Every welder resume sample you find online lists “MIG, TIG, stick” and stops there. That is not how a welding foreman reads a resume. He is looking for one specific combination: which process, in which position, on which material, at what thickness, and is the certification still current.
Get that combination on the page and you will be called. Leave it vague and your file is indistinguishable from every other one in the stack. Below are three complete samples – shop, structural and pipe – written the way a welding QC or foreman actually reads them.
Welder resume sample 1: fabrication shop, entry level
The reason format matters here is that a welding certification is not a general qualification — it is a record that you passed a specific procedure, in a specific position, on a specific material and thickness range. That is why a QC reads it as a set of variables rather than a title. The codes themselves come from the American Welding Society (D1.1 structural steel, D1.5 bridge) and ASME Section IX for pressure work. Write the code, process, position and thickness every time — “AWS certified” alone tells a QC nothing he can check against the job in front of him.
Use this if you are one or two years in and working production in a shop.
TOMAS REYES Fort Worth, TX 76106 · (817) 555-0142 · t.reyes.weld@email.com GMAW / FCAW · 1F-4F · Carbon steel and stainless Own hood, jacket and hand tools · Valid TX driver's license SUMMARY Fabrication shop welder with 2 years of production MIG and flux-core work on carbon steel and 304 stainless. Comfortable reading weld symbols and shop drawings. Available for night shift. EXPERIENCE Shop Welder - Trinity Metal Fabrication, Fort Worth, TX Sep 2024 - Present - Production MIG and flux-core welding on carbon steel 1/8" to 1/2" - Welded 40-60 assemblies per shift to shop drawings and weld symbols - Fit-up, tacking and squaring using clamps, squares and jigs - Grinding, deburring and prep with angle grinder and flap disc - Zero rework flags in the last 6 months of QC checks Welder Helper - Brazos Steel Supply, Fort Worth, TX Jan 2024 - Aug 2024 - Material handling, cut-to-length with band saw and oxy-fuel torch - Bevel prep and joint cleaning ahead of the welding crew - Overhead crane operation for plate and beam staging SKILLS GMAW (MIG) · FCAW (flux-core) · Carbon steel · 304 stainless Positions 1F-4F · Weld symbol and shop drawing reading Fit-up and tacking · Oxy-fuel cutting · Angle grinder and prep Miller and Lincoln machines · Overhead crane CERTIFICATIONS OSHA 10-Hour Construction - 2024 Respirator fit test - current Overhead crane and rigging - 2024
“Carbon steel 1/8″ to 1/2″” and “positions 1F-4F” tell a shop foreman exactly which bench he can put you on. “Zero rework flags in the last 6 months” is the reliability argument, and rework is what shop welding costs are measured in.
Welder resume sample 2: structural welder
ANGELA WHITFIELD Birmingham, AL 35204 · (205) 555-0188 · a.whitfield.weld@email.com AWS D1.1 certified: SMAW and FCAW, 3G and 4G, carbon steel 6 years structural · Own truck, hood and hand tools SUMMARY Structural welder with 6 years on bridges, industrial steel and ground-up commercial. AWS D1.1 qualified SMAW and FCAW in 3G and 4G, certifications current. Used to field conditions, heights and night shutdown work. EXPERIENCE Structural Welder - Iron Ridge Erectors, Birmingham, AL Apr 2021 - Present - Field welding on 9 structural projects: moment connections, base plates, stiffeners and column splices - SMAW (7018) and FCAW on carbon steel 1/4" to 1-1/2" - Passed all AWS D1.1 requalification tests first attempt, 3G and 4G - Worked from man-lifts and beams to 90 ft; fall protection trained - Supported UT and visual inspection; 2 rejects across 6 years of inspected welds Welder / Fitter - Southern Plate Works, Bessemer, AL Jun 2019 - Mar 2021 - Shop fabrication of beams, plate girders and stair stringers - Layout and fit-up from structural drawings - FCAW production welding, dual shield SKILLS SMAW (stick, 7018/6010) · FCAW dual shield · Positions 3G, 4G, 2F-4F Carbon steel, structural grades A36 and A992 AWS D1.1 · Blueprint and weld symbol reading · Fit-up and layout Oxy-fuel and plasma cutting · Air arc gouging Man-lift and fall protection · Rigging CERTIFICATIONS AWS D1.1 - SMAW, 3G and 4G, carbon steel - current AWS D1.1 - FCAW, 3G and 4G - current OSHA 30-Hour Construction - 2024 Fall Protection Competent Person - 2024 Confined Space Entry - 2023 First Aid / CPR - current
Notice that the certifications are written as process + position + material, and that “current” appears on each one. Also notice “2 rejects across 6 years of inspected welds” – on structural work, a reject means grinding it out and doing it again on someone else’s schedule, so a low reject rate is money.
