Welder resume keywords and skills

Welding postings are specific. They name the process, the material and often the position or code you will test to, and a shop foreman reads for those exact terms before anything else. Match the posting's wording for each process you can pass a test in, and leave out the ones you have only watched. The keywords below are grouped the way postings usually list them.

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MIG welding (GMAW)
TIG welding (GTAW)
Stick welding (SMAW)
Flux-cored welding (FCAW)
Pipe welding
Blueprint reading
Welding symbols
Fit-up and tack welding
Metal fabrication
Plasma and oxy-fuel cutting
AWS D1.1
Welding procedure specification (WPS)
Visual weld inspection
Bend test
OSHA 10
Hot work permits
Rigging
Equipment maintenance

Welder resume keywords

The bullets are writing models, not anyone's real results. Use a keyword only when you can back it with your own work.

Welding processes

MIG welding (GMAW): The most requested process in production and fabrication shops. Postings use MIG and GMAW interchangeably, so write the one the posting uses.; MIG welded carbon steel frames up to 1/2 inch thick on a production line building 30 trailers a week.
TIG welding (GTAW): Signals precision work on stainless, aluminum or thin-wall tube. Name the material next to it, because that is what the shop is hiring for.; TIG welded stainless sanitary tubing for food-grade equipment, with joints passing visual inspection before polishing.
Stick welding (SMAW): Common in structural, field and repair work. List the electrodes you run, such as E7018, when the posting mentions them.; Stick welded structural beams and columns in the field with E7018 electrodes in flat, vertical and overhead positions.
Flux-cored welding (FCAW): Shows up in heavy fabrication, shipyards and outdoor structural work. Say whether you ran gas-shielded or self-shielded wire.; Ran flux-cored welding on heavy plate for equipment frames, switching to self-shielded wire for outdoor repairs.
Pipe welding: Pays more and gets screened harder. State the position you tested in, the pipe size and whether your welds were X-rayed.; Completed pipe welding on 2 to 12 inch carbon steel lines in the 6G position, with welds accepted by X-ray.

Layout and fabrication

Blueprint reading: Almost every posting asks for it. Mention the drawings you work from, such as fabrication prints or isometric pipe drawings.; Built assemblies from fabrication prints, using blueprint reading to confirm dimensions and joint details before tacking.
Welding symbols: Often listed with blueprint reading. It tells the shop you can take the joint type, weld size and length off a drawing without help.; Interpreted welding symbols for fillet and groove welds to set the weld size and length on each joint.
Fit-up and tack welding: Fitter-welder postings want both halves of the job. Describe what you measured, squared and clamped before welding.; Handled fit-up and tack welding of structural frames, holding squareness within 1/16 inch before final welds.
Metal fabrication: A broad term postings use for cutting, forming and assembling. Back it with the machines you ran, such as a press brake or shear.; Performed metal fabrication of custom brackets and machine guards using a shear, press brake and ironworker.
Plasma and oxy-fuel cutting: Cutting is part of most welding jobs. Name the methods you use and the plate thickness you cut.; Prepared plate up to 1 inch thick with plasma and oxy-fuel cutting, leaving edges ready for welding.

Codes and quality

AWS D1.1: The structural steel welding code. If you hold a certification under it, say so and name the process and position.; Certified to AWS D1.1 for 3G and 4G structural welds using the SMAW process.
Welding procedure specification (WPS): Code shops expect welders to follow a written procedure. Setting amperage, travel speed and filler to a WPS reads as discipline.; Set machine parameters and filler metal to each welding procedure specification before starting code work.
Visual weld inspection: Welders who check their own work save the inspector time. Mention the defects you look for, such as undercut and porosity.; Carried out visual weld inspection for undercut and porosity before releasing parts to quality control.
Bend test: The standard qualification test for plate and pipe. A passed bend test is plain proof an employer can verify.; Passed a guided bend test on 3/8 inch plate in the vertical and overhead positions.

Safety and equipment

OSHA 10: Many shops and nearly all job sites require it. List the card under certifications with the year you earned it.; Hold a current OSHA 10 card and follow lockout/tagout before servicing any equipment.
Hot work permits: Field and plant postings ask for it. It shows you know the fire watch and clearance rules for welding outside a booth.; Completed hot work permits and set up fire watch for welding in occupied plant areas.
Rigging: Welders move heavy parts. If you sling loads or signal a crane operator, say so, since some sites require a qualified rigger.; Assisted with rigging and positioning of steel members up to 2 tons using overhead cranes.
Equipment maintenance: Small shops want welders who keep machines running. Mention the liners, tips, drive rolls and gas checks you handle yourself.; Performed daily equipment maintenance on MIG machines, replacing liners, contact tips and drive rolls.

Welder job description for a resume

Common duties written as resume bullets. Keep the ones you did and add your own numbers.

Read fabrication prints and welding symbols to lay out, fit and weld steel assemblies.
Weld carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminum with MIG, TIG and stick processes in all positions.
Set up welding machines, select filler metal and adjust voltage and wire speed for each joint.
Cut and prepare material with torches, plasma cutters, grinders and band saws.
Inspect finished welds for size, undercut and porosity, and repair defects before parts leave the station.
Follow written welding procedures and shop safety rules, including PPE, ventilation and fire watch.
Keep machines, leads and torches in working order and report equipment problems to the supervisor.
Work with fitters and the shop foreman to meet daily production schedules.

Welder resume summary examples

Entry level

Welding program graduate with 600 hours of booth time in MIG, stick and flux-cored processes. Passed a 3G bend test on 3/8 inch plate and hold an OSHA 10 card. Reads fabrication prints and welding symbols, and is looking for a production or fitter-helper role in a structural shop.

Experienced

Structural and pipe welder with 8 years in fabrication shops and refinery turnarounds. Certified to AWS D1.1 in 3G and 4G with SMAW and FCAW, with 6G pipe experience on carbon steel. Reads isometric drawings, fits own work and has trained four apprentices on shop procedures.

Phrases to replace on a welder resume

Responsible for welding parts
Name the process, material and thickness. MIG welded 1/4 inch carbon steel brackets for conveyor frames.
Experienced in all types of welding
List the processes you can pass a test in, with positions. SMAW and FCAW, certified in 3G and 4G.
Safety-conscious team player
Show the practice. Completed hot work permits and stood fire watch during plant shutdowns.

Welder resume examples

See these keywords in a full resume, by experience level.

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Welder resume keywords FAQ

What keywords should a welder resume include?

Start with the processes the posting names, such as MIG, TIG, stick or flux-cored, then add the materials, positions and codes you have tested to. Blueprint reading, welding symbols and fit-up belong on most welder resumes. Use only the terms you can back with a bullet or a certification.

Should I write MIG or GMAW on my resume?

Use the wording in the posting. If it says GMAW, write GMAW, and add MIG in parentheses once. Applicant tracking systems match text, and a recruiter searching for one name may not see the other, so mirroring the posting is the safe choice.

How do I list welding certifications on a resume?

Give the code, process and position, plus the date. For example: AWS D1.1, SMAW, 3G and 4G, 2025. A certification without the process and position tells a foreman very little. If yours has lapsed, say when you last tested and that you are ready to retest.

What goes on a welder resume with no job experience?

Use school and shop hours as experience. List the processes you practiced, the tests you passed, your hours of booth time and any projects you built. An entry-level posting screens for the same keywords as any other, so name your processes and positions plainly.

Keywords for related roles

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