What skills should a Carpenter put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Coordination, and Quality Control Analysis 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 Carpenter list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Bosch Punch List, Craftsman CD Estimator, Drawing and drafting software, Estimating software, and Intuit QuickBooks. 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 Carpenter work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Cabinet Maker, Form Carpenter, Scaffold Builder, and Bridge Carpenter. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Carpenter need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 52% 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 Carpenter 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.

Carpenter resume example

A resume for a Carpenter needs to show the work itself: construct, erect, install, or repair structures and fixtures made of wood and comparable materials, such as concrete forms; building frameworks, including partitions, joists, studding, and rafters; and wood stairways, window and door frames, and hardwood floors. Day to day that means work like this: follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment; measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge. 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.

Cabinet Maker
Form Carpenter
Scaffold Builder
Bridge Carpenter
Concrete Carpenter
Construction Carpenter
Framer
Maintenance Carpenter
Rough Carpenter
Aluminum Siding Applicator
Aluminum Siding Installer
Aluminum Siding Mechanic
Amusement and Recreational Prop Maker
Asbestos Siding Mechanic
Assembled Wood Products Repairer
Beam Builder
Boat Builder
Boat Carpenter

O*NET records 40 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.

Follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment.
Measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge.
Assemble and fasten materials to make frameworks or props, using hand tools and wood screws, nails, dowel pins, or glue.
Study specifications in blueprints, sketches, or building plans to prepare project layout and determine dimensions and materials required.
Shape or cut materials to specified measurements, using hand tools, machines, or power saws.
Verify trueness of structure, using plumb bob and level.
Inspect ceiling or floor tile, wall coverings, siding, glass, or woodwork to detect broken or damaged structures.
Erect scaffolding or ladders for assembling structures above ground level.
Install structures or fixtures, such as windows, frames, floorings, trim, or hardware, using carpenters' hand or power tools.
Maintain records, document actions, and present written progress reports.
Remove damaged or defective parts or sections of structures and repair or replace, using hand tools.
Maintain job records and schedule work crew.

29 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.

Follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Assemble and fasten materials to make frameworks or props, using hand tools and wood screws, nails, dowel pins, or glue, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Study specifications in blueprints, sketches, or building plans to prepare project layout and determine dimensions and materials required, 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.

Bosch Punch List
Craftsman CD Estimator
Drawing and drafting software
Estimating software
Intuit QuickBooks
Job costing software
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Word
Quicken
Renaissance MasterCarpenter
Turtle Creek Software Goldenseal
VirtualBoss

17 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.

A-frame levels
Air compressors
Auger bits
Baluster jigs
Band saws
Bandsaws
Beam saws
Beam-lifting jacks
Belt sanders
Biscuit joiners
Brad tackers
Bubble levels

What this job rates as most important

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

01Active Listening
02Critical Thinking
03Monitoring
04Coordination
05Quality Control Analysis
06Reading Comprehension
07Speaking
08Active Learning
09Complex Problem Solving
10Judgment and Decision Making

Knowledge areas

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

Building and Construction
Administration and Management
Mathematics
Design
Engineering and Technology
Public Safety and Security
Mechanical
Education and Training

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.

52%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
21%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
18%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 Carpenter do?: Construct, erect, install, or repair structures and fixtures made of wood and comparable materials, such as concrete forms; building frameworks, including partitions, joists, studding, and rafters; and wood stairways, window and door frames, and hardwood floors. Day to day that includes work like follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment and Measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge.
What skills should a Carpenter put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Coordination, and Quality Control Analysis 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 Carpenter list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Bosch Punch List, Craftsman CD Estimator, Drawing and drafting software, Estimating software, and Intuit QuickBooks. 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 Carpenter work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Cabinet Maker, Form Carpenter, Scaffold Builder, and Bridge Carpenter. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Carpenter need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 52% 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 Carpenter 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.