What does a Tile and Stone Setter do?

Apply hard tile, stone, and comparable materials to walls, floors, ceilings, countertops, and roof decks. Day to day that includes work like align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges and Finish and dress the joints and wipe excess grout from between tiles, using damp sponge.

What skills should a Tile and Stone Setter put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Coordination, Critical Thinking, and Mathematics 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 Tile and Stone Setter list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Aya Associates Comp-U-Floor, EasyCAD Iris 2D, Measure Square FloorEstimate Pro, Microsoft Excel, 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 Tile and Stone Setter work?

O*NET records 35 titles for this occupation, including Tile and Marble Installer, Tile Installer, Tile Mechanic, and Tile Setter. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Tile and Stone Setter need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 48% 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 Tile and Stone Setter 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.

Tile and Stone Setter resume example

A resume for a Tile and Stone Setter needs to show the work itself: apply hard tile, stone, and comparable materials to walls, floors, ceilings, countertops, and roof decks. Day to day that means work like this: align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges; finish and dress the joints and wipe excess grout from between tiles, using damp sponge. 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.

Tile and Marble Installer
Tile Installer
Tile Mechanic
Tile Setter
Ceramic Tile Mechanic
Ceramic Tile Setter
Tile and Marble Setter
Tile Finisher
Tile Man
Tile Mason
Acoustical Carpenter
Acoustical Installer
Acoustical Material Worker
Bathroom Fitter
Ceramic Tile Installer
Floor Tile Layer
Granite Countertop Installer
Granite Fabricator

O*NET records 35 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.

Align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges.
Finish and dress the joints and wipe excess grout from between tiles, using damp sponge.
Cut and shape tile to fit around obstacles and into odd spaces and corners, using hand and power cutting tools.
Determine and implement the best layout to achieve a desired pattern.
Mix, apply, and spread plaster, concrete, mortar, cement, mastic, glue or other adhesives to form a bed for the tiles, using brush, trowel and screed.
Study blueprints and examine surface to be covered to determine amount of material needed.
Measure and mark surfaces to be tiled, following blueprints.
Lay and set mosaic tiles to create decorative wall, mural, and floor designs.
Apply mortar to tile back, position the tile, and press or tap with trowel handle to affix tile to base.
Mix and apply mortar or cement to edges and ends of drain tiles to seal halves and joints.
Apply a sealer to make grout stain- and water-resistant.
Level concrete and allow to dry.

25 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.

Align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Finish and dress the joints and wipe excess grout from between tiles, using damp sponge, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Cut and shape tile to fit around obstacles and into odd spaces and corners, using hand and power cutting tools, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Determine and implement the best layout to achieve a desired pattern, 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.

Aya Associates Comp-U-Floor
EasyCAD Iris 2D
Measure Square FloorEstimate Pro
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft operating system
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Word
Salesforce software
TileGem

Tools and equipment

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

Acoustic ear muffs or defenders
Adjustable widemouth pliers
Air compressors
Angle grinders
Articulating boom lifts
Base grinders
Bench vises
Blow torches
Builders' levels
Bull floats
Buttering trowels
Caulking guns

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.

apply mortar

What this job rates as most important

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

01Active Listening
02Complex Problem Solving
03Coordination
04Critical Thinking
05Mathematics
06Speaking
07Time Management

Knowledge areas

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

Building and Construction
Mathematics
Customer and Personal Service
Design

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.

48%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
37%Less than a High School Diploma
11%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 Tile and Stone Setter do?: Apply hard tile, stone, and comparable materials to walls, floors, ceilings, countertops, and roof decks. Day to day that includes work like align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges and Finish and dress the joints and wipe excess grout from between tiles, using damp sponge.
What skills should a Tile and Stone Setter put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Coordination, Critical Thinking, and Mathematics 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 Tile and Stone Setter list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Aya Associates Comp-U-Floor, EasyCAD Iris 2D, Measure Square FloorEstimate Pro, Microsoft Excel, 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 Tile and Stone Setter work?: O*NET records 35 titles for this occupation, including Tile and Marble Installer, Tile Installer, Tile Mechanic, and Tile Setter. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Tile and Stone Setter need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 48% 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 Tile and Stone Setter 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.