What does a Locksmiths and Safe Repairer do?

Repair and open locks, make keys, change locks and safe combinations, and install and repair safes. Day to day that includes work like cut new or duplicate keys, using key cutting machines and Disassemble mechanical or electrical locking devices, and repair or replace worn tumblers, springs, and other parts, using hand tools.

What skills should a Locksmiths and Safe Repairer put on a resume?

O*NET rates Repairing, Time Management, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Equipment Maintenance 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 Locksmiths and Safe Repairer list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes dESCO ESC, Intuit QuickBooks, Inventory tracking software, Mapping software, and Marathon Data Systems ServiceCEO. 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 Locksmiths and Safe Repairer work?

O*NET records 31 titles for this occupation, including Certified Master Locksmith, CML, Lock Technician, and Locksmith. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Locksmiths and Safe Repairer need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 65% 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 Locksmiths and Safe Repairer 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.

Locksmiths and Safe Repairer resume example

A resume for a Locksmiths and Safe Repairer needs to show the work itself: repair and open locks, make keys, change locks and safe combinations, and install and repair safes. Day to day that means work like this: cut new or duplicate keys, using key cutting machines; disassemble mechanical or electrical locking devices, and repair or replace worn tumblers, springs, and other parts, using hand 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.

Certified Master Locksmith
CML
Lock Technician
Locksmith
Safe Technician
Certified Master Safe Cracker
Certified Master Safecracker
CMS
Forensic Locksmith
Registered Safe Technician
RST
Road Service Locksmith
Vault Technician
Locksmith Tech
Commercial Vault Associate
Key Maker
Keysmith
Lock Expert

O*NET records 31 titles for this occupation in total.

What people in this job call themselves

Titles reported by people actually doing this work, which is often not the title on the job posting.

Certified Master Locksmith (CML)
Certified Master Safecracker (CMS)
Registered Safe Technician (RST)

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.

Cut new or duplicate keys, using key cutting machines.
Disassemble mechanical or electrical locking devices, and repair or replace worn tumblers, springs, and other parts, using hand tools.
Cut new or duplicate keys, using impressions or code key machines.
Open safe locks by drilling.
Install door hardware, such as locks and closers.
Insert new or repaired tumblers into locks to change combinations.
Set up and maintain master key systems.
Keep records of company locks and keys.
Move picklocks in cylinders to open door locks without keys.
Repair and adjust safes, vault doors, and vault components, using hand tools, lathes, drill presses, and welding and acetylene cutting apparatus.
Install safes, vault doors, and deposit boxes according to blueprints, using equipment such as power drills, taps, dies, truck cranes, and dollies.
Install alarm and electronic access systems.

14 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.

Cut new or duplicate keys, using key cutting machines, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Disassemble mechanical or electrical locking devices, and repair or replace worn tumblers, springs, and other parts, using hand tools, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Cut new or duplicate keys, using impressions or code key machines, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Open safe locks by drilling, 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.

dESCO ESC
Intuit QuickBooks
Inventory tracking software
Mapping software
Marathon Data Systems ServiceCEO
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Word
Scheduling software
WH Software InstaCode
WH Software MasterKey

Tools and equipment

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

Acetylene torches
Automatic metal lathes
Bench drill presses
Bent needlenose pliers
Borescopes
Carpenters squares
Center punch sets
Code key machines
Computer inkjet printers
Cordless drills
Crescent wrenches
Crowbars

What this job rates as most important

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

01Repairing
02Time Management
03Active Listening
04Critical Thinking
05Equipment Maintenance
06Operation and Control
07Operations Monitoring
08Quality Control Analysis
09Speaking
10Reading Comprehension

Knowledge areas

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

Mechanical
Customer and Personal Service
Public Safety and Security
English Language
Sales and Marketing
Education and Training
Mathematics
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.

65%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
30%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
5%Some College Courses

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 Locksmiths and Safe Repairer do?: Repair and open locks, make keys, change locks and safe combinations, and install and repair safes. Day to day that includes work like cut new or duplicate keys, using key cutting machines and Disassemble mechanical or electrical locking devices, and repair or replace worn tumblers, springs, and other parts, using hand tools.
What skills should a Locksmiths and Safe Repairer put on a resume?: O*NET rates Repairing, Time Management, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Equipment Maintenance 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 Locksmiths and Safe Repairer list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes dESCO ESC, Intuit QuickBooks, Inventory tracking software, Mapping software, and Marathon Data Systems ServiceCEO. 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 Locksmiths and Safe Repairer work?: O*NET records 31 titles for this occupation, including Certified Master Locksmith, CML, Lock Technician, and Locksmith. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Locksmiths and Safe Repairer need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 65% 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 Locksmiths and Safe Repairer 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.