What skills should a Construction Laborer put on a resume?

O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Coordination, Operation and Control, and Operations 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 Construction Laborer list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Autodesk Revit, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Windows. 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 Construction Laborer work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Construction Worker, Equipment Operator, EO, and Post Framer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Construction Laborer need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 35% 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 Construction Laborer 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.

Construction Laborer resume example

A resume for a Construction Laborer needs to show the work itself: perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. Day to day that means work like this: tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt; lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools. 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.

Construction Worker
Equipment Operator
EO
Post Framer
Bituminous Asphalt Technician
Drop Crew Laborer
Form Setter
Scaffolding Operator
Site Work Laborer
Toolman
Air Breaker Operator
Air Drill Operator
Air Gun Operator
Air Hammer Operator
Air Tool Operator
Aluminum Pool Installer
Asbestos Removal Worker
Asphalt Distributor Tender

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.

Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities.
Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
Clean or prepare construction sites to eliminate possible hazards.
Dig ditches or trenches, backfill excavations, or compact and level earth to grade specifications, using picks, shovels, pneumatic tampers, or rakes.
Load, unload, or identify building materials, machinery, or tools, distributing them to the appropriate locations, according to project plans or specifications.
Position, join, align, or seal structural components, such as concrete wall sections or pipes.
Perform site activities required of green certified construction practices, such as implementing waste management procedures, identifying materials for reuse, or installing erosion or sedimentation control mechanisms.
Control traffic passing near, in, or around work zones.
Install sewer, water, or storm drain pipes, using pipe-laying machinery or laser guidance equipment.

27 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.

Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities, 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.

Autodesk Revit
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Word
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management

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 compressors
Air drills
Air monitoring equipment
Asphalt kettles
Asphalt mops
Asphalt saws
Axes
Bale hooks
Bandsaws
Belt conveyors

What this job rates as most important

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

01Speaking
02Active Listening
03Coordination
04Operation and Control
05Operations Monitoring

Knowledge areas

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

Building and Construction
Public Safety and Security
Mechanical

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.

35%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
33%Less than a High School Diploma
28%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school

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 Construction Laborer do?: Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. Day to day that includes work like tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt and Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
What skills should a Construction Laborer put on a resume?: O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Coordination, Operation and Control, and Operations 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 Construction Laborer list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Autodesk Revit, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Windows. 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 Construction Laborer work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Construction Worker, Equipment Operator, EO, and Post Framer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Construction Laborer need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 35% 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 Construction Laborer 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.