What skills should a Crane and Tower Operator put on a resume?

O*NET rates Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, 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 Crane and Tower Operator list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Crane operation control software, Inventory tracking software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, and Microsoft Outlook. 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 Crane and Tower Operator work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Crane Operator, Mobile Crane Operator, Overhead Crane Operator, and Scrap Crane Operator. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Crane and Tower Operator need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 61% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Crane and Tower Operator 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.

Crane and Tower Operator resume example

A resume for a Crane and Tower Operator needs to show the work itself: operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions. Day to day that means work like this: determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload; move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads. 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.

Crane Operator
Mobile Crane Operator
Overhead Crane Operator
Scrap Crane Operator
Heavy Equipment Operator
Machine Operator
Port Crane Operator
Winchman
Woodyard Crane Operator
Cell Tower Tech
Tower Climber Tech
Acid Crane Operator
Boom Cat Operator
Boom Crane Operator
Boomswing Operator
Bottom Crane Operator
Bridge Crane Operator
Burial Vault Deliverer and Installer

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.

Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload.
Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads.
Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage.
Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed.
Direct helpers engaged in placing blocking or outrigging under cranes.
Clean, lubricate, and maintain mechanisms such as cables, pulleys, or grappling devices, making repairs, as necessary.
Load or unload bundles from trucks, or move containers to storage bins, using moving equipment.
Review daily work or delivery schedules to determine orders, sequences of deliveries, or special loading instructions.
Inspect bundle packaging for conformance to regulations or customer requirements, and remove and batch packaging tickets.
Direct truck drivers backing vehicles into loading bays and cover, uncover, or secure loads for delivery.
Weigh bundles, using floor scales, and record weights for company records.

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.

Determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Inspect and adjust crane mechanisms or lifting accessories to prevent malfunctions or damage, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Inspect cables or grappling devices for wear and install or replace cables, as needed, 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.

Crane operation control software
Inventory tracking software
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Windows

Tools and equipment

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

Adjustable wrenches
All-terrain cranes
Anemometers
Angle grinders
Anti-two block devices
Ball peen hammers
Barrel clamps
Bench vises
Boom angle indicators
Boom length indicators
Bridge cranes
Cab cranes

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.

secure cargo
Crane operation control
Inventory tracking

What this job rates as most important

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

01Operation and Control
02Operations Monitoring
03Critical Thinking
04Active Listening
05Monitoring
06Judgment and Decision Making
07Reading Comprehension
08Speaking
09Time Management

Knowledge areas

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

Mechanical
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.

61%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
32%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
8%Less than a High School Diploma

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Crane and Tower Operator do?: Operate mechanical boom and cable or tower and cable equipment to lift and move materials, machines, or products in many directions. Day to day that includes work like determine load weights and check them against lifting capacities to prevent overload and Move levers, depress foot pedals, or turn dials to operate cranes, cherry pickers, electromagnets, or other moving equipment for lifting, moving, or placing loads.
What skills should a Crane and Tower Operator put on a resume?: O*NET rates Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, 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 Crane and Tower Operator list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Crane operation control software, Inventory tracking software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, and Microsoft Outlook. 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 Crane and Tower Operator work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Crane Operator, Mobile Crane Operator, Overhead Crane Operator, and Scrap Crane Operator. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Crane and Tower Operator need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 61% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Crane and Tower Operator 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.