Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairer resume example

A resume for a Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairer needs to show the work itself: construct, decorate, or repair leather and leather-like products, such as luggage, shoes, and saddles. Day to day that means work like this: dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes; cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses. 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.

  • Boot Maker
  • Cobbler
  • Shoe Maker
  • Shoe Repairer
  • Leather Worker
  • Saddle and Harness Maker
  • Shoe Cutter
  • Shoe Repairman
  • Stitcher
  • Back Shoe Cutter
  • Bench Hand
  • Boot and Saddle Repair Person
  • Boot Repairer
  • Bootmaker
  • Custom Leather Products Maker
  • Custom Shoe Maker
  • Custom Shoemaker
  • Dyer

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.

  • Dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes.
  • Cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses.
  • Construct, decorate, or repair leather products according to specifications, using sewing machines, needles and thread, leather lacing, glue, clamps, hand tools, or rivets.
  • Repair and recondition leather products such as trunks, luggage, shoes, saddles, belts, purses, and baseball gloves.
  • Align and stitch or glue materials such as fabric, fleece, leather, or wood, to join parts.
  • Inspect articles for defects, and remove damaged or worn parts, using hand tools.
  • Drill or punch holes and insert or attach metal rings, handles, and fastening hardware, such as buckles.
  • Prepare inserts, heel pads, and lifts from casts of customers' feet.
  • Dress and otherwise finish boots or shoes, as by trimming the edges of new soles and heels to the shoe shape.
  • Attach insoles to shoe lasts, affix shoe uppers, and apply heels and outsoles.
  • Clean and polish shoes.
  • Cement, nail, or sew soles and heels to shoes.

26 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.

  • Dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Construct, decorate, or repair leather products according to specifications, using sewing machines, needles and thread, leather lacing, glue, clamps, hand tools, or rivets, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Repair and recondition leather products such as trunks, luggage, shoes, saddles, belts, purses, and baseball gloves, 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.

  • Bookkeeping software
  • Financial accounting software
  • Inventory tracking software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Sale processing software

Tools and equipment

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

  • Automatic sole stitchers
  • Bench trimmers
  • Block planes
  • Buffing wheels
  • Cobblers' pincers
  • Computer inkjet printers
  • Cordless drills
  • Credit card readers
  • Digital calipers
  • Digital scales
  • Electronic cash registers
  • Hand clamps

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.

  • cut fabrics

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. 01Active Listening
  2. 02Critical Thinking
  3. 03Monitoring
  4. 04Speaking

Knowledge areas

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

  • Production and Processing

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.

  • 56%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
  • 44%Less than a High School Diploma

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 Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairer do?
Construct, decorate, or repair leather and leather-like products, such as luggage, shoes, and saddles. Day to day that includes work like dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes and Cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses.
What skills should a Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairer put on a resume?
O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, and Speaking 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 Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairer list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Bookkeeping software, Financial accounting software, Inventory tracking software, Microsoft Excel, and Sale 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 Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairer work?
O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Boot Maker, Cobbler, Shoe Maker, and Shoe Repairer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Shoe and Leather Workers and Repairer need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 56% 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 Shoe and Leather Workers and 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.