Any hotel hiring manager knows that good housekeeping is essential for success. Any mistake is sure to get noticed by guests, so your resume needs to be just as flawless as a freshly-made bed. In fact, your resume should be like a freshly dressed down room in more ways than one: clean, tidy, organized, and with everything in its place.

But knowing all this doesn’t make you an expert housekeeper, it takes skills and experience. When it comes to housekeeper resumes, we’ve got plenty of experience to share. That’s why we’ve created this guide to take you through every question you may have and help make sure your resume is absolutely immaculate.

This guide will show you:

• Helpful examples of what an excellent housekeeper resume looks like
• How to optimize your resume for ATS (and why it’s so important)
• How to put yourself in the shoes of a hiring manager to target your resume perfectly
• How your housekeeper resume should be formatted
• The proper length of a housekeeper resume
• Which hard and soft skills belong on a housekeeper resume
• How to optimize your experience section with action verbs for maximum impact
• Which achievements you may want to include and how to write them
• Whether you should include a resume objective or summary with examples of how to write both
• How to create an effective housekeeper resume with little or no experience
• How to make your housekeeper resume stand out from the competition
• Why a resume builder is an essential tool

Obviously there’s a lot to cover, but we’ll make it simple as we go. Let’s start with some inspirational examples.

Housekeeper resume template examples:

As with most things, the hardest part about creating a housekeeper resume is usually getting started. You may have decades of experience working as a housekeeper, but will have rarely seen a resume that reflects all of that experience. That’s why we’ve chosen to start off with some useful template examples.

Below, you can find a few examples to get you inspired. But don’t forget to also take away some ideas. Start creating a list of what you think works and doesn’t work about these examples. That way, when you start, you’ll already have a nice list of ideas to get you going.

[Examples]

How to write a housekeeper resume that will get you hired

You’ve seen what a great housekeeper resume looks like, now it’s time to create your own. We’ve got a lot of tips for you below, but before you start writing down your experience, skills, etc. - you need to learn a few fundamentals about good resume-writing.

Start by considering who will be hiring you

The foundation of a great resume is understanding who it’s for. After all, you wouldn’t set up a room for a romantic honeymoon the same way you would for a big family getaway. So don’t make your resume one size-fits-all and ignore the person who’s going to be reading it.

Despite what you might think, in most cases your first audience will be a computer algorithm.

Why your housekeeper resume should be ATS optimized

If you’re applying for a housekeeper position at a large hotel chain, there’s an extremely good chance the first review of your resume will not be by a human. If you’re only applying to work with individual clients in their homes, this won’t apply. But for everyone else, making sure your resume is ATS-optimized will be essential.

But what exactly is ATS? It stands for Applicant Tracking System. It’s essentially a computer program that uses artificial intelligence to scan your resume for keywords and experience. Its goal is to weed out unqualified applicants so hiring managers aren’t overwhelmed. There are dozens of them out there and each one works a little differently. That said, there are things you should do to optimize for the most common types out there.

Ensuring your resume makes it past ATS to a hiring manager comes down to these tips:

1. Make absolutely sure your resume is in an ATS-friendly format. Generally PDFs and DOCs are the file types most ATS’ work best with. In other words, if your resume is in another file format, it probably won’t make it through.
2. Use a resume builder that’s ATS-optimized. Not all PDFs are created equally. The way the data is structured on them makes a big difference when ATS try to scan them. So work with a resume-building tool that’s designed to make their work easy.
3. Write your skills and experience to match those listed in the job description as closely as possible. These days the AI driving ATS is pretty smart but it’s still not perfect. If you phrase your skills in a way it doesn’t understand, your resume might still get rejected. So when the job ad asks for experience repairing torn linens, you should list “Experience repairing torn linens.”
4. Ensure you meet the minimum requirements. If the job requires a minimum of 5 years experience in housekeeping, then you won’t likely make it past ATS with 2. In those cases, it’s best to save yourself the time and apply somewhere else.

