What does a Automotive Body and Related Repairer do?

Repair and refinish automotive vehicle bodies and straighten vehicle frames. Day to day that includes work like file, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools and Inspect repaired vehicles for proper functioning, completion of work, dimensional accuracy, and overall appearance of paint job, and test-drive vehicles to ensure proper alignment and handling.

What skills should a Automotive Body and Related Repairer put on a resume?

O*NET rates Repairing, Troubleshooting, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Monitoring among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Automotive Body and Related Repairer list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Accounting software, Accounts receivable software, Appointment scheduling software, Automotive and Accounting Software by R*KOM Invoice Writer, and AutoZone ALLDATA. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Automotive Body and Related Repairer work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Auto Body Man, Automotive Body Technician, Auto Body Tech, and Body Man. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Automotive Body and Related Repairer need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 42% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Automotive Body and Related Repairer role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Automotive Body and Related Repairer resume example

A resume for a Automotive Body and Related Repairer needs to show the work itself: repair and refinish automotive vehicle bodies and straighten vehicle frames. Day to day that means work like this: file, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools; inspect repaired vehicles for proper functioning, completion of work, dimensional accuracy, and overall appearance of paint job, and test-drive vehicles to ensure proper alignment and handling. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Auto Body Man
Automotive Body Technician
Auto Body Tech
Body Man
Body Technician
Body Tech
Auto Body Repair Technician
Auto Body Repair Tech
Auto Body Repairman
Collision Repair Technician
Collision Repair Tech
Collision Technician
Collision Tech
Frame Man
Refinish Technician
Refinish Tech
Auto Body Estimator
Auto Body Paint Prepper

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What people in this job call themselves

Titles reported by people actually doing this work, which is often not the title on the job posting.

Auto Body Repair Technician (Auto Body Repair Tech)
Automotive Body Technician (Auto Body Tech)
Body Technician (Body Tech)
Collision Repair Technician (Collision Repair Tech)
Collision Technician (Collision Tech)
Refinish Technician (Refinish Tech)

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

File, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools.
Inspect repaired vehicles for proper functioning, completion of work, dimensional accuracy, and overall appearance of paint job, and test-drive vehicles to ensure proper alignment and handling.
Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinders and other tools.
Prime and paint repaired surfaces, using paint sprayguns and motorized sanders.
Follow supervisors' instructions as to which parts to restore or replace and how much time the job should take.
Sand body areas to be painted and cover bumpers, windows, and trim with masking tape or paper to protect them from the paint.
Chain or clamp frames and sections to alignment machines that use hydraulic pressure to align damaged components.
Position dolly blocks against surfaces of dented areas and beat opposite surfaces to remove dents, using hammers.
Cut and tape plastic separating film to outside repair areas to avoid damaging surrounding surfaces during repair procedure and remove tape and wash surfaces after repairs are complete.
Review damage reports, prepare or review repair cost estimates, and plan work to be performed.
Fill small dents that cannot be worked out with plastic or solder.
Remove damaged sections of vehicles using metal-cutting guns, air grinders and wrenches, and install replacement parts using wrenches or welding equipment.

25 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

File, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Inspect repaired vehicles for proper functioning, completion of work, dimensional accuracy, and overall appearance of paint job, and test-drive vehicles to ensure proper alignment and handling, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Fit and weld replacement parts into place, using wrenches and welding equipment, and grind down welds to smooth them, using power grinders and other tools, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Prime and paint repaired surfaces, using paint sprayguns and motorized sanders, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Accounting software
Accounts receivable software
Appointment scheduling software
Automotive and Accounting Software by R*KOM Invoice Writer
AutoZone ALLDATA
Collision damage estimation software
Collision damage measurement software
Equipment management information software
Inventory management software
Materials management software
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft Outlook

18 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Adjustable widemouth pliers
Adjustable wrenches
Air chisels
Air compressors
Air hammers
Air pressure gauges
Alignment machines
Alignment squares
Anvils
Blow torches
Body saws
Bondo spreaders

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Repairing
02Troubleshooting
03Active Listening
04Critical Thinking
05Monitoring
06Operations Monitoring
07Quality Control Analysis
08Speaking
09Time Management

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Mechanical
Customer and Personal Service
Production and Processing
Mathematics

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

42%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
35%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
23%Less than a High School Diploma

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Some Preparation Needed”. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Common questions

What does a Automotive Body and Related Repairer do?: Repair and refinish automotive vehicle bodies and straighten vehicle frames. Day to day that includes work like file, grind, sand, and smooth filled or repaired surfaces, using power tools and hand tools and Inspect repaired vehicles for proper functioning, completion of work, dimensional accuracy, and overall appearance of paint job, and test-drive vehicles to ensure proper alignment and handling.
What skills should a Automotive Body and Related Repairer put on a resume?: O*NET rates Repairing, Troubleshooting, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Monitoring among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Automotive Body and Related Repairer list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Accounting software, Accounts receivable software, Appointment scheduling software, Automotive and Accounting Software by R*KOM Invoice Writer, and AutoZone ALLDATA. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Automotive Body and Related Repairer work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Auto Body Man, Automotive Body Technician, Auto Body Tech, and Body Man. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Automotive Body and Related Repairer need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 42% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Automotive Body and Related Repairer role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.