Why am I not getting calls? The mistakes on trades resume

The trades resume question that matters: “What mistakes kill a trades resume, and how do I avoid them fast?”

You work with your hands. Your resume should work just as hard. Let’s walk through the biggest slips I see and fix each one on the spot.

This is for welders, HVAC techs, sparkies, carpenters, pipefitters, heavy equipment operators, millwrights, snow operators, and anyone in skilled trades.

1) Fluffy summary at the top

A long “objective” that says you are motivated and a team player helps no one.

Fix
Write two tight lines that show where you have worked and what you delivered.

Example
Journeyman welder with 6 years on structural steel and pipe. 0 rework on 14 bridge spans in 2024. AWS D1.1, GTAW on stainless, FCAW on heavy plate.

That tells a hiring manager more in 20 words than a whole paragraph of buzzwords.

2) Fancy fonts and busy templates

Swirly fonts. Color bars. Headshots. It looks nice on your phone. It breaks in the company’s system.

Fix
Pick one clean font. Keep it 11 or 12 pt. Black text. Lots of white space. One column is safest. Save to PDF unless the posting says Word.

Name it like this: FirstName_LastName_Trade_Resume.pdf
Now it is easy to find and open.

3) Listing every skill you have ever touched

Twenty tools and ten codes in a wall of text does not make you look stronger. It makes it hard to see the match.

Fix
Pull 8 to 12 skills from the job ad. Use the same wording the ad uses. Put the rest into your bullets as proof.

Example core skills for common roles

• Welder: SMAW, GTAW, GMAW, FCAW, blueprint reading, WPS compliance, NDT familiarity, oxy-fuel cutting, stainless and carbon, position 3G and 4G.
• HVAC: EPA 608 Universal, NATE, charging and recovery, brazing, VRF, rooftop units, diagnostics with multimeter and digital manifold, ServiceTitan or FieldEdge.
• Electrician: Conduit bending, terminations, panel builds, code compliance, lockout tagout, PLC basics, prints and one-lines, IR scans, Megger testing.

Keep the list tight. Prove each skill in your experience bullets.

4) Talking about the company, not your work

“I worked on a large project for a well known client.” That tells us nothing.

Fix
Start each bullet with a strong verb. End with a result.

• Installed 1,200 ft of 4-inch schedule 40 in a food plant. Passed hydro first shot.
• Rebuilt two 50-ton rooftop units. Cut energy use by 18 percent after commissioning.
• Set 300 feet of sidewalk forms and finished in 2 pours. Zero punch items.

Now we know what you did and why it mattered.

5) No numbers

Numbers make your work real. You have them even if you think you do not.

Easy ways to quantify in the trades

• Inches of weld per shift
• Units installed per week
• Downtime reduced
• Callbacks avoided
• Square footage built or finished
• Route miles cleared if you plow
• Safety record and training hours
• Inspections passed
• Cost or time saved
• Customers served or contracts renewed

Pick three or four wins and add numbers. It changes the whole resume.

6) Wrong order or wrong length

Your best stuff should sit up top. Many hiring managers look for ten seconds. They will not hunt for it.

Fix
Use reverse order for jobs. Most recent first.
If you have less than ten years, keep it to one page. If you have deep project history, two pages is fine. No more.

New to the trade? Put certs and training before experience. You want tickets and shop hours front and center.

7) Hiding your tickets and safety cards

This one hurts. The posting often requires a license or card. If you bury it, your resume gets skipped.

Fix
Make a short Certifications section near the top. Add the official name, level, and year.

Examples

• AWS D1.1 Structural Steel, 2024
• EPA 608 Universal, 2023
• Red Seal Plumber, Ontario, 2022
• OSHA 10 or 30, 2024
• Fall Protection, Confined Space, WHMIS, MSHA, TWIC, Forklift, Boom Lift
• CDL Class B with air brakes, clean abstract

Expired or not relevant? Leave it off.

8) Buzzwords and thin keywords

“Team player.” “Detail oriented.” Everyone writes that. It does not help.
On the other hand, the company’s system scans for real trade words. If you skip them, the system may never pass your resume to a human.

Fix
Mirror the job ad. Use the same names for equipment, software, and codes. Put them in your skills and bullets where they belong.

