So use a proofreader before sending your resume out the door.

Here are a few “no’s” to help you keep your resume on track.

No first-person language

Avoid using “I” or “me” in your resume. It is not exactly professional and takes emphasis off the skills and expertise that you want to highlight.

No second page

Unless you’ve been a CEO or are exceptionally talented, all of your relevant experience and skill points should fit neatly onto a single page.

No repetition

Use variety and use power words. There are plenty of writing options to choose from. Repetition will only show a hiring manager that you weren’t willing to put in the effort to craft a polished resume.

(We’ve put together a handy table of power words below to use for inspiration.)

No crazy fonts

Though we’ve mentioned this above, it needs repeating. Make sure to use a legible font that looks and feels professional. Nothing fancy, creative, or cursive.

Power Words

• Supervise
• Assist
• Keep
• Mulch
• Remove
• Maintained
• Checked
• Cleared
• Pruned
• Emptied
• Cleaned
• Attended
• Installed
• Kept

Skills List