Welding resume examples 3: pipe welder, 6G
RASHID OKAFOR Baton Rouge, LA 70805 · (225) 555-0136 · r.okafor.pipe@email.com 6G pipe welder · GTAW root + SMAW fill/cap · ASME Section IX 11 years refinery and petrochemical · Own rig truck SUMMARY Pipe welder with 11 years in refinery turnarounds and petrochemical new construction. 6G qualified, TIG root with stick fill and cap on carbon steel and chrome-moly. 97% first-time RT pass rate across the last three turnarounds. Available for travel and 7-12 schedules. EXPERIENCE Pipe Welder - Gulf States Mechanical, Baton Rouge, LA Feb 2019 - Present - Refinery turnaround and new construction pipe welding, 2" to 24" diameter, Sch 40 through Sch 160 - GTAW root and hot pass, SMAW fill and cap; some full TIG on stainless - Carbon steel, 304/316 stainless, P11 and P22 chrome-moly - 97% first-time RT pass rate over three turnarounds (about 1,100 welds) - Worked to ASME B31.3 process piping and WPS/PQR documentation - Preheat and post-weld heat treat monitoring on chrome-moly Pipe Welder - Delta Industrial Services, Lake Charles, LA Mar 2014 - Jan 2019 - Small-bore and large-bore pipe welding on petrochemical units - Socket weld, butt weld and branch connections - Hot work permits, confined space and LOTO on every job SKILLS GTAW (TIG) · SMAW (stick) · 6G, 5G, 2G positions Carbon steel, 304/316 stainless, P11/P22 chrome-moly 2"-24" diameter, Sch 40 to Sch 160 · Socket and butt welds ASME Section IX and B31.3 · WPS and PQR compliance Isometric drawing reading · Preheat and PWHT Purging and back-gas setup · Rig truck and welding machine owner CERTIFICATIONS ASME Section IX - 6G, GTAW + SMAW, carbon steel - current ASME Section IX - 6G, GTAW, stainless - current TWIC card - current OSHA 30-Hour General Industry - 2024 Confined Space and Hot Work - current Respirator fit test and medical clearance - current
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The 3 samples above, as one editable Word file
Word .docx · 37 KB · ATS-safe formatting, no tables. Delete the note at the top before you send it.
The single strongest line on any pipe welder resume is the first-time RT pass rate. “97% over about 1,100 welds” says more than any adjective in the language. If you do not know yours, ask your QC department – they track it whether or not they tell you.
If you want yours to read like the three above and would rather not write it, Resumeble does trade resumes — code HARDHAT10. If you do write it yourself, the next sections cover what employers actually check.