Good keywords that are real work

• Weld positions like 3G, 4G, 6G
• Brands and models when the ad asks for them, like Trane, Carrier, Daikin, Allen-Bradley
• Tools like multimeter, Megger, manometer, TIG torch, oxy-fuel set, pipe threader, total station
• Standards like ASME, AWS, NEC, IPC
• Work types like rough-in, finish, start-up, commissioning, preventive maintenance

Skip empty words. Show the skill in action.

9) Contact info that blocks you

No voicemail set up. Email from high school. Wrong phone number. You would be shocked how often this is the reason someone never gets a call.

Fix
Use a simple email like firstname.lastname@. Add your city and state or province. Many hiring teams want local. Set a clean voicemail greeting.

LinkedIn is optional. If you have project photos or a portfolio site, add it.

10) Irrelevant extras and red flags

Photos. Salary talk. References on request. Hobbies that do not connect to the job. Long lists of every tool you have ever seen. All of this wastes space.

Fix
Stick to skills, experience, training, and wins. Be honest. If you list a skill, be ready to talk about it in detail.

Quick tune-up checklist

Read this like a punch list before you send:

• Two line summary with a number or two
• Certifications up top if the job requires them
• Reverse order jobs with clear results
• 8 to 12 core skills that match the ad
• Numbers in at least half your bullets
• One clean font and simple layout
• File saved as PDF with a clear name
• No typos, no slang, no fluff

If those are done, you are already ahead.

How to tailor your resume in 10 minutes

Use this little method. Works for any trade.

Copy the job post into a blank note.

Highlight skills, tickets, tools, and the kind of work.

Write a 2 line summary that mirrors the post.

Pick 8 to 12 skills that match.

Rewrite 4 to 6 bullets from your last job so they prove those skills with numbers.

Move any needed certs to the top.

Done. That is enough to pass a screen and get a call.

Bullet makeovers you can steal

Before
Responsible for welding pipe on site.

After
GTAW welded 2-inch stainless process pipe. Passed X-ray on 38 joints. Zero leaks at start-up.

Before
Handled HVAC service calls for homes and small businesses.

After
Closed 6 to 8 service calls per day. 92 percent first-fix rate. Cut repeat visits by 30 percent after new PM checklist.

Before
Snow plow operator clearing parking lots.

After
Plowed and salted 22 commercial lots per storm using 1-ton with 9-foot blade. Cleared all routes before 6 a.m. for 14 events. No slip incidents reported.

New to the trade? Do this

No long job history yet. That is fine. Show you can learn and work safe.

• Lead with training and certs
• Add hands-on projects from school or apprenticeship. List tools and results
• Include shop hours or ride-along days
• Add any work that shows reliability. Even if it is not the same trade
• Put availability, reliable transport, and own basic tools if the ad asks

Example summary for an apprentice
HVAC grad with 480 hours of brazing, recovery, and diagnostics on mini splits and RTUs. EPA 608 Universal. Ready for full-time install or service. Clean driving record.

If your work is seasonal or project based

Many trades jump from project to project. That can look choppy if you list it like regular office jobs.

Fix
Group by contractor or local. Add the project list under one employer line.

Example
Operator, ABC Earthworks, 2022 to Present
Projects: I-75 widening phase 2, 9 months. Hospital expansion, 6 months. Distribution center sitework, 5 months.
Equipment: 950 loader, 336 excavator, D6 dozer, skid steer with laser.
Wins: Zero recordables. Met production targets on 11 of 12 months.

Clear and honest. Easy to read.

What hiring managers scan for in the first ten seconds

• The right ticket
• The right tools
• A short proof of results
• A clean, readable page

Give them that and you will get time for the rest.

A fast template you can paste

Use this exactly once to build a tight first draft. Replace the numbers with your own.

Name, City ST • Phone • Email
Summary
Trade title with X years in setting. One or two big skills. One number that proves value. Key certs.

Certifications
Ticket, level, year
Safety card, year

Core Skills
8 to 12 items that match the ad

Experience
Job Title, Company, Dates, City

• Action + task + result with a number
• Action + tool + standard + result
• Action + volume + quality or safety result

Earlier Job Title, Company, Dates

• Three bullets are enough

Training and Education
Program or diploma, school, year
Relevant coursework or shop hours if new

That is it. No extra fluff.

Want help turning that draft into a call-back?

Yotru makes this painless. Paste your draft. Paste the job post. We highlight the gaps, tune your bullets, and line up your skills with the ad. We keep your voice. We add the numbers you forgot to mention. You get a clean one pager that reads fast and passes screens.

Start building your resume with Yotru.

Start building your resume with Yotru.