Put yourself in the recruiter or homeowner’s shoes

Once your resume makes it past ATS, it still needs a human to like it. That could be a hiring manager, recruiter at a major hotel chain or a homeowner. What you need to do is understand these people and their needs so your resume can match them perfectly.

The first step is to carefully study the job ad. What kind of housekeeper are they looking for? For example, if the ad is from a homeowner who mentions that the housekeeper they hire must be extremely careful, because they’ve had furniture damaged in the past, try to find ways to show how careful you are on your resume.

Think of it this way - your goal is to make it as easy as possible for them to say “yes, let’s hire this person.” If something is easier to do, a person is more likely to do it. This extends to making sure your resume is easy to read both in the font and size as well as how it's written. Just imagine you’re a busy homeowner or hotel hiring manager and you’ve been working all day and now you’re reviewing resumes. Your resume should be a breath of fresh air, not another grinding task.

If you’re wondering how it’s possible to do that, don’t worry! The rest of this guide will show you exactly what you need to do.

How should a housekeeper resume be formatted?

Getting the formatting right is more crucial than it seems. Poor formatting means information is in the wrong place (meaning you’re creating headaches for the person reading your resume). Your resume should be like an immaculately made up room: everything in the right place.

That means using reverse chronological order. In other words, put your most recent work experience at the top and your oldest at the bottom. This follows the general rule that you should put the most important information on your resume towards the top. That’s why we recommend starting with an objective or summary (more on how to write those below).

How long should a housekeeper resume be?

The first question most people have about their resumes is an easy one for housekeepers. A single page should be all you need. Even with decades of experience, you should try and boil all of your skills and work experience down to a single concise page. Remember that homeowner or hiring manager? They certainly don’t want to read through multiple pages to choose the right housekeeper.

Which sections should you include?

The rule of thumb for any information or section on your resume is asking yourself “does this make my resume better?” If the answer is “no” or “I’m not sure” then you should probably remove it. To get a well-crafted housekeeper resume that’s a single page, you need to choose just the right content to include. So consider which sections make sense, based on your experience. That said, these are the most common ones for housekeeper resumes:

• A resume summary or objective
• Work experience
• Hard skills
• Soft skills
• Certifications or training
• Education
• Languages
• Volunteering

Which skills should you include on your housekeeper resume?

Skills are critical for a housekeeper resume, particularly if you’re applying at a private home. Hotels will generally have the ability to train you for any skills you don’t have, but a homeowner is not going to be willing or able to do the same. That’s why it’s critical you clearly show that you have the specific skills requested in the job ad.

In other words, the best skills to include are the ones requested for the job. But that said, there are some general in-demand hard and soft skills for housekeepers. Let’s run through those lists:

The best hard skills to include

• Knowledge of OSHA safety guidelines
• Languages
• The ability to lift over 30 pounds
• Deep cleaning, carpet cleaning, spot cleaning
• Sewing and fabric repair
• Sanitization of surfaces
• Ordering and managing cleaning supply stocks
• Floor polishing

The best soft skills to include

• Customer service
• Communication
• Time management
• Attention to detail
• Reliability and punctuality

Why you should back up your skills with examples

Listing skills will certainly help get you past ATS and make it more likely you’ll get interviewed or hired, but examples take your skills to the next level. Whenever possible, try and include examples, which demonstrate that you really have these skills. This particularly applies to soft skills, which tend to be a bit more vague. For example:

“Punctual”

“No late arrivals in 3 years working as a Housekeeper for New Rochelle Hotels”

The latter example will make the person reading your resume feel they can be confident in you and your skills. Keep in mind, sometimes the best way to go about this is to list your skills in a short section and then provide examples in your work experience.

