What skills should a Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker put on a resume?

O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management, and Active Learning 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 Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk AutoCAD, Gerber Technology AccuMark, and Microsoft Excel. 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 Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker work?

O*NET records 32 titles for this occupation, including Designer, Pattern Designer, Pattern Maker, and Production Pattern Maker. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 41% 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 Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker 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.

Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker resume example

A resume for a Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker needs to show the work itself: draw and construct sets of precision master fabric patterns or layouts. Day to day that means work like this: create a master pattern for each size within a range of garment sizes, using charts, drafting instruments, computers, or grading devices; input specifications into computers to assist with pattern design and pattern cutting. 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.

Designer
Pattern Designer
Pattern Maker
Production Pattern Maker
Cutter
Fabric Cutter
Pattern Technician
Sewing Pattern Layout Technician
Technical Designer
Apparel Patternmaker
Clothing Pattern Preparer
Clothing Patternmaker
Computer Patternmaker
Draper
Embroidery Patternmaker
Fabric Pattern Grader
Fabric Sourcer
Fashion Patternmaker

O*NET records 32 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.

Create a master pattern for each size within a range of garment sizes, using charts, drafting instruments, computers, or grading devices.
Input specifications into computers to assist with pattern design and pattern cutting.
Draw details on outlined parts to indicate where parts are to be joined, as well as the positions of pleats, pockets, buttonholes, and other features, using computers or drafting instruments.
Make adjustments to patterns after fittings.
Compute dimensions of patterns according to sizes, considering stretching of material.
Mark samples and finished patterns with information, such as garment size, section, style, identification, and sewing instructions.
Draw outlines of pattern parts by adapting or copying existing patterns, or by drafting new patterns.
Test patterns by making and fitting sample garments.
Position and cut out master or sample patterns, using scissors and knives, or print out copies of patterns, using computers.
Create a paper pattern from which to mass-produce a design concept.
Discuss design specifications with designers, and convert their original models of garments into patterns of separate parts that can be laid out on a length of fabric.
Examine sketches, sample articles, and design specifications to determine quantities, shapes, and sizes of pattern parts, and to determine the amount of material or fabric required to make a product.

16 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.

Create a master pattern for each size within a range of garment sizes, using charts, drafting instruments, computers, or grading devices, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Input specifications into computers to assist with pattern design and pattern cutting, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Draw details on outlined parts to indicate where parts are to be joined, as well as the positions of pleats, pockets, buttonholes, and other features, using computers or drafting instruments, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Make adjustments to patterns after fittings, 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.

Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Autodesk AutoCAD
Gerber Technology AccuMark
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Word
PatternMaker

Tools and equipment

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

Curve sticks
Dress form mannequins
Fabric shears
Hip curve rulers
Industrial sewing machines
Ironing boards
L squares
Measuring tapes
Paper scissors
Pattern boards
Pattern grading rulers
Pattern paper cutters

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.

AutoCAD
cut fabrics
Gerber Technology AccuMark
PatternMaker

What this job rates as most important

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

01Critical Thinking
02Active Listening
03Judgment and Decision Making
04Time Management
05Active Learning
06Mathematics
07Monitoring
08Quality Control Analysis
09Reading Comprehension
10Speaking

Knowledge areas

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

Design
Mathematics
English Language
Production and Processing
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.

41%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
26%Bachelor's Degree
19%Some College Courses

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 Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker do?: Draw and construct sets of precision master fabric patterns or layouts. Day to day that includes work like create a master pattern for each size within a range of garment sizes, using charts, drafting instruments, computers, or grading devices and Input specifications into computers to assist with pattern design and pattern cutting.
What skills should a Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker put on a resume?: O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, Time Management, and Active Learning 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 Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk AutoCAD, Gerber Technology AccuMark, and Microsoft Excel. 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 Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker work?: O*NET records 32 titles for this occupation, including Designer, Pattern Designer, Pattern Maker, and Production Pattern Maker. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 41% 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 Fabric and Apparel Patternmaker 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.