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Rail Car Repairer resume example

A resume for a Rail Car Repairer needs to show the work itself: diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars. Day to day that means work like this: record conditions of cars, and repair and maintenance work performed or to be performed; inspect components such as bearings, seals, gaskets, wheels, and coupler assemblies to determine if repairs are needed. 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.

  • Rail Car Mechanic
  • Rail Car Repairman
  • Rail Car Welder
  • Freight Maintenance Specialist
  • Locomotive Repairman
  • Rail Car Maintenance Mechanic
  • Rail Car Sandblaster
  • Railroad Car Repairman
  • Train Car Repairman
  • Air Brake Adjuster
  • Air Brake Man
  • Air Brake Mechanic
  • Air Brake Rigger
  • Air Brake Worker
  • Air Compressor Mechanic
  • Air Valve Mechanic
  • Air Valve Repairer
  • Brake Adjuster

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 conditions of cars, and repair and maintenance work performed or to be performed.
  • Inspect components such as bearings, seals, gaskets, wheels, and coupler assemblies to determine if repairs are needed.
  • Repair or replace defective or worn parts such as bearings, pistons, and gears, using hand tools, torque wrenches, power tools, and welding equipment.
  • Inspect the interior and exterior of rail cars coming into rail yards to identify defects and to determine the extent of wear and damage.
  • Remove locomotives, car mechanical units, or other components, using pneumatic hoists and jacks, pinch bars, hand tools, and cutting torches.
  • Test units for operability before and after repairs.
  • Adjust repaired or replaced units as needed to ensure proper operation.
  • Repair, fabricate, and install steel or wood fittings, using blueprints, shop sketches, and instruction manuals.
  • Perform scheduled maintenance, and clean units and components.
  • Examine car roofs for wear and damage, and repair defective sections, using roofing material, cement, nails, and waterproof paint.
  • Paint car exteriors, interiors, and fixtures.
  • Repair and maintain electrical and electronic controls for propulsion and braking systems.

20 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 conditions of cars, and repair and maintenance work performed or to be performed, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Inspect components such as bearings, seals, gaskets, wheels, and coupler assemblies to determine if repairs are needed, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Repair or replace defective or worn parts such as bearings, pistons, and gears, using hand tools, torque wrenches, power tools, and welding equipment, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Inspect the interior and exterior of rail cars coming into rail yards to identify defects and to determine the extent of wear and damage, 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 Acrobat
  • Disassembler software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Microsoft Word
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • RailTech Software Solutions Rail 21 Management System
  • RailTech Software Systems Mars for the 21st Century
  • WheelShop Automation.com Wheel Shop Management Suite

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
  • Aligning pry bars
  • Arc welders
  • Automated car movers
  • Automatic air brake testers
  • Ball peen hammers
  • Bearing dismounting presses
  • Bearing presses
  • Bogie testing benches
  • Car hoists
  • Combination squares
  • Combination wrenches

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.

  • Disassembler

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. 01Repairing
  2. 02Troubleshooting
  3. 03Equipment Maintenance
  4. 04Critical Thinking
  5. 05Operations Monitoring
  6. 06Quality Control Analysis
  7. 07Operation and Control
  8. 08Active Listening
  9. 09Speaking

Knowledge areas

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

  • Mechanical
  • Production and Processing
  • Design
  • Administration and Management
  • Building and Construction
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Transportation
  • 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
  • 38%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
  • 1%Associate'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 Rail Car Repairer do?
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul railroad rolling stock, mine cars, or mass transit rail cars. Day to day that includes work like record conditions of cars, and repair and maintenance work performed or to be performed and Inspect components such as bearings, seals, gaskets, wheels, and coupler assemblies to determine if repairs are needed.
What skills should a Rail Car Repairer put on a resume?
O*NET rates Repairing, Troubleshooting, Equipment Maintenance, Critical Thinking, and Operations Monitoring 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 Rail Car Repairer list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Disassembler software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Office 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 Rail Car Repairer work?
O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Rail Car Mechanic, Rail Car Repairman, Rail Car Welder, and Freight Maintenance Specialist. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Rail Car Repairer 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 Rail Car Repairer 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.