How to optimize your experience section

Your work experience is going to be the core of your housekeeper resume. It’s where you need to show that you did more than the bare minimum in your previous work. Again, focus on listing concrete accomplishments or responsibilities. The more specific you are, the better it will sound. For example, compare these two samples:

“Responsible for cleaning rooms.”

“Responsible for daily cleaning of 30 rooms”

The differences are subtle but important. By specifying “daily” and the number of rooms, what you did becomes more clear. But more importantly, it makes you sound detail oriented, which is a critical skill for a great housekeeper.

Action verbs to use

Besides being as specific as possible, utilizing action verbs also makes you sound more active in how you describe your work experience. So, instead of writing

“Required to arrange rooms to look presentable”

Try writing something more like

“Arranged rooms to look impeccable for guests”

Now it sounds less like “they made me do this” and more like “I did this well.” Here are some action verbs you should consider including:

• Cleaned, arranged, organized, collected, conducted, managed, operated, swept, waxed, mopped, reported, examined, disposed, tidied, monitored, documented, etc.

How to include achievements on your resume

Plenty of what we achieve in our lives has nothing to do with our jobs. But sometimes those achievements can demonstrate that we have job-relevant skills. That’s where an achievements section comes into play. It’s the ideal place to include highlights that help demonstrate who you are as a person and a housekeeper.

The rules for adding achievements on your resume are the same as those for describing your work experience: be specific and use action verbs. Let’s look at some examples to see what that looks like:

“Head cheerleader at Fremont High School”

This may show you have leadership, but ultimately an achievement from high school isn’t going to make you look very professional.

“Organized a charity fundraiser to help a colleague with medical expenses”

This example shows that you’re generous and get along well with your colleagues as well as highlighting the fact that you are organized.

Certifications to include on a housekeeper resume

An excellent way to show that you go above and beyond the basics as a housekeeper is to get certified. Much like the specificity mentioned above, certifications clearly demonstrate that you really possess a specific skill. If you’re applying for a position you might not have enough experience for, they can also even the playing field.

Here are some certifications you may want to consider including:

• Certified Guestroom Attendant
• Certified Environmental Services Executive
• Mold Awareness Specialist 

Should you include a resume objective or summary?

The purpose of a resume objective or summary is to start off with some context. But, each has a specific role to play in your resume. An objective is generally just a single sentence or so and focuses on explaining who you are and what you aim to achieve with this resume.

A resume summary, on the other hand, is a paragraph designed to provide more information and context, which wouldn’t fit easily elsewhere. Often, this kind of information will go onto a cover letter, but if you feel you need to explain more and don’t have the option of including a cover letter, a summary is ideal. In particular, resume summaries are good for explaining gaps in your working history or why some unconventional experience of yours might be relevant.

How to write a resume objective

A resume objective should get right to the point. It needs to be dense with information and without any mistakes. Here are some examples to illustrate this:

“I am a cleaner who would like to be hired as a hotel housekeeper.”

There are a few issues here. While the length is okay, there’s not a lot of useful information here. This example doesn’t really add anything substantial to the resume. In addition, it speaks in the first person, which is not how resume objectives should be written. Let’s look at another version of that objective.

“Certified house cleaner with 4 years experience looking to apply skills to a housekeeping position at the Brushstrokes Hotel.”

While this example is a bit longer, it makes up for that by being information dense. Right away it tells a reader that you are certified, experienced, changing from home to hotel housekeeping, and that you tailored your resume for this specific position (more on why that’s important later).

How to write a resume summary

A resume summary should follow many of the same rules as an objective. Despite being longer, it should be concise, packed with useful information, and well-written. Here are some examples to illustrate what that should look like:

“Based on my extensive housekeeping experience I believe I am an ideal candidate for this position. In particular, my work at the Miami Beach Resort and Imperial Hotel show that I am diligent, hardworking, and thorough. Thank you for considering me for the position.”

