Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operator resume example

A resume for a Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operator needs to show the work itself: perform work involved in developing and processing photographic images from film or digital media. Day to day that means work like this: select digital images for printing, specify number of images to be printed, and direct to printer, using computer software; create prints according to customer specifications and laboratory protocols. 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.

  • Photo Lab Technician
  • Photographic Laboratory Technician
  • Photo Printer
  • Photo Specialist
  • Photo Technician
  • Digital Printer Operator
  • Film Processor
  • Film Technician
  • Lab Technician
  • Photo Lab Specialist
  • Photo Retoucher
  • Air Brush Artist
  • Airbrush Artist
  • Art Tracer
  • Automatic Developer
  • Automatic Mounter
  • Automatic Print Developer
  • Black and White Printer Operator

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.

  • Select digital images for printing, specify number of images to be printed, and direct to printer, using computer software.
  • Create prints according to customer specifications and laboratory protocols.
  • Produce color or black-and-white photographs, negatives, or slides, applying standard photographic reproduction techniques and procedures.
  • Set or adjust machine controls, according to specifications, type of operation, or material requirements.
  • Review computer-processed digital images for quality.
  • Operate scanners or related computer equipment to digitize negatives, photographic prints, or other images.
  • Fill tanks of processing machines with solutions such as developer, dyes, stop-baths, fixers, bleaches, or washes.
  • Measure and mix chemicals to prepare solutions for processing, according to formulas.
  • Load digital images onto computers directly from cameras or from storage devices, such as flash memory cards or universal serial bus (USB) devices.
  • Operate special equipment to perform tasks such as transferring film to videotape or producing photographic enlargements.
  • Examine developed prints for defects, such as broken lines, spots, or blurs.
  • Read work orders to determine required processes, techniques, materials, or equipment.

27 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.

  • Select digital images for printing, specify number of images to be printed, and direct to printer, using computer software, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Create prints according to customer specifications and laboratory protocols, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Produce color or black-and-white photographs, negatives, or slides, applying standard photographic reproduction techniques and procedures, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Set or adjust machine controls, according to specifications, type of operation, or material requirements, 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 Creative Cloud software
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Amazon Web Services AWS software
  • Camera Bits Photo Mechanic
  • Cascading style sheets CSS
  • Docker
  • ExpressDigital Labtricity
  • Git
  • HeliconSoft Helicon Focus
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software

25 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.

  • Artists' brushes
  • Automatic photo printers
  • Barcode scanners
  • Cement splicers
  • Chemical stirrers
  • Color testing equipment
  • Contrast filters
  • Darkroom beakers
  • Darkroom densitometers
  • Darkroom hydrometers
  • Darkroom thermometers
  • Darkroom timers

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.

  • Camera Bits Photo Mechanic
  • ExpressDigital Labtricity

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. 01Operations Monitoring
  2. 02Active Listening
  3. 03Quality Control Analysis
  4. 04Reading Comprehension
  5. 05Service Orientation
  6. 06Speaking
  7. 07Complex Problem Solving
  8. 08Critical Thinking
  9. 09Monitoring
  10. 10Operation and Control

Knowledge areas

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

  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Production and Processing
  • 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.

  • 84%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
  • 8%Some College Courses
  • 5%Bachelor'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 Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operator do?
Perform work involved in developing and processing photographic images from film or digital media. Day to day that includes work like select digital images for printing, specify number of images to be printed, and direct to printer, using computer software and Create prints according to customer specifications and laboratory protocols.
What skills should a Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operator put on a resume?
O*NET rates Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, Quality Control Analysis, Reading Comprehension, and Service Orientation 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 Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operator list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Amazon Web Services AWS software. 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 Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operator work?
O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Photo Lab Technician, Photographic Laboratory Technician, Photo Printer, and Photo Specialist. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operator need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 84% 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 Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operator 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.