What skills should a Pump Operator put on a resume?

O*NET rates Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Active Listening, 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 Pump Operator list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Computerized maintenance management system CMMS, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Word. 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 Pump Operator work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers, Outside Operator, Pipeline Operator, and Pumper. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Pump Operator need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 61% 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 Pump 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.

Pump Operator resume example

A resume for a Pump Operator needs to show the work itself: tend, control, or operate power-driven, stationary, or portable pumps and manifold systems to transfer gases, oil, other liquids, slurries, or powdered materials to and from various vessels and processes. Day to day that means work like this: monitor gauges and flowmeters and inspect equipment to ensure that tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures are at specified levels, reporting abnormalities as necessary; record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, stocks used, gauging results, and operating times. 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.

Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers
Outside Operator
Pipeline Operator
Pumper
Tank Farm Operator
Boom Pump Operator
Chemical Pumper
Day Light Relief Operator
Pipeline Dispatch Operator
Pump Station Operator
Acid Loader
Acid Pump Operator
Airveyor Operator
Booster Station Operator
Brewery Pumper
Caustic Pump Operator
Concrete Boom Pump Operator
Concrete 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.

Monitor gauges and flowmeters and inspect equipment to ensure that tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures are at specified levels, reporting abnormalities as necessary.
Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, stocks used, gauging results, and operating times.
Plan movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of interconnections and capacities of pipelines, valve manifolds, pumps, and tankage.
Turn valves and start pumps to start or regulate flows of substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials.
Communicate with other workers, using signals, radios, or telephones, to start and stop flows of materials or substances.
Connect hoses and pipelines to pumps and vessels prior to material transfer, using hand tools.
Tend vessels that store substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials, checking levels of substances by using calibrated rods or by reading mercury gauges and tank charts.
Clean, lubricate, and repair pumps and vessels, using hand tools and equipment.
Read operating schedules or instructions or receive verbal orders to determine amounts to be pumped.
Test materials and solutions, using testing equipment.
Tend auxiliary equipment such as water treatment and refrigeration units, and heat exchangers.
Add chemicals and solutions to tanks to ensure that specifications are met.

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.

Monitor gauges and flowmeters and inspect equipment to ensure that tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures are at specified levels, reporting abnormalities as necessary, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, stocks used, gauging results, and operating times, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Plan movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of interconnections and capacities of pipelines, valve manifolds, pumps, and tankage, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Turn valves and start pumps to start or regulate flows of substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered 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.

Computerized maintenance management system CMMS
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Word
Operational databases
Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software

Tools and equipment

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

Adjustable wrench sets
Air compressors
Air hammers
Auxiliary cooling systems
Boom trucks
Calibrated well rods
Chlorine analyzers
Concrete boom pumps
Concrete line pumps
Cordless drills
Crane trucks
Digital densitometers

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
02Monitoring
03Operation and Control
04Active Listening
05Critical Thinking
06Reading Comprehension
07Speaking
08Judgment and Decision Making
09Time Management
10Troubleshooting

Knowledge areas

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

Production and Processing
English Language
Mechanical
Mathematics

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.

61%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
18%Bachelor's Degree
8%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 Pump Operator do?: Tend, control, or operate power-driven, stationary, or portable pumps and manifold systems to transfer gases, oil, other liquids, slurries, or powdered materials to and from various vessels and processes. Day to day that includes work like monitor gauges and flowmeters and inspect equipment to ensure that tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures are at specified levels, reporting abnormalities as necessary and Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, stocks used, gauging results, and operating times.
What skills should a Pump Operator put on a resume?: O*NET rates Operations Monitoring, Monitoring, Operation and Control, Active Listening, 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 Pump Operator list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Computerized maintenance management system CMMS, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Word. 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 Pump Operator work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers, Outside Operator, Pipeline Operator, and Pumper. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Pump Operator need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 61% 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 Pump 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.