Welder Resume Examples + Writing Tips

Welder Resume (Text Version)

Contact Info:

Austin Rico
[email protected]
(727) 876-0398
Clearwater, FL 33766
linkedin.com/austinwelder

Summary Statement:

Welder: Certified journeyman welder with proven leadership skills demonstrated via managing a team of 5 welders in an active shop environment and displaying mentorship through welding training and support. Highly experienced in repair of industrial equipment and pipelines with an emphasis on precision and efficiency.

Key Accomplishments/Areas of Expertise

• Precision
• Detail-Oriented
• Observation
• SMAW
• Arc Welding
• FCAW
• GMAW
• Troubleshooting

Professional Experience:

TNR Industries | Tampa, FL
Journeyman Welder | August 2017–Present

• Utilize FCAW techniques in welding structural steel frames and components
• Maintain welding equipment
• Manage team of 5 welders in shop
• Train new welding apprentices
• Follow all company safety protocols
• Complete assigned projects in record time, improving efficiency by 10%

Brigham Metal Fabrication | Clearwater, FL
Journeyman Welder | January 2015–June

• Employed SMAW in industrial applications
• Interpreted project blueprints
• Inspected work and troubleshooted problems
• Organized welding equipment daily

ORE Pipes and Fittings | Tampa, FL
Apprentice Welder | June 2013–December 2014

• Evaluated pipelines for saltwater corrosion
• Repaired pipe fittings and walls as needed using GMAW methods
• Helped to install new pipelines
• Transported equipment from shop to jobsite

Education

American Welding Society Certified Welder
Marchman Technical College, Port Richey, FL
2014

As a professional welder, you understand the necessity of butting your joints correctly and achieving a proper clean weld.

Writing a welder resume requires the same observational skill.

Proper formatting will help ensure a good result, so let’s get started.

In today’s job marketplace, employers often use software bots to scan resumes for keywords and correct language. This is done to more effectively sift through what is often a large number of applicants. Bots scan resumes before a hiring manager ever sees them.

Of course, this isn’t the case with all employers and companies, but it’s wise to format your resume in a way that will satisfy the bots and get your resume to the next stage.

When your welder resume does meet the eyes of a hiring manager, it will be read in an average of six seconds.

So you see how important it is to properly format your resume.

For starters, you’ll want to structure your resume in reverse chronological order.

Potential employers want to see your most recent position first. That way, they gain an immediate knowledge of what you’ve been up to lately and if your relevant skills are sharp.

Next up, select a standard and easy-to-read font. A fancy or stylized font will work against you should you choose one. Keep it simple and professional.

Finally, make good use of white spaces. A properly spaced resume is a scannable resume. And remember that we want to please those scanning bots!

So pay attention to how your sections and columns are spaced.

No crowding in other words.

First impressions are always important.

Your welder resume is no exception.

An effective resume starts with a summary, right at the top of the page. It’s a short statement of 2–3 sentences that encapsulates your most impressive qualifications and skill points.

You really want to hit the relevant skills and attributes in your summary.

Don’t be too general! You need to get specific about what makes you the ideal candidate.

Demonstrating that you are competent in the key areas will elevate your resume and help get you to where you’re going professionally.

PRO TIP: Your welder resume summary should be a succinct breakdown of your skills in sentence format. It should not be a work history. It is also not a statement of objective. Your potential employers already know that you want the job. The summary is meant to impress with your qualifications.

To better grasp what makes for an effective resume summary, have a look at the example comparison below:

Can you see the major difference?

The first example is a great first impression. The reader receives a detailed breakdown of the candidate’s skills and qualifications.

Power words like “demonstrated” and “managing” convey a sense of action and competence.

The second example falls short in several ways.

It is far too general for a summary. The reader gains no real insight into the skill level of the candidate. Although power words are used, they are not supported by surrounding detail.

The example uses first-person language, which is never advisable anywhere in a resume.

Finally, the second example contains a statement of objective. While this may seem like a natural element to include, it is not in vogue today.

