What Goes in a Trades Resume? A Simple Guide for Skilled Workers

A good trades resume does not need to be fancy. It needs to be clear, organized, and focused on the skills and experience employers care about. Whether you are a welder, construction worker, millwright, electrician, HVAC tech, or heavy equipment operator, the goal is the same: show that you can do the job safely, reliably, and professionally.

Here is a simple breakdown of what should be in a trades resume:

1. Contact Information

At the top of the page:

• Full name
• Phone number
• Email address
• City and province

No need for full street address. Keep it clean and professional.

2. Your Trade or Job Title

Make it easy for employers and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to understand what you do.

Examples:

• Millwright – Red Seal Certified
• Welder (CWB Certified)
• Heavy Equipment Operator
• Level 2 Electrician

3. Short Summary

2–3 short sentences about who you are and what you bring.

Example:
Experienced welder with 5+ years in fabrication and repair work. Skilled in MIG, TIG, and stick welding with a strong focus on safety, quality control, and meeting deadlines.

4. Core Skills

Trades employers want to see skills clearly listed.
Use bullet points, not paragraphs.

Examples:

• Blueprint reading
• Preventative maintenance
• Equipment operation
• Safety procedures
• Forklift or crane operation
• Fabrication and repair
• Troubleshooting

This helps your resume pass ATS scans and makes it easy for hiring managers to find what they need.

5. Work Experience

For each job, list:

• Job title
• Company
• Location
• Dates worked
• 3–6 bullet points of what you did

Good bullets show tasks and results:

✅ Installed, repaired, and maintained production equipment
✅ Operated forklift and overhead crane safely
✅ Performed welding repairs and fabrication work
✅ Followed lockout and safety procedures
✅ Completed daily inspections and maintenance logs

Short, strong, and clear.

6. Training and Certifications

This is very important in the trades.

Include things like:

• Red Seal certification
• CWB, TSSA, or trade tickets
• Working at Heights
• First Aid
• WHMIS
• Forklift or skid steer tickets
• Safety courses

7. Education

Even if it was years ago, list:

• High school diploma
• College programs
• Apprenticeships
• Trade school

8. Safety Matters

Employers want safe workers.
If you follow safety rules, mention it.

Example:
Strong commitment to safety, quality, and teamwork with zero lost-time incidents.

The Take Home

✅ Keep it to one page if possible
✅ Use bullet points instead of long paragraphs
✅ List your trade clearly at the top
✅ Make sure spelling and dates are correct
✅ Send as PDF when applying

A trades resume does not have to be complicated. Clear, honest, and organized is all you need. If you want help building a job-ready resume fast, tools like Yotru can do the formatting for you and make it look clean and professional.

Start building yours at Yotru.