Write your certifications the way a QC reads them
A certification is not “AWS certified.” It is a specific qualification with four or five variables. Write all of them:
| Variable | What to write |
|---|---|
| Code | AWS D1.1, ASME Section IX, API 1104 |
| Process | SMAW, GMAW, FCAW, GTAW, SAW – put the common name beside it the first time |
| Position | 1G-4G and 5G/6G for pipe, 1F-4F for fillet. 6G is the one that opens doors |
| Material | Carbon steel, 304/316 stainless, aluminium 5052/6061, P11/P22 chrome-moly |
| Thickness or diameter | Plate thickness range, or pipe diameter and schedule range |
| Currency | Say “current” and the date. Qualifications lapse – typically after six months without welding in that process |
That last row is the one people forget. A lapsed certification is not a certification, and an employer who plans around one that has expired will not use you twice.
Numbers a welder can put on paper
- First-time RT or UT pass rate, and roughly how many welds it covers
- Reject or rework rate, if it is low
- Weld tests passed first attempt, and in which positions
- Assemblies or joints per shift on production work
- Pipe diameter and schedule range, plate thickness range
- Turnarounds or shutdowns worked, and their duration
- Years without a recordable incident
If you have never tracked these, ask QC for your numbers before you leave a job. They exist. Nobody will hand them to you unprompted.
Things that matter to a welding employer and almost never get written down
- Do you own a rig? On pipeline and some refinery work, “own rig truck and machine” changes the pay rate, not just the callback odds
- TWIC card, if you work refineries, ports or petrochemical – no card, no gate
- Fit-up ability. A welder who can fit and lay out from isometrics is worth more than one who only burns rod
- Cutting and gouging. Oxy-fuel, plasma, air arc gouging – real day-to-day tasks that get left off resumes
- Travel and schedule. “Available for 7-12s and out-of-town turnarounds” answers a scheduling question before it is asked
- Respirator fit test and medical clearance – current means you can start Monday instead of after a week of paperwork
If your welding qualification is from another country
Name the certificate, the issuing body and the country, then state the process, position and material it covered – those translate even when the code does not. List any local test you have already passed or booked. Most employers will want you to take their own weld test regardless of what you hold, so what matters is showing you can pass one: say which positions you have tested in and how recently.
Mistakes that get welder resumes skipped
- “MIG, TIG, stick” with nothing after it. No position, no material, no thickness – it reads as a beginner even if you are not.
- Certifications without dates. The reader assumes lapsed.
- No positions listed. 3G and 6G are entirely different jobs and pay bands.
- Leaving off prep work. Fit-up, grinding and gouging are most of the day; pretending otherwise reads as inexperience.
- A design-heavy layout. Application software strips it, and welding shops print resumes on plain paper anyway.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a welder resume be?
One page. Certifications and positions do the work; nobody needs a paragraph about your work ethic.
Should I list a certification that has lapsed?
Yes, but say so honestly – “AWS D1.1 3G, lapsed 2025, ready to retest.” That is far better than silence, because it tells the employer you have already passed that test once.
Do I need a different resume for pipe and structural work?
Yes, or at least a reordered one. Lead with 6G and ASME for pipe, with D1.1 and structural positions for steel erection.
What if I am still in school or just finished a welding program?
List every position and process you tested in during the program, with dates. A fresh 3G test pass is a real credential.
If you would rather not write it yourself
Welders are the group least likely to need a paid resume writer, because almost nobody outside the trade can write these details correctly. A general writer will turn “6G, GTAW root, SMAW fill and cap, P22” into “experienced in various welding techniques,” which is strictly worse. Take the sample above that matches your work, drop in your own codes, positions, materials and pass rates, and you are done.
A resume builder is still worth it for formatting alone – application software wants a plain single-column file, and getting that right by hand in a word processor takes longer than it should.
The exception. Paying a writer starts to make sense if you are moving off the tools – CWI inspection, QC, welding supervisor – where the resume has to argue about defect rates, procedure qualification and managing other welders rather than your own arc time. If you go that route, Resumeble is a US-based writing service – where the writer sits matters on trades work, because someone unfamiliar with the trade flattens your specifics into generic phrasing. If you do, the code HARDHAT10 takes 10% off.
Working across trades? See our construction worker resume example for general labour and trades, or the electrician resume example if you also hold electrical tickets.
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