Now that you’ve made a great impression with your summary, it’s time to drive home your suitability with a list of expertise points and key accomplishments.

Your skills set you apart.

So they need to be highlighted.

Create a bulleted list of hard skills and soft skills.

Example:

• Precision
• Detail-oriented
• Observation
• SMAW
• FCAW
• GMAW
• Troubleshooting
• Arc Welding

Hard skills are those talents directly related to your profession as a welder. Certain techniques you know or specific knowledge.

Soft skills relate to your personal attributes. What about you makes you a good welder?

Are you good at detail, observation, and critical thinking?

These are soft skills.

Remember to go over your list to make sure you haven’t left anything out.

PRO TIP : You probably have more skills than you realize. It’s sometimes amazing what pops up when you really start thinking about it. But remember that it’s important to focus on relevant skills, specifically those skills directly related to the position you’re seeking. An obvious exception would be if you lack experience. Otherwise, list hard and soft skills that are likely to help land you the job.

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

Your summary and areas of expertise have been covered.

What next?

It’s time to write your work history section, the heart of your resume and a crucial part of where you are today and where you’re going in your career as a welder.

Now you need to really show them what you’re made of with your work history.

Unless you’re just starting out or changing careers, your work experience will comprise the majority of your resume page.

Let’s begin with layout.

Start by listing your most recent position. Your work history should be structured in reverse chronological order.

You want a potential employer to immediately see what you’ve been doing lately and how you’ve been using your skills.

From there, work backward through your employment history.

It is not necessary or wise to include every job you’ve worked or position you’ve held. Include only those relevant to the job you’re pursuing — unless, of course, you lack experience.

As you lay out your work history, be sure to include:

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

Dates of employment should be included, unless you have good reason not to list them, such as a significant gap between periods of employment or brief employment.

However, you should be aware that in most interview situations, you will be asked about missing dates or employment gaps. So be prepared with answers to such questions.

After writing the basics of where you worked and when, start listing your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities in the position.

This should be done in a bulleted list of 3–5 points.

Be sure to use power words to convey confidence and action. Employers want to see that you’ve demonstrated initiative in the past.

Let’s look at some examples and compare them:

It is easy to see why one example is preferable to the other.

But let’s break it down.

The first is an impressive list of points that really sell the candidate’s competence in the position. Power words are utilized to convey action and initiative.

The list ends with a point detailing how the candidate helped the company by increasing efficiency.

This is a candidate with strong selling points.

The second example is weak and far too vague. To start with, the candidate leaves out pertinent information about where the company is located and dates of employment.

The bullet points themselves are poorly worded and lack sufficient detail for determining skill level.

We can see the candidate is competent in basic ways, but there just isn’t enough from which to form a complete impression.

Remember that your work history is an opportunity to really demonstrate how you’ve put your skills to use over time.

PRO TIP: It’s important that your power words are supported with detail. Part of conveying a sense of power and action is not leaving any blanks in the reader’s mind regarding the skill or task. Power words and descriptions work together to make a lasting impression.

More About Bots

We’ve mentioned bots before. Let’s talk about them some more.

Bots function via software in an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Not all employers utilize such a system, but it’s growing more and more commonplace.

There are a few methods of altering your welder resume formatting to better satisfy scanning bots.

One such method is to write your work history section in a paragraph format instead of using a bulleted list.

So from this:

TNR Industries | Tampa, FL | Journeyman Welder | August 2017–Present

• Utilize FCAW techniques in welding structural steel frames and components
• Manage team of 5 welders in shop
• Train new welding apprentices
• Follow all company safety protocols
• Complete assigned projects in record time, improving company efficiency by 10%

To this:

Utilize FCAW techniques in welding structural steel frames and components. Maintain welding equipment for maximum functionality. Manage a team of 5 welders in a professional shop environment. Train new welding apprentices according to established techniques.

Another technique would be to use partial bullet points to indicate special skills or achievements on the job.

