What does a Pest Control Worker do?

Apply or release chemical solutions or toxic gases and set traps to kill or remove pests and vermin that infest buildings and surrounding areas. Day to day that includes work like record work activities performed and Inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations.

What skills should a Pest Control Worker put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Speaking, and Writing 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 Pest Control Worker list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Database software, Email software, Intuit QuickBooks, Marathon Data Systems PestPac, 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 Pest Control Worker work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Exterminator, Pest Control Technician, Pest Control Tech, and Pest Technician. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Pest Control Worker need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 90% 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 Pest Control Worker 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.

Pest Control Worker resume example

A resume for a Pest Control Worker needs to show the work itself: apply or release chemical solutions or toxic gases and set traps to kill or remove pests and vermin that infest buildings and surrounding areas. Day to day that means work like this: record work activities performed; inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations. 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.

Exterminator
Pest Control Technician
Pest Control Tech
Pest Technician
Residential Pest Control Technician
Certified Pest Control Technician
Commercial Pest Control Technician
Pest Control Applicator
Pest Control Chemical Technician
Pest Control Operator
Termite Technician
Field Service Rep
Mosquito Control Tech
Pest Control Route Tech
Termite Control Tech
Termite Pest Control Tech
Bed Bug Exterminator
Chemical Applicator

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.

Record work activities performed.
Inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations.
Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients.
Spray or dust chemical solutions, powders, or gases into rooms, onto clothing, furnishings, or wood, or over marshlands, ditches, or catch basins.
Clean work site after completion of job.
Drive truck equipped with power spraying equipment.
Measure area dimensions requiring treatment, calculate fumigant requirements, and estimate cost for service.
Study preliminary reports or diagrams of infested area and determine treatment type required to eliminate and prevent recurrence of infestation.
Direct, or assist other workers in, treatment or extermination processes to eliminate or control rodents, insects, or weeds.
Post warning signs and lock building doors to secure area to be fumigated.
Set mechanical traps, or place poisonous paste or bait in sewers, burrows, or ditches.
Cut or bore openings in building or surrounding concrete, access infested areas, insert nozzle, and inject pesticide to impregnate ground.

13 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.

Record work activities performed, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Spray or dust chemical solutions, powders, or gases into rooms, onto clothing, furnishings, or wood, or over marshlands, ditches, or catch basins, 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.

Database software
Email software
Intuit QuickBooks
Marathon Data Systems PestPac
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft Word
Report writing software
Supply inventory software
Work scheduling software
YouTube

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
Bait stations
Bellows dusters
Brooms
Bulb dusters
Chemical-resistant footwear
Chemical-resistant suits
Claw hammers
Cold foggers
Copy machines
Digital still cameras
Electric drills

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.

Marathon Data Systems PestPac
Report writing

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
02Critical Thinking
03Monitoring
04Speaking
05Writing
06Time Management
07Social Perceptiveness
08Complex Problem Solving
09Service Orientation
10Active Learning

Knowledge areas

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

Customer and Personal Service
Public Safety and Security
English Language

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.

90%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
9%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
1%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 Pest Control Worker do?: Apply or release chemical solutions or toxic gases and set traps to kill or remove pests and vermin that infest buildings and surrounding areas. Day to day that includes work like record work activities performed and Inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations.
What skills should a Pest Control Worker put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Speaking, and Writing 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 Pest Control Worker list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Database software, Email software, Intuit QuickBooks, Marathon Data Systems PestPac, 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 Pest Control Worker work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Exterminator, Pest Control Technician, Pest Control Tech, and Pest Technician. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Pest Control Worker need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 90% 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 Pest Control Worker 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.