What does a Janitors and Cleaner do?

Keep buildings in clean and orderly condition. Day to day that includes work like service, clean, or supply restrooms and Gather and empty trash.

What skills should a Janitors and Cleaner put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening and Speaking 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 Janitors and Cleaner list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Eko, 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 Janitors and Cleaner work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners, Cleaner, Custodial Worker, and Custodian. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Janitors and Cleaner need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 62% 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 Janitors and Cleaner 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.

Janitors and Cleaner resume example

A resume for a Janitors and Cleaner needs to show the work itself: keep buildings in clean and orderly condition. Day to day that means work like this: service, clean, or supply restrooms; gather and empty trash. 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.

Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
Cleaner
Custodial Worker
Custodian
Janitor
Building Custodian
Building Services Technician
Building Services Tech
Building Services Worker
Facilities Worker
Heavy Duty Custodian
School Custodian
Carpet Cleaning Tech
Cleaning Tech
Floor Tech
Multi-Story Window Cleaner
Airport Attendant
Alley Cleaner

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.

Service, clean, or supply restrooms.
Gather and empty trash.
Clean building floors by sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, or vacuuming.
Monitor building security and safety by performing tasks such as locking doors after operating hours or checking electrical appliance use to ensure that hazards are not created.
Notify managers concerning the need for major repairs or additions to building operating systems.
Follow procedures for the use of chemical cleaners and power equipment to prevent damage to floors and fixtures.
Mix water and detergents or acids in containers to prepare cleaning solutions, according to specifications.
Clean windows, glass partitions, or mirrors, using soapy water or other cleaners, sponges, or squeegees.
Requisition supplies or equipment needed for cleaning and maintenance duties.
Dust furniture, walls, machines, or equipment.
Clean and polish furniture and fixtures.
Move heavy furniture, equipment, or supplies, either manually or with hand trucks.

21 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.

Service, clean, or supply restrooms, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Gather and empty trash, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Clean building floors by sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, or vacuuming, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Monitor building security and safety by performing tasks such as locking doors after operating hours or checking electrical appliance use to ensure that hazards are not created, 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.

Eko
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Word
Operating system software
Squeegee

Tools and equipment

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

Adjustable hand wrenches
Adjustable widemouth pliers
Aerial manlifts
Air compressors
Carpet shampooers
Claw hammers
Cordless drills
Desktop computers
Dry mops
Equipment dollies
Extension ladders
Floor buffers

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.

move furniture

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
02Speaking

Knowledge areas

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

Public Safety and Security
Administration and Management

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.

62%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
23%Bachelor's Degree
14%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 Janitors and Cleaner do?: Keep buildings in clean and orderly condition. Day to day that includes work like service, clean, or supply restrooms and Gather and empty trash.
What skills should a Janitors and Cleaner put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening and Speaking 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 Janitors and Cleaner list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Eko, 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 Janitors and Cleaner work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners, Cleaner, Custodial Worker, and Custodian. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Janitors and Cleaner need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 62% 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 Janitors and Cleaner 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.