What skills should a Power Plant Operator put on a resume?

O*NET rates Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Speaking, and Active Listening 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 Power Plant Operator list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Computerized maintenance management system CMMS, Continuous emissions monitoring systems CEMS, Distributed control system DCS, Email software, and Emerson Ovation. 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 Power Plant Operator work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Auxiliary Operator, Control Room Operator, Operations and Maintenance Technician, and O and M Tech. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Power Plant Operator need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 60% 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 Power Plant 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.

Power Plant Operator resume example

A resume for a Power Plant Operator needs to show the work itself: control, operate, or maintain machinery to generate electric power. Day to day that means work like this: control generator output to match the phase, frequency, or voltage of electricity supplied to panels; take regulatory action, based on readings from charts, meters and gauges, at established intervals. 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.

Auxiliary Operator
Control Room Operator
Operations and Maintenance Technician
O and M Tech
Control Operator
Multicraft Operator
MCO
Plant Control Operator
Plant Operator
Station Operator
Unit Operator
Coal Gasification Tech
Cogeneration Tech
ICE Technician
Instrument and Control Tech
Landfill Gas Collecting System Tech
Landfill Gas Collection System Tech
Landfill Gas Generating System Tech

O*NET records 40 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.

Multicraft Operator (MCO)
Operations and Maintenance Technician (O and M Tech)
Power Plant Operator

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.

Control generator output to match the phase, frequency, or voltage of electricity supplied to panels.
Take regulatory action, based on readings from charts, meters and gauges, at established intervals.
Control power generating equipment, including boilers, turbines, generators, or reactors, using control boards or semi-automatic equipment.
Start or stop generators, auxiliary pumping equipment, turbines, or other power plant equipment as necessary.
Monitor power plant equipment and indicators to detect evidence of operating problems.
Operate or maintain distributed power generation equipment, including fuel cells or microturbines, to produce energy on-site for manufacturing or other commercial purposes.
Open and close valves and switches in sequence to start or shut down auxiliary units.
Control or maintain auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, fans, compressors, condensers, feedwater heaters, filters, or chlorinators, to supply water, fuel, lubricants, air, or auxiliary power.
Regulate equipment operations and conditions, such as water levels, based on instrument data or from computers.
Inspect records or log book entries or communicate with plant personnel to assess equipment operating status.
Clean, lubricate, or maintain equipment, such as generators, turbines, pumps, or compressors, to prevent failure or deterioration.
Record and compile operational data by completing and maintaining forms, logs, or reports.

30 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.

Control generator output to match the phase, frequency, or voltage of electricity supplied to panels, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Take regulatory action, based on readings from charts, meters and gauges, at established intervals, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Control power generating equipment, including boilers, turbines, generators, or reactors, using control boards or semi-automatic equipment, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Start or stop generators, auxiliary pumping equipment, turbines, or other power plant equipment as necessary, 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.

Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
Continuous emissions monitoring systems CEMS
Distributed control system DCS
Email software
Emerson Ovation
Gas field monitoring system software
General Electric Mark VI Distributed Control System DCS
General Electric Mark VI Integrated Control System ICS
Interlock shutdown systems
Landfill gas analysis software
Landtec System Software LFG Pro
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software

27 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.

Absorbers
Adjustable hand wrenches
Adjustable widemouth pliers
Air compressors
Air filtration mask
Air heaters
Air samplers
All terrain vehicles ATV
Analog panel meters
Annunciators
Attemperators
Backhoes

What this job rates as most important

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

01Operations Monitoring
02Operation and Control
03Critical Thinking
04Speaking
05Active Listening
06Complex Problem Solving
07Monitoring
08Judgment and Decision Making
09Quality Control Analysis
10Reading Comprehension

Knowledge areas

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

Mechanical
Public Safety and Security
English Language
Production and Processing
Chemistry
Physics
Engineering and Technology

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.

60%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
14%Associate's Degree
13%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 Power Plant Operator do?: Control, operate, or maintain machinery to generate electric power. Day to day that includes work like control generator output to match the phase, frequency, or voltage of electricity supplied to panels and Take regulatory action, based on readings from charts, meters and gauges, at established intervals.
What skills should a Power Plant Operator put on a resume?: O*NET rates Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Speaking, and Active Listening 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 Power Plant Operator list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Computerized maintenance management system CMMS, Continuous emissions monitoring systems CEMS, Distributed control system DCS, Email software, and Emerson Ovation. 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 Power Plant Operator work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Auxiliary Operator, Control Room Operator, Operations and Maintenance Technician, and O and M Tech. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Power Plant Operator need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 60% 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 Power Plant 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.