What skills should a Bridge and Lock Tender put on a resume?

O*NET rates Monitoring, Active Listening, Coordination, 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 Bridge and Lock Tender list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Email software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Word. 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 Bridge and Lock Tender work?

O*NET records 31 titles for this occupation, including Bridge Operator, Bridge Tender, Lock Tender, and Bridge Crew Member. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Bridge and Lock Tender need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 65% 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 Bridge and Lock Tender 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.

Bridge and Lock Tender resume example

A resume for a Bridge and Lock Tender needs to show the work itself: operate and tend bridges, canal locks, and lighthouses to permit marine passage on inland waterways, near shores, and at danger points in waterway passages. Day to day that means work like this: control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges; direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers. 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.

Bridge Operator
Bridge Tender
Lock Tender
Bridge Crew Member
Bridge Leverman
Bridge Opener
Bridge Saw Operator
Bridgeman
Crossing Tender
Crossing Watchman
Dam Attendant
Dam Operator
Dam Repairer
Dam Tender
Draw Operator
Drawbridge Operator
Drawbridge Tender
Gate Attendant

O*NET records 31 titles for this occupation in total.

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.

Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges.
Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers.
Observe position and progress of vessels to ensure best use of lock spaces or bridge opening spaces.
Record names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through bridge openings or locks, and numbers of trains or vehicles crossing bridges.
Observe approaching vessels to determine size and speed, and listen for whistle signals indicating desire to pass.
Move levers to activate traffic signals, navigation lights, and alarms.
Write and submit maintenance work requisitions.
Log data, such as water levels and weather conditions.
Prepare accident reports.
Perform maintenance duties, such as sweeping, painting, and yard work to keep facilities clean and in order.
Turn valves to increase or decrease water levels in locks.
Check that bridges are clear of vehicles and pedestrians prior to opening.

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.

Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Observe position and progress of vessels to ensure best use of lock spaces or bridge opening spaces, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Record names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through bridge openings or locks, and numbers of trains or vehicles crossing bridges, 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.

Email software
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Word
Oracle PeopleSoft
SAP software
Virtual private networking VPN software
Word processing software

Tools and equipment

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

Adjustable wrenches
Balance weights
Bitts
Bridge traffic signals
Cable lines
Closed circuit television CCTV monitoring systems
Desktop computers
Electric drawbridges
Fall protection equipment
Gas detectors
Gas powered generators
Gas powered snow blowers

What this job rates as most important

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

01Monitoring
02Active Listening
03Coordination
04Critical Thinking
05Judgment and Decision Making
06Operation and Control
07Operations Monitoring
08Speaking

Knowledge areas

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

Public Safety and Security
English Language

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.

65%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
20%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
15%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 Bridge and Lock Tender do?: Operate and tend bridges, canal locks, and lighthouses to permit marine passage on inland waterways, near shores, and at danger points in waterway passages. Day to day that includes work like control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges and Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers.
What skills should a Bridge and Lock Tender put on a resume?: O*NET rates Monitoring, Active Listening, Coordination, 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 Bridge and Lock Tender list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Email software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Word. 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 Bridge and Lock Tender work?: O*NET records 31 titles for this occupation, including Bridge Operator, Bridge Tender, Lock Tender, and Bridge Crew Member. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Bridge and Lock Tender need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 65% 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 Bridge and Lock Tender 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.