This example also makes the mistake of speaking in the first person. But worse, it rambles on with vague language about being an ideal candidate. Instead of providing the reader with new information, it points them to parts of the resume they were going to read anyways. Now let’s see a better version:

“A Mold Awareness and Guestroom Attendant Certified Housekeeper with previous experience at resort properties, looking to work in the luxury accommodation space at the Regent Hotel after a year absence from the workforce to care for a relative.”

Right away, this summary tells you that this candidate is serious about their work with their certifications. It then explains their work history gap and that they want to move into the luxury housekeeping field. Lastly, by mentioning the specific hotel where they’re applying, they make it clear that this isn’t a cookie-cutter resume they sent to a dozen places.

How to write a housekeeper resume when you have limited (or no) experience

Those resume objectives and summaries are compelling, but what about someone just entering the housekeeping field with little or no experience? In these cases, the key is to find ways to show you have the relevant skills. This could be through certifications (you can even just mention that you’re actively pursuing a certification) or through framing your past work experience around housekeeper-relevant skills.

Just remember that it’s easier to teach specific skills than it is to teach attitude. If you show that you’re hardworking, detail-oriented, and have great customer service skills, you might be a better candidate than someone with housekeeping experience, but lacking those skills.

How to target your education and professional experience for each application

As we’ve mentioned throughout this guide, one of the best ways to improve your chances of getting hired is to target your resume for each application. Mentioning where you’re applying and ensuring your resume precisely matches the requirements laid out in the job ad will make a hiring manager or recruiter’s job ten times easier. It’s a bit of extra work, but the benefits far outweigh the costs, so always be sure to target your resumes.

How to make a housekeeper resume stand out?

Of all the advice contained in this guide, the best way to make your housekeeper resume stand out is to use great design. Most of the resumes you will be competing with are dull Word documents. Handing in a resume with excellent design, that makes it easier to read will have hiring managers viewing your application as a relief from the rest of the pile. But to do that, you need the right resume builder.

How Resumebuild.com resume builder tool can be utilized for an easy resume setup

With so many elements you need to get right on your housekeeper resume, you need all the help you can get. One thing you shouldn’t be worrying about is getting the formatting just right, or making sure your resume can be read by ATS. That’s why you should be using a user-friendly resume builder like the one we’ve created at Resumebuild.com. 

By allowing you to choose between a huge selection of expert-curated resume templates, it’s easy to find a design that will make your resume stand out. Then, an easy-to-use resume manager makes it simple to keep track of tailored resumes for all the positions you’d like to apply for.

Now, the next time you need to apply, all of your previous work is ready for you to update. So instead of digging through your computer for that old resume file, sign up for Resumebuild and create a 21st century resume.

Where would we be without the invaluable work electricians do day in and day out? Electricians are responsible for installing and maintaining different types of electrical systems so that individuals, businesses, and public institutions can readily make use of electricity. Without the expertise electricians offer, we’d still be living in the dark ages (quite literally!). 

Given how important electricians are to the smooth running of society, it’s no wonder that job prospects for this profession are strong. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment of electricians will increase by 10 percent from 2018 to 2028. That’s double the average projected growth for the average of all occupations!

This is no doubt exciting news for electricians - particularly if you’re looking to keep working your way up professionally. However, keep in mind that job growth doesn’t necessarily secure you a job in the future. You still need to show recruiters that you’re worth hiring.

The primary means you can demonstrate your value as an electrician is to wow recruiters with an eye-catching resume. In fact, once you know how to put together the perfect electrician resume, you’ll see that it’s the gateway to getting any job you desire.

Below, we’ve outlined our resume experts’ most useful tips and tricks that will help you grab the attention of any recruiter in 2020. In our guide, we’ll teach you a range of helpful things as:

• The best format and layout for your electrician resume
• How to correctly list your training and certifications
• The steps you can take to ensure your skills and achievements shine 
• Expert tips to strengthen your resume 

1. Multiple Template Examples

2. How to Write an Electrician Resume That Will Get You Hired?

How should you format your resume?

