What skills should a Biomass Plant Technician put on a resume?

O*NET rates Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, and Judgment and Decision Making 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 Biomass Plant Technician list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Distributed control system DCS, Energy analysis software, Inventory control software, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Office software. 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 Biomass Plant Technician work?

O*NET records 16 titles for this occupation, including Auxiliary Operator, Fuel Handler, Operations Technician, and Operations Tech. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Biomass Plant Technician need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 47% 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 Biomass Plant Technician 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.

Biomass Plant Technician resume example

A resume for a Biomass Plant Technician needs to show the work itself: control and monitor biomass plant activities and perform maintenance as needed. Day to day that means work like this: operate biomass fuel-burning boiler or biomass fuel gasification system equipment in accordance with specifications or instructions; perform tests of water chemistry in boilers. 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.

Auxiliary Operator
Fuel Handler
Operations Technician
Operations Tech
Plant Operator
Central Heating Plant Operator
Fuel Quality Technician
Fuel Quality Tech
Heating Plant Operator
Plant Technician
Steam Plant Operator
Biomass Boiler Operator
Biomass Plant Operator
Centrifugal Chiller Technician
Chiller Operator
Chiller Technician

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.

Operate biomass fuel-burning boiler or biomass fuel gasification system equipment in accordance with specifications or instructions.
Perform tests of water chemistry in boilers.
Operate high-pressure steam boiler or water chiller equipment for electrical cogeneration operations.
Operate equipment to heat biomass, using knowledge of controls, combustion, and firing mechanisms.
Operate equipment to start, stop, or regulate biomass-fueled generators, generator units, boilers, engines, or auxiliary systems.
Inspect biomass power plant or processing equipment, recording or reporting damage and mechanical problems.
Record or report operational data, such as readings on meters, instruments, and gauges.
Operate valves, pumps, engines, or generators to control and adjust production of biofuels or biomass-fueled power.
Calculate, measure, load, or mix biomass feedstock for power generation.
Clean work areas to ensure compliance with safety regulations.
Perform routine maintenance or make minor repairs to mechanical, electrical, or electronic equipment in biomass plants.
Measure and monitor raw biomass feedstock, including wood, waste, or refuse materials.

18 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.

Operate biomass fuel-burning boiler or biomass fuel gasification system equipment in accordance with specifications or instructions, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Perform tests of water chemistry in boilers, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Operate high-pressure steam boiler or water chiller equipment for electrical cogeneration operations, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Operate equipment to heat biomass, using knowledge of controls, combustion, and firing mechanisms, 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.

Distributed control system DCS
Energy analysis software
Inventory control software
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Word
National Instruments LabVIEW

Tools and equipment

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

Belt conveyor systems
Biomass boilers
Biomass dryers
Biomass screeners
Bubbling fluidized bed boilers
Circulating fluidized bed boilers
Desktop computers
Disc screeners
Drive-on scales
Dump trucks
Fuel metering conveyors
Grinders

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Distributed control system DCS
Energy analysis
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Word

What this job rates as most important

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

01Operations Monitoring
02Operation and Control
03Monitoring
04Critical Thinking
05Judgment and Decision Making
06Active Learning
07Active Listening
08Complex Problem Solving
09Coordination
10Equipment Maintenance

Knowledge areas

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

Mechanical
Chemistry
English Language
Production and Processing
Engineering and Technology
Education and Training
Computers and Electronics

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.

47%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
22%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
10%Bachelor's Degree

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 Biomass Plant Technician do?: Control and monitor biomass plant activities and perform maintenance as needed. Day to day that includes work like operate biomass fuel-burning boiler or biomass fuel gasification system equipment in accordance with specifications or instructions and Perform tests of water chemistry in boilers.
What skills should a Biomass Plant Technician put on a resume?: O*NET rates Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, and Judgment and Decision Making 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 Biomass Plant Technician list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Distributed control system DCS, Energy analysis software, Inventory control software, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Office software. 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 Biomass Plant Technician work?: O*NET records 16 titles for this occupation, including Auxiliary Operator, Fuel Handler, Operations Technician, and Operations Tech. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Biomass Plant Technician need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 47% 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 Biomass Plant Technician 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.