Utilize FCAW techniques in welding structural steel frames and components. Maintain welding equipment for maximum functionality. Manage a team of 5 welders in a professional shop environment. Train new welding apprentices according to established techniques.

• Follow all company safety protocols
• Increased company efficiency by 10%

Paragraphs provide an advantage in that you can insert multiple keywords, which bots always like.

However, a significant downside to the paragraph format is that it takes more time for a hiring manager to read over.

Bullet points cut straight to the facts and are read easily by the human eye.

So unless you’re really concerned about an ATS, we advise sticking with a bulleted list for your work experience section.

Time to wrap up your welder resume!

Typically, your education section will come last on your resume page. It rounds out your overall experience and completes the picture of your working life thus far.

Your potential employer will want to know about your education, especially if it’s directly related to the field you’re pursuing.

It’s pretty simple; just start by listing your highest level of education.

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

List your field of study and the institution you earned your degree(s) from. Include any certifications, minor degrees, or areas of concentration.

If you have recently graduated, you can also opt to add your graduation date and your GPA. The same applies to notable academic accomplishments.

Since welding is the occupation of focus here, you’ll most likely have received a certification of some type.

Example:

American Welding Society Certified Welder
Marchman Technical College, Port Richey, FL
2014

Additional Sections

Additional sections are rare on a resume, but you may choose to add one if you have special accomplishments to highlight.

An additional section might also prove necessary if you lack work experience.

Some ideas for an additional section:

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

No Experience?

Perhaps you’ve only just started out in the welding field.

Don’t sweat it!

But let’s change a few things about your welder resume.

You’ll still want to kick things off with a strong summary.

Then, consider moving your education section up to sit under your resume summary.

If you’re just starting out, your education is going to be a strong asset. It will demonstrate that you are serious about making it in the field.

Looking at your work history, you’ll want to highlight relevant skill points that could apply to your new profession.

Maybe you haven’t held a welding job before, but perhaps you’ve worked around welders or seen it done.

Really consider your experience in order to mine it for pertinent skill points. There’s probably more there than you might initially think.

Ask yourself some questions like:

Have you worked in a context where you could observe welding?

Are you familiar with following procedures and safety protocols?

Have you ever held a position that required precision and close observation?

This could all count as relevant experience.

Little details and finishing touches can sometimes slip through the cracks. So let’s make a point to remember a few.

Always include a way to be contacted

It may seem obvious, but it’s surprisingly easy to overlook. Include your LinkedIn profile, email address, or phone number.

Use good spacing practices

You have one page to work with, so use space to good effect. Put your most relevant skills in your summary at the top of the page, followed by your other sections. Keep things orderly and succinct.

Include power words

Your resume needs effective language. You want to demonstrate your competence as a candidate, but you have limited time. Power words are your friend in that respect. Good power word selection will really help sell your experience.

Put a proofreader to work

It can be easy to overlook mistakes when writing. So it’s good practice to recruit a proofreader to catch them. You want your resume to be polished and free of spelling or grammar errors.

Here are a few reminders about what not to do in your resume.

Please, no “I”

Unlike most personal writing, you do not want to use first-person language in your resume. It lends an air of unprofessionalism, which you don’t want. Keep your language centered on your skills and accomplishments.

Use a single page

Multiple pages aren’t necessary to communicate your skills and experience. One page keeps it simple and concise. Your information should fit nicely.

Don’t repeat yourself

Repetition is a mark of lazy writing. It also indicates a certain level of apathy, which you definitely don’t want to communicate to a potential employer. Take the time to use variety and remember your power words!

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

Say “no” to fancy fonts

It goes without saying that you want your resume to be clearly legible. So make sure to select a reasonable font that can be read at a glance.

Welder Resume Power Words

• Utilize
• Manage
• Maintain
• Train
• Follow
• Complete
• Employed
• Interpreted
• Inspected
• Organized
• Evaluated
• Repaired
• Helped
• Transported

Welder Resume Skills List