How to Write a Resume for a Welder

Welding is a hands-on, high-demand trade that requires technical skill, safety awareness, and precision. Whether you work in fabrication, construction, manufacturing, or repair, your resume must prove that you can produce strong, clean welds while following strict safety and quality standards. A generic resume will not stand out in a competitive job market. A tailored welder resume that highlights your certifications, welding processes, materials, and project experience will help you land more interviews and better-paying positions.

Key Skills for a Welder Resume

Hiring managers and foremen look for welders who can perform specific processes, work with particular materials, and safely read and execute from drawings or blueprints. Showcase a mix of hard and soft skills that match the jobs you are targeting.

Technical (Hard) Skills

• MIG (GMAW) welding
• TIG (GTAW) welding
• Stick (SMAW) welding
• Flux-cored (FCAW) welding
• Gas welding and cutting (Oxy-fuel)
• Plasma cutting
• Carbon arc gouging
• Blueprint and welding symbol reading
• Fabrication and layout
• Pipe welding (all positions)
• Structural steel welding
• Stainless steel and aluminum welding
• Vertical, overhead, and horizontal welding
• Weld inspection and quality control (visual inspection, gauges)
• Use of grinders, saws, and other metalworking tools
• Fitting, tack welding, and assembly
• Welding equipment setup and maintenance
• Working to AWS, ASME, or other relevant codes

Soft Skills

• Attention to detail
• Safety awareness and compliance
• Reliability and strong work ethic
• Teamwork with fitters, fabricators, and supervisors
• Time management and meeting deadlines
• Problem-solving and troubleshooting
• Communication and following instructions
• Adaptability to different environments (shop, field, heights, confined spaces)

Formatting Tips for a Welder Resume

A welder resume should be clean, easy to read, and focused on your hands-on experience and certifications. Most hiring managers quickly scan resumes, so clarity and structure are critical.

Layout and Length

• Keep it to 1 page if you have under 10 years of experience; up to 2 pages is acceptable for extensive experience.
• Use clear section headings: Header, Summary, Skills, Experience, Certifications, Education.
• Use bullet points for responsibilities and achievements to improve readability.
• Leave enough white space; avoid dense blocks of text.

Fonts and Styling

• Use a simple, professional font such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman.
• Font size 10–12 for body text, 12–14 for section headings.
• Avoid excessive colors, graphics, or images; most welding employers prefer straightforward resumes.
• Use bold text sparingly for job titles, company names, or key certifications.

Essential Sections

Header

• Include your full name, city/state, phone number, and professional email address.
• Optionally add: link to a portfolio of project photos, LinkedIn profile, or union affiliation if relevant.

Professional Summary

A brief 3–4 line paragraph at the top that summarizes your experience and main strengths. Focus on years of experience, main welding processes, industries, and key certifications.

Example: “Certified Welder with 6+ years of experience in structural steel and pipe welding across industrial and construction environments. Skilled in MIG, Stick, and Flux-Cored processes with strong blueprint reading abilities. Proven track record of producing X-ray quality welds while maintaining strict safety and quality standards.”

Experience

• List jobs in reverse chronological order (most recent first).
• Include job title, company name, location, and dates of employment.
• Use bullet points to describe your responsibilities and accomplishments.
• Emphasize specific welding processes, materials, positions, and project types.

Education

• Include high school diploma or GED.
• Add technical school, welding programs, apprenticeships, or union training.
• Mention relevant coursework: welding processes, blueprint reading, metallurgy, safety.

Highlighting Welding Certifications and Qualifications

In welding, certifications can be as important as experience. Many employers require verified qualifications to meet code and safety standards. Make certifications easy to find by giving them their own section near the top or directly beneath your summary.

What to Include

• AWS (American Welding Society) certifications and endorsements (e.g., AWS D1.1 Structural Steel, D1.2 Aluminum).
• ASME Section IX qualifications for pipe welding.
• State or local welding licenses, if applicable.
• Specialized certs: pressure vessel, pipeline, underwater, or structural certifications.
• Safety certifications: OSHA 10/30, Confined Space, Fall Protection, First Aid/CPR.

How to List Certifications

• Use a dedicated “Certifications” or “Licenses” section.
• Include the cert name, code or procedure, issuing organization, and year earned or renewed.
• Note if the certification is current or expired but still relevant to your skill set.

