Trades / Construction
Trades resumes that show your tickets, not your typing skills.
Office-job resume tools were built for software roles. They drop your OSHA hours, your NCCER, your union ticket numbers, and your equipment list. Superintendents and union halls read resumes differently than tech recruiters do. We format yours the way they actually look at them.
Why trades resumes get screened wrong
01Certifications scattered. OSHA 10, OSHA 30, NCCER, MSHA, First Aid / CPR, lift cards, signal person, rigging belong in a single Certifications block at the top. Most tools spread them through bullets where they don't get scanned.
02No equipment list. Backhoe, excavator, skid steer, manlift, scissor lift, forklift class III/IV, telehandler. ATS for trades job boards parse these by name. A vague “operated heavy equipment” doesn't match.
03Ticket and license numbers dropped. CDL Class A, journeyman ticket, master electrician license number, EPA 608 universal. Recruiters and union halls verify these before offers.
04Apprentice / journeyman level missing. The same resume reads differently if you're a 4th-year apprentice vs. a journeyman. Your level should be next to your title, not buried.
05Trade-specific keywords softened. “Built electrical systems” loses to “installed branch circuits, panel feeds, and code-compliant grounding per NEC 250.” Generic AI rewrites flatten the language that ATS scans for.
What ATSHack formats correctly for trades
01Certifications kept and grouped: OSHA 10/30, NCCER, MSHA, EPA 608, signal person, rigging, fall protection, first aid / CPR, with expiration dates preserved. They land in your Skills & Certifications section so a foreman can find the full list in one place.
02Equipment names and classes kept verbatim from your source. Backhoe, excavator, skid steer, manlift, scissor lift, forklift class III/IV, telehandler. ATS scans for these by exact name, so we don't soften them into "operated heavy equipment."
03Union affiliation and local number (IBEW Local 100, IUOE Local 12, etc.) preserved if your source resume has them.
04Apprentice level, journeyman ticket, master license written next to the title where superintendents look for it.
05Trade-specific verbs and code references kept verbatim (NEC, IBC, AWS D1.1, ASME). Not softened.
06Refusal to fabricate. We will not invent OSHA hours, NCCER credentials, or equipment certifications. Foremen verify with the union or training program before hiring.
Trades hiring boards we format for
Roadtechs, ConstructionJobs, Tradesmen International, IBEW Local job boards, Indeed Construction, ZipRecruiter Skilled Trades, and the Workday installations used by major contractors (Bechtel, Fluor, Kiewit, McCarthy). Our single-column PDF passes all of them. No tables, no graphics.
FAQ
Yes. Pre-apprentice resumes lean on related coursework, ride-alongs, volunteer construction work (Habitat for Humanity, etc.), and any safety training you've done. We keep that emphasis since you don't have job-site time yet.
Yes. Include it in your source resume and we keep it on the credential. Verifiers need the number, not just the title.
We preserve whatever your source resume has. If your union roles list the local number, the signatory contractor, and the project, we keep that structure. If your open-shop roles list the contractor and project type, we keep that. We won't reformat one into the other or invent a signatory you didn't list.
No. We refuse to invent OSHA hours, NCCER, MSHA, EPA 608, or any other cert. Foremen and union halls verify before you start work.
Yes. For lead roles we surface crew size, scope, schedule responsibility, and project value where present. Same source resume, different emphasis based on the posting.
Yes. Industrial work lists site names (refineries, plants, units), shutdown / turnaround experience, NCCER, TWIC, site-specific HSE training, and outage roles. We keep all of that visible.
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