What does a Roofer do?

Cover roofs of structures with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, or related materials. Day to day that includes work like inspect problem roofs to determine the best repair procedures and Remove snow, water, or debris from roofs prior to applying roofing materials.

What skills should a Roofer put on a resume?

O*NET rates Coordination, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, and Operation and Control 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 Roofer list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes AppliCad Roof Wizard, ASR Software LWC-Plus, ASR Software Taper-Plus, ASR Software TopView LE, and ASR Software TopView ME. 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 Roofer work?

O*NET records 36 titles for this occupation, including Roof Mechanic, Roof Service Technician, Roofing Technician, and Commercial Roofer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Roofer need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 49% 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 Roofer 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.

Roofer resume example

A resume for a Roofer needs to show the work itself: cover roofs of structures with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, or related materials. Day to day that means work like this: inspect problem roofs to determine the best repair procedures; remove snow, water, or debris from roofs prior to applying roofing materials. 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.

Roof Mechanic
Roof Service Technician
Roofing Technician
Commercial Roofer
Industrial Roofer
Metal Roofing Mechanic
Residential Roofer
Sheet Metal Roofer
Commercial Roofing Tech
Aluminum Shingle Roofer
Asbestos Shingle Roofer
Commercial Roofing Technician
Composition Roofer
Cool Roofing Installer
Gravel Roofer
Gutter Installer
Gypsum Roofer
Hot Tar Roofer

O*NET records 36 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.

Inspect problem roofs to determine the best repair procedures.
Remove snow, water, or debris from roofs prior to applying roofing materials.
Set up scaffolding to provide safe access to roofs.
Estimate materials and labor required to complete roofing jobs.
Cement or nail flashing strips of metal or shingle over joints to make them watertight.
Install partially overlapping layers of material over roof insulation surfaces, using chalk lines, gauges on shingling hatchets, or lines on shingles.
Cut felt, shingles, or strips of flashing to fit angles formed by walls, vents, or intersecting roof surfaces.
Apply plastic coatings, membranes, fiberglass, or felt over sloped roofs before applying shingles.
Install, repair, or replace single-ply roofing systems, using waterproof sheet materials such as modified plastics, elastomeric, or other asphaltic compositions.
Attach roofing paper to roofs in overlapping strips to form bases for other materials.
Cover roofs or exterior walls of structures with slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, gravel, gypsum, or related materials, using brushes, knives, punches, hammers, or other tools.
Waterproof or damp-proof walls, floors, roofs, foundations, or basements by painting or spraying surfaces with waterproof coatings or by attaching waterproofing membranes to surfaces.

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.

Inspect problem roofs to determine the best repair procedures, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Remove snow, water, or debris from roofs prior to applying roofing materials, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Set up scaffolding to provide safe access to roofs, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Estimate materials and labor required to complete roofing jobs, 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.

AppliCad Roof Wizard
ASR Software LWC-Plus
ASR Software Taper-Plus
ASR Software TopView LE
ASR Software TopView ME
CADAFIS
DigiTools Roof CAD
Energy cost evaluation software
Exele TopView
Humidity and vapor drive calculation software
Insight Direct ServiceCEO
Maintenance record software
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software

23 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.

Adjustable roof brackets
Air compressors
Angle knives
Axes
Bench-mount hand brakes
Bitumen applicators
Carpenters' hatchets
Caulking guns
Chalk line markers
Chicken ladders
Circular saws
Claw hammers

What this job rates as most important

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

01Coordination
02Active Listening
03Critical Thinking
04Monitoring
05Operation and Control
06Operations Monitoring
07Speaking
08Time Management

Knowledge areas

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

Building and Construction
Customer and Personal Service
English Language
Public Safety and Security
Education and Training
Mathematics
Design
Mechanical

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.

49%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
26%Less than a High School Diploma
11%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school

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 Roofer do?: Cover roofs of structures with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, or related materials. Day to day that includes work like inspect problem roofs to determine the best repair procedures and Remove snow, water, or debris from roofs prior to applying roofing materials.
What skills should a Roofer put on a resume?: O*NET rates Coordination, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, and Operation and Control 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 Roofer list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes AppliCad Roof Wizard, ASR Software LWC-Plus, ASR Software Taper-Plus, ASR Software TopView LE, and ASR Software TopView ME. 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 Roofer work?: O*NET records 36 titles for this occupation, including Roof Mechanic, Roof Service Technician, Roofing Technician, and Commercial Roofer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Roofer need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 49% 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 Roofer 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.