There are two main resume features a recruiter will expect your electrician resume to have: The right format and the right content. The format you select is critical, because it will influence not only which information a recruiter extracts from your resume, but also the order in which they do so.

Moreover, it will impact their overall impression of you. A poorly-formatted resume conveys that you don’t take your application seriously and that you’re disorganized (even if this isn’t true!). In contrast, an expertly-formatted resume conveys that you’re a consummate professional, who has high standards for themselves. Remember, first impressions are hard to shake. Make sure you make a positive one by choosing the right format.

A reverse-chronological format is hands-down the best format for an electrician resume. This format arranges your professional experiences from most to least recent. The logical order makes it far easier for recruiters to determine whether you have the appropriate level of knowledge and past work history to perform a given job with mastery.

You should also follow certain layout guidelines to ensure your resume looks professional. We have detailed the most notable ones below:

• • Number of Pages: You should keep your electrician resume to 1 page.
  • Fonts to Use: Standard fonts that make reading your resume a breeze, such as Corbel and Gill Sans.
  • Fonts to Avoid: Any fonts that the recruiter will struggle to read, such as Curlz MT and Courier New.
  • Margins: 1 inch on all sides.

• Line Spacing: 1 or 1.15.

• Header size: 14-16 point size.
• Text size: 11-12 point size.

What are the most important sections to include in your resume?

An electrician resume must include a number of fundamental sections in order to directly address what a recruiter is looking for. Failure to include these sections will immediately disqualify you from the running. So be sure to pay careful attention so that your resume contains all the important sections we’ve listed below:

• Contact Information: Your personal contact information that will allow a recruiter to reach out to you. That is, your name, home address, phone number, and email address. You can also include a link to your LinkedIn profile.

• Resume Objective or Resume Summary: An outline of why you’re the most ideal electrician for the job.

• Professional Experiences: A selection of your most relevant professional experiences, complete with details about duties and achievements.

• Education: Key details about your relevant educational background. In most cases, your education section will feature the technical degree you got in the college or institution you attended.

• Training and Certifications: A list of any additional relevant training and certifications you have undertaken to advance your professional standing and skills. 

• Skills: A list of 6 to 8 of the most relevant hard and soft skills you offer as an electrician.

Pro tip: Wondering why we haven’t included a References section above? It is unnecessary to state that you have references or to provide their contact details as it is highly unlikely that a recruiter will want to contact them at the screening stage of the application. Recruiters will usually only want to contact references at the interview stage, so save space on your resume by omitting this section.

How to give recruiters what they’re looking for

In order to impress recruiters, you first need to understand what qualities they’re looking for from their ideal candidate. Generally speaking, a recruiter will endeavor to track down an electrician who has ticked all the boxes in terms of their training, professional experiences, and skills.

The criteria by which they’ll evaluate how well each candidate does this, will depend on the requirements of each unique job. Fortunately for you, recruiters will always freely share this information with potential hires. All you need to do to access it is know where to look!

In short, the answers you’re after are contained within each job ad. Recruiters write job ads to find their perfect hire, so it makes sense for them to be as transparent as possible with their expectations. Once you know what their expectations are, you’ll have the knowledge you need to tailor your resume so it aligns as closely as possible to them.

How to prepare for a job interview as an electrician

Preparing for a job interview as an electrician can be a nerve-wracking experience. You know you have a strong grasp of the practical skills needed to excel, but talking about why you’re a great electrician is a whole other story.

The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to thoroughly prepare so that you can, in turn, convince a recruiter that you’re the right electrician for the job. Here are our top 3 tips:

1. 1. Run through common interview questions: Practicing your answers to common questions recruiters and hiring managers ask in electrician interviews is one of the most effective ways to prepare for your big day. While you won’t be able to predict every question they’ll ask, there’s a good chance that the interview will consist primarily of standard interview questions. There are many resources online that will help you practice. We particularly recommend this handy video that simulates a real-life electrician interview.