Example:

• AWS D1.1 Structural Steel Certified Welder – 3G & 4G, American Welding Society, 2023 (Current)
• ASME Section IX Pipe Welder Qualification – 6G, 2022 (Current)
• OSHA 10-Hour Construction Safety, 2021

Showcasing Hands-On Welding Experience and Projects

Welding is a results-driven trade. Employers want to see what you have built, repaired, or installed. Use your experience section to describe specific projects, environments, and outcomes.

Detail Your Welding Environments

• Shop / fabrication shop
• Field / on-site construction
• Industrial plants (oil & gas, power, manufacturing)
• Shipyards and marine
• Automotive or heavy equipment repair

Describe Your Work Clearly

• Specify the welding processes: MIG, TIG, Stick, Flux-Cored.
• Indicate the materials: carbon steel, stainless, aluminum, pipe, structural beams, plate.
• Mention positions: flat, horizontal, vertical, overhead, 6G pipe.
• Note if work was subject to X-ray, ultrasonic testing, or other inspections.

Use Numbers and Results Where Possible

• “Fabricated and welded 50+ tons of structural steel for commercial building projects with zero rework due to weld defects.”
• “Maintained weld reject rate under 2% on high-pressure piping systems.”
• “Completed average of 10–15 custom fabrication jobs per week while meeting tight deadlines.”

Including Smaller Jobs and Side Work

If you are early in your career or have done small jobs, contract work, or side projects, you can create a section such as “Additional Welding Experience” or “Selected Projects” to showcase:

• Custom metalwork (gates, railings, trailers).
• Repair work (farm equipment, machinery, vehicles).
• School or training projects that demonstrate specific skills.

Tailoring Your Welder Resume to Specific Jobs

To get more interviews, match your resume to each job posting instead of sending the same version everywhere. Many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) that scan for keywords related to skills, codes, and equipment.

Study the Job Description

• Highlight keywords such as “MIG,” “TIG,” “pipe welding,” “structural steel,” or “blueprint reading.”
• Note required certifications and codes (AWS D1.1, ASME, API, etc.).
• Identify the work environment: shop vs field, heights, confined spaces, shift work.

Match Your Skills and Experience

• Move the most relevant skills to the top of your Skills section.
• Adjust bullet points to mirror the language of the job ad where accurate.
• Emphasize projects and responsibilities that align with the employer’s industry (e.g., pipeline, structural, marine).

Customize Your Summary

Tailor your summary to the role you are applying for:

• For a structural welding job: emphasize structural steel, multi-pass welding, and reading construction drawings.
• For a pipe welder role: focus on 5G/6G pipe positions, pressure systems, and code work.
• For a manufacturing/fabrication job: highlight production welding, jigs/fixtures, and meeting output targets.

Include Relevant Tools and Equipment

• List specific machines or brands if mentioned in the job ad (e.g., Miller, Lincoln Electric).
• Mention experience with positioners, rotators, cranes, or other shop equipment.

Common Mistakes on Welder Resumes (and How to Avoid Them)

Certain resume errors can cause your application to be overlooked, even if you are highly skilled. Avoid these common pitfalls.

1. Being Too Vague About Skills

• Problem: Writing “Experienced welder” without specifying processes or materials.
• Solution: Clearly list types of welding, positions, metals, and codes you have worked with.

2. Leaving Out Certifications

• Problem: Not listing current or past certifications, or hiding them at the bottom.
• Solution: Create a dedicated Certifications section and place it high on the page, especially for code work.

3. Ignoring Safety and Quality

• Problem: Failing to mention safety practices or quality standards.
• Solution: Include bullets that show safety compliance, low defect rates, and successful inspections.

4. Poor Organization and Formatting

• Problem: Cluttered layout, inconsistent dates, or hard-to-read fonts.
• Solution: Use a simple, consistent format with clear headings, bullet points, and readable fonts.

5. Overloading with Irrelevant Information

• Problem: Listing unrelated jobs or personal details that do not support your welding career.
• Solution: Focus on welding, fabrication, mechanical, and industrial work. Older or unrelated jobs can be summarized briefly.

6. Spelling and Grammar Errors

• Problem: Typos and errors make you look careless, even if you are highly skilled with your hands.
• Solution: Proofread carefully or have someone else review your resume before sending it.

A strong welder resume clearly presents your technical abilities, certifications, and project experience in a clean, easy-to-read format. By tailoring your resume to each job, highlighting your hands-on skills, and avoiding common mistakes, you will position yourself as a reliable, skilled professional ready to add value on day one.