Welder resume keywords
Most welder applications are screened by software before a person reads them: the ATS ranks resumes by how many of the posting's words they contain. The lists below are the terms that show up most in welder job ads. Use the ones that are true for you, with the same spelling the ad uses.
Hard skills and ATS keywords
- MIG, TIG & stick welding
- Structural steel
- Pipe welding
- Blueprint & weld symbol reading
- Fabrication
- Grinding & fitting
- Quality inspection
- Shop safety
- MIG welding
- TIG welding
- Stick (SMAW)
- Flux-cored (FCAW)
- Blueprint reading
- Weld symbols
- AWS certification
- Metal fabrication
- Fit-up
- Grinding and finishing
Soft skills recruiters look for
- Precision
- Safety focus
- Steady hands
- Reliability
- Teamwork
Soft skills only count when a bullet proves them. "Team player" is ignored; "Weld structural steel and pipe with a 99% X-ray pass rate over 3 years." shows it.
Action verbs to start your bullets
- Welded
- Fabricated
- Passed
- Repaired
- Reduced
- Completed
- Assembled
- Inspected
How to use these keywords
- Mirror the job ad: if it says "MIG welding", do not write a synonym.
- Put the top 6–8 in a skills section and repeat the key ones inside experience bullets with a number.
- Never list a skill you cannot talk about in an interview.
- Keep the file text-based (no skills inside images or tables), or the ATS cannot read it.
Which ones is your resume missing?
Every posting is different. Paste your resume and the job ad — free ATS Match Score Score your resume free (0-100)
No signup. It lists the keywords from the ad that your resume does not contain.
Need the resume itself? See the welder resume example and generate one free from rough notes.