Non-Destructive Testing Specialist resume example

A resume for a Non-Destructive Testing Specialist needs to show the work itself: test the safety of structures, vehicles, or vessels using x-ray, ultrasound, fiber optic or related equipment. Day to day that means work like this: interpret the results of all methods of non-destructive testing (NDT), such as acoustic emission, electromagnetic, leak, liquid penetrant, magnetic particle, neutron radiographic, radiographic, thermal or infrared, ultrasonic, vibration analysis, and visual testing; interpret or evaluate test results in accordance with applicable codes, standards, specifications, or procedures. 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.

  • NDE Technician
  • Non-Destructive Evaluation Technician
  • NDT Specialist
  • NDT Technical Specialist
  • NDT Technician
  • Non-Destructive Testing Technician
  • Industrial Radiographer
  • NDT Coordinator
  • Non-Destructive Testing Coordinator
  • NDT Inspector
  • Non-Destructing Testing Inspector
  • Corrosion Control Tech
  • Corrosion Tech
  • NDE Specialist
  • NDT Engineer
  • NDT Scientist
  • NDT Technical Advisor
  • Non-Destructive Tech

O*NET records 35 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.

  • NDE Technician (Non-Destructive Evaluation Technician)
  • NDT Coordinator (Non-Destructive Testing Coordinator)
  • NDT Inspector (Non-Destructing Testing Inspector)
  • NDT Specialist (Non-Destructive Testing Specialist)
  • NDT Technical Specialist (Non-Destructive Testing Technical Specialist)
  • NDT Technician (Non-Destructive Testing Technician)

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.

  • Interpret the results of all methods of non-destructive testing (NDT), such as acoustic emission, electromagnetic, leak, liquid penetrant, magnetic particle, neutron radiographic, radiographic, thermal or infrared, ultrasonic, vibration analysis, and visual testing.
  • Interpret or evaluate test results in accordance with applicable codes, standards, specifications, or procedures.
  • Identify defects in solid materials, using ultrasonic testing techniques.
  • Make radiographic images to detect flaws in objects while leaving objects intact.
  • Prepare reports on non-destructive testing results.
  • Select, calibrate, or operate equipment used in the non-destructive testing of products or materials.
  • Visually examine materials, structures, or components for signs of corrosion, metal fatigue, cracks, or other flaws, using tools and equipment such as endoscopes, closed-circuit television systems, and fiber optics.
  • Examine structures or vehicles such as aircraft, trains, nuclear reactors, bridges, dams, and pipelines, using non-destructive testing techniques.
  • Document non-destructive testing methods, processes, or results.
  • Produce images of objects on film, using radiographic techniques.
  • Supervise or direct the work of non-destructive testing trainees or staff.
  • Conduct liquid penetrant tests to locate surface cracks by coating objects with fluorescent dyes, cleaning excess penetrant, and applying developer.

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.

  • Interpret the results of all methods of non-destructive testing (NDT), such as acoustic emission, electromagnetic, leak, liquid penetrant, magnetic particle, neutron radiographic, radiographic, thermal or infrared, ultrasonic, vibration analysis, and visual testing, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Interpret or evaluate test results in accordance with applicable codes, standards, specifications, or procedures, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Identify defects in solid materials, using ultrasonic testing techniques, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Make radiographic images to detect flaws in objects while leaving objects intact, 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 AutoCAD
  • Dassault Systemes CATIA
  • Fractal Concept SoftScan
  • GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies Rhythm UT
  • Geographic information system GIS systems
  • IBM Notes
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Project
  • Microsoft Word
  • National Instruments DAQ Assistant

21 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

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

  • Acoustic emissions systems
  • Acoustic testers
  • Amp meters
  • Binocular polarizing microscopes
  • Binoculars
  • Black lights
  • Capacitance testers
  • Charge-coupled device CCD cameras
  • Closed circuit television systems
  • Computer assisted tomography CAT inspection equipment
  • Depth gauges
  • Desktop computers

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.

  • Dassault Systemes CATIA
  • Fractal Concept SoftScan

What this job rates as most important

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

  1. 01Quality Control Analysis
  2. 02Reading Comprehension
  3. 03Active Listening
  4. 04Critical Thinking
  5. 05Monitoring
  6. 06Active Learning
  7. 07Operations Monitoring
  8. 08Writing
  9. 09Complex Problem Solving
  10. 10Judgment and Decision Making

Knowledge areas

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

  • Engineering and Technology
  • Mathematics
  • English Language
  • Physics
  • Education and Training
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Production and Processing

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.

  • 68%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
  • 9%Some College Courses
  • 9%Associate's Degree

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 Non-Destructive Testing Specialist do?
Test the safety of structures, vehicles, or vessels using x-ray, ultrasound, fiber optic or related equipment. Day to day that includes work like interpret the results of all methods of non-destructive testing (NDT), such as acoustic emission, electromagnetic, leak, liquid penetrant, magnetic particle, neutron radiographic, radiographic, thermal or infrared, ultrasonic, vibration analysis, and visual testing and Interpret or evaluate test results in accordance with applicable codes, standards, specifications, or procedures.
What skills should a Non-Destructive Testing Specialist put on a resume?
O*NET rates Quality Control Analysis, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, 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 Non-Destructive Testing Specialist list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Autodesk AutoCAD, Dassault Systemes CATIA, Fractal Concept SoftScan, GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies Rhythm UT, and Geographic information system GIS systems. 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 Non-Destructive Testing Specialist work?
O*NET records 35 titles for this occupation, including NDE Technician, Non-Destructive Evaluation Technician, NDT Specialist, and NDT Technical Specialist. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Non-Destructive Testing Specialist need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 68% 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 Non-Destructive Testing Specialist 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.