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Pipelayer resume example

A resume for a Pipelayer needs to show the work itself: lay pipe for storm or sanitation sewers, drains, and water mains. Day to day that means work like this: install or use instruments such as lasers, grade rods, or transit levels; cut pipes to required lengths. 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.

  • Tailman
  • Waste Water Worker
  • Cast-Iron Drain Pipe Layer
  • Drain Layer
  • Drain Tiler
  • Fitter
  • Irrigation System Installer
  • Irrigation Technician
  • Pipe Assembly Worker
  • Pipe Caulker
  • Pipe Connector
  • Pipe Cutter
  • Pipe Fitter
  • Pipe Installer
  • Pipe Layer
  • Pipe Liner
  • Pipe Setter
  • Pipe Wrapping Machine Operator

O*NET records 35 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.

  • Install or use instruments such as lasers, grade rods, or transit levels.
  • Cut pipes to required lengths.
  • Connect pipe pieces and seal joints, using welding equipment, cement, or glue.
  • Cover pipes with earth or other materials.
  • Install or repair sanitary or stormwater sewer structures or pipe systems.
  • Align and position pipes to prepare them for welding or sealing.
  • Check slopes for conformance to requirements, using levels or lasers.
  • Lay out pipe routes, following written instructions or blueprints and coordinating layouts with supervisors.
  • Operate mechanized equipment, such as pickup trucks, rollers, tandem dump trucks, front-end loaders, or backhoes.
  • Grade or level trench bases, using tamping machines or hand tools.
  • Dig trenches to desired or required depths, by hand or using trenching tools.
  • Tap and drill holes into pipes to introduce auxiliary lines or devices.

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.

  • Install or use instruments such as lasers, grade rods, or transit levels, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Cut pipes to required lengths, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Connect pipe pieces and seal joints, using welding equipment, cement, or glue, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Cover pipes with earth or other materials, 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.

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Spreadsheet software
  • Word processing software

Tools and equipment

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

  • Air compressors
  • Air hammers
  • Aligning clamps
  • Backhoes
  • Belting slings
  • Bevel grinding machines
  • Block and tackle equipment
  • Boring machines
  • Bulldozers
  • Cable plows
  • Caulking guns
  • Combination squares

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. 01Operation and Control
  2. 02Active Listening
  3. 03Operations Monitoring
  4. 04Coordination
  5. 05Critical Thinking
  6. 06Quality Control Analysis

Knowledge areas

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

  • Building and Construction
  • Mechanical
  • Mathematics
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Design
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • 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.

  • 71%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
  • 24%Less than a High School Diploma
  • 4%First Professional Degree, awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.

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 Pipelayer do?
Lay pipe for storm or sanitation sewers, drains, and water mains. Day to day that includes work like install or use instruments such as lasers, grade rods, or transit levels and Cut pipes to required lengths.
What skills should a Pipelayer put on a resume?
O*NET rates Operation and Control, Active Listening, Operations Monitoring, Coordination, and Critical Thinking 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 Pipelayer list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Spreadsheet software, and Word processing 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 Pipelayer work?
O*NET records 35 titles for this occupation, including Tailman, Waste Water Worker, Cast-Iron Drain Pipe Layer, and Drain Layer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Pipelayer need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 71% 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 Pipelayer 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.