What skills should a Upholsterer put on a resume?

O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Active Listening, and Complex Problem Solving 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 Upholsterer list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Autodesk AutoCAD, Enterprise resource planning ERP software, Intuit QuickBooks, LibreOffice Draw, and Microsoft Excel. 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 Upholsterer work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Box Spring Upholsterer, Upholstered Goods Crafter, Upholstery Cutter, and Furniture Upholsterer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Upholsterer 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 Upholsterer 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.

Upholsterer resume example

A resume for a Upholsterer needs to show the work itself: make, repair, or replace upholstery for household furniture or transportation vehicles. Day to day that means work like this: fit, install, and secure material on frames, using hand tools, power tools, glue, cement, or staples; measure and cut new covering materials, using patterns and measuring and cutting instruments, following sketches and design specifications. 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.

Box Spring Upholsterer
Upholstered Goods Crafter
Upholstery Cutter
Furniture Upholsterer
Inside Upholsterer
Sofa Back Upholsterer
Stapler
Trimmer
Upholstery Trimmer
Auto Upholsterer
Aircraft Seat Upholsterer
Arm Maker
Arm Rest Builder
Automobile Upholsterer
Automotive Upholsterer
Body Trimmer Upholsterer
Car Seat Coverer
Car Seat Maker

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.

Fit, install, and secure material on frames, using hand tools, power tools, glue, cement, or staples.
Measure and cut new covering materials, using patterns and measuring and cutting instruments, following sketches and design specifications.
Build furniture up with loose fiber stuffing, cotton, felt, or foam padding to form smooth, rounded surfaces.
Make, restore, or create custom upholstered furniture, using hand tools and knowledge of fabrics and upholstery methods.
Read work orders, and apply knowledge and experience with materials to determine types and amounts of materials required to cover workpieces.
Examine furniture frames, upholstery, springs, and webbing to locate defects.
Adjust or replace webbing, padding, or springs, and secure them in place.
Sew rips or tears in material, or create tufting, using needles and thread.
Remove covering, webbing, padding, or defective springs from workpieces, using hand tools such as hammers and tack pullers.
Attach fasteners, grommets, buttons, buckles, ornamental trim, and other accessories to covers or frames, using hand tools.
Repair furniture frames and refinish exposed wood.
Interweave and fasten strips of webbing to the backs and undersides of furniture, using small hand tools and fasteners.

22 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.

Fit, install, and secure material on frames, using hand tools, power tools, glue, cement, or staples, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Measure and cut new covering materials, using patterns and measuring and cutting instruments, following sketches and design specifications, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Build furniture up with loose fiber stuffing, cotton, felt, or foam padding to form smooth, rounded surfaces, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Make, restore, or create custom upholstered furniture, using hand tools and knowledge of fabrics and upholstery methods, 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.

Autodesk AutoCAD
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
Intuit QuickBooks
LibreOffice Draw
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Word

Tools and equipment

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

Air compressors
Air staple guns
Arch punches
Button machines
Caning nippers
Canvas pliers
Clip remover tools
Combination squares
Cutting pads
Door trim removers
Duck bill pliers
Fabric hole cutters

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
move furniture

What this job rates as most important

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

01Critical Thinking
02Reading Comprehension
03Active Learning
04Active Listening
05Complex Problem Solving
06Judgment and Decision Making
07Monitoring
08Speaking
09Time Management

Knowledge areas

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

Production and Processing
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.

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 Upholsterer do?: Make, repair, or replace upholstery for household furniture or transportation vehicles. Day to day that includes work like fit, install, and secure material on frames, using hand tools, power tools, glue, cement, or staples and Measure and cut new covering materials, using patterns and measuring and cutting instruments, following sketches and design specifications.
What skills should a Upholsterer put on a resume?: O*NET rates Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Learning, Active Listening, and Complex Problem Solving 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 Upholsterer list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Autodesk AutoCAD, Enterprise resource planning ERP software, Intuit QuickBooks, LibreOffice Draw, and Microsoft Excel. 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 Upholsterer work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Box Spring Upholsterer, Upholstered Goods Crafter, Upholstery Cutter, and Furniture Upholsterer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Upholsterer 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 Upholsterer 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.