What skills should a Tool and Die Maker put on a resume?

O*NET rates Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Critical Thinking, and Equipment Selection 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 Tool and Die Maker list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes 1CadCam Unigraphics, Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Bentley MicroStation, and Cimatron CimatronE Master. 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 Tool and Die Maker work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Tool and Die Machinist, Tool and Fixture Specialist, Tool Maker, and Die Machinist. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Tool and Die Maker need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 41% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Tool and Die Maker 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.

Tool and Die Maker resume example

A resume for a Tool and Die Maker needs to show the work itself: analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools. Day to day that means work like this: verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators; set up and operate conventional or computer numerically controlled machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders to cut, bore, grind, or otherwise shape parts to prescribed dimensions and finishes. 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.

Tool and Die Machinist
Tool and Fixture Specialist
Tool Maker
Die Machinist
Die Repair Laborer
Die Repair Technician
Die Repair Tech
Jig and Fixture Repairer
Tool Repairer
Trim Die Maker
Bench Tool Maker
Broach Setter
Cam Maker
Carbide Operator
Carbide Tool Maker
Cutlery and Tools Saw Maker
Die Assembler
Die Baker

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.

Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators.
Set up and operate conventional or computer numerically controlled machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders to cut, bore, grind, or otherwise shape parts to prescribed dimensions and finishes.
Visualize and compute dimensions, sizes, shapes, and tolerances of assemblies, based on specifications.
Study blueprints, sketches, models, or specifications to plan sequences of operations for fabricating tools, dies, or assemblies.
Fit and assemble parts to make, repair, or modify dies, jigs, gauges, and tools, using machine tools, hand tools, or welders.
Inspect finished dies for smoothness, contour conformity, and defects.
Select metals to be used from a range of metals and alloys, based on properties such as hardness or heat tolerance.
Lift, position, and secure machined parts on surface plates or worktables, using hoists, vises, v-blocks, or angle plates.
File, grind, shim, and adjust different parts to properly fit them together.
Smooth and polish flat and contoured surfaces of parts or tools, using scrapers, abrasive stones, files, emery cloths, or power grinders.
Measure, mark, and scribe metal or plastic stock to lay out machining, using instruments such as protractors, micrometers, scribes, or rulers.
Conduct test runs with completed tools or dies to ensure that parts meet specifications, making adjustments as necessary.

17 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.

Verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Set up and operate conventional or computer numerically controlled machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders to cut, bore, grind, or otherwise shape parts to prescribed dimensions and finishes, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Visualize and compute dimensions, sizes, shapes, and tolerances of assemblies, based on specifications, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Study blueprints, sketches, models, or specifications to plan sequences of operations for fabricating tools, dies, or assemblies, 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.

1CadCam Unigraphics
Autodesk AutoCAD
Autodesk Inventor
Bentley MicroStation
Cimatron CimatronE Master
CNC Mastercam
Dassault Systemes CATIA
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
data M Software COPRA MetalBender
DP Technology ESPRIT
JobPack MES Scheduler
Kubotek USA KeyCreator
Logopress
MAKER CAD/CAM Services DIEMAKER

32 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.

1-2-3 blocks
Abrasive cutoff saws
Acetylene torches
Adjustable widemouth pliers
Air compressors
Air grinders
Air-powered sandblasters
Allen wrenches
Angle gauge blocks
Angle plates
Arbor presses
Band saws

What this job rates as most important

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

01Operation and Control
02Operations Monitoring
03Quality Control Analysis
04Critical Thinking
05Equipment Selection
06Judgment and Decision Making
07Monitoring
08Time Management
09Active Learning
10Active Listening

Knowledge areas

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

Mechanical
Mathematics
Production and Processing
Design
English Language

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.

41%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
40%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
10%Associate's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Tool and Die Maker do?: Analyze specifications, lay out metal stock, set up and operate machine tools, and fit and assemble parts to make and repair dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and machinists' hand tools. Day to day that includes work like verify dimensions, alignments, and clearances of finished parts for conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as calipers, gauge blocks, micrometers, or dial indicators and Set up and operate conventional or computer numerically controlled machine tools such as lathes, milling machines, or grinders to cut, bore, grind, or otherwise shape parts to prescribed dimensions and finishes.
What skills should a Tool and Die Maker put on a resume?: O*NET rates Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Critical Thinking, and Equipment Selection 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 Tool and Die Maker list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes 1CadCam Unigraphics, Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk Inventor, Bentley MicroStation, and Cimatron CimatronE Master. 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 Tool and Die Maker work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Tool and Die Machinist, Tool and Fixture Specialist, Tool Maker, and Die Machinist. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Tool and Die Maker need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 41% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Tool and Die Maker 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.