• Practice out loud in front of a mirror: Knowing which questions will likely be asked in an interview and knowing how to answer them is one thing. Delivering your answers confidently and eloquently is another. We’ve all had the experience of stumbling over our words in an interview. The best way to prevent this from happening is to practice your answers out loud in front of a mirror.

1. Leave your uniform at home: An interview is an opportunity to show the hiring manager what a consummate professional you are in a more traditional context, so you’ll need to look the part. That means you’ll need to leave your uniform at home and dress to impress. While you won’t need to don full business attire, you should wear a business casual outfit. Don’t leave this task to the last minute; make sure you’ve decided your outfit as well as what shoes and accessories you’ll wear at least a few days in advance.

How to list additional training and certifications as an electrician

You’ve, no doubt, picked up plenty of skills on the job. That’s part of the joy of being an electrician; there’s always plenty to learn, and you don’t necessarily need to spend years in college to learn it.

This can lead many electricians to mistakenly believe that you don’t need to list your training and certifications on your resume. However, the truth is that failing to list them could cost you your next job.

Think about it: if it comes down to a candidate who can show they have plenty of training and certifications to their name, versus one who didn’t bother to mention theirs, a recruiter will, no doubt, choose the former candidate. After all, it’s a recruiter’s job to hire the most qualified person for the job! So remember to play it safe and always list all of your relevant training and certifications.

In order to list them correctly, make sure not to provide too many details or write in full sentences like this candidate did:

• After graduating from a vocational electrician program registered with the New York State Department of Labor, I now have a Master Electrician License that is valid in New York City.

Instead, only state key details about your training and certifications in a section titled “Training and Certifications”. Namely, you should list:

• The name of each training or certification you have undertaken
• The city or state it is valid in (if appropriate)
• The year you completed the training or certification 

To use the candidate’s example above, each of your training and certifications should look something like this:

• Master Electrician License, New York City, 2020

Which skills should you mention on your resume?

There is a stark difference between an electrician who has many skills to offer and one who’s lacking in them. The thing is, when it comes to electrician resumes, offering more skills isn’t necessarily going to get you the job. You need to highlight the skills you have, that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for.

For example, imagine that you’re applying for a job as a residential electrician, who will be in charge of installing lighting and wiring in apartment blocks. To impress the recruiter, you will need to showcase the skills that enable you to do this specific job. That means you should replace any skills that don’t have a direct connection with this particular job (such as installing solar panels) with skills that do (such as reading wiring plans).

Another important thing to keep in mind when deciding which skills to mention on your resume is to ensure you highlight both the technical skills (hard skills) and interpersonal as well as communicative skills (soft skills) you are known for. Here are some examples of hard and soft skills we found in real job ads for electricians:

Examples of hard skills for electricians

• Maintaining and repairing valves and pressure regulators

• Repairing and replacing outlets
• Installing GFCI receptacles
• Panel change-outs
• Adhering to all quality and safety codes
• Troubleshooting
• Performing routine maintenance on electrical wiring and systems
• Testing electrical and electronic equipment 
• Maintaining records of inspections and tasks
• Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics

Examples of soft skills for electricians

• Ability to work well with office staff and customer representatives
• Clear, concise, and accurate communication skills
• Team orientation skills
• Time management
• Negotiation
• Leadership
• Writing reports and proposals
• Listening skills
• Problem solving
• Work ethic

Recruiters will be checking to see that you offer both types of skills, so don’t underestimate the importance of soft skills. The job of an electrician is indeed very hands-on and requires a strong grasp of certain hard skills to see each job through to completion. However, a truly professional electrician will also need to apply numerous soft skills to take each project to the next level and ensure they are making positive contributions to their team. 

Keep in mind that no recruiter will want to hire an electrician, who demonstrates strong hard skills, but doesn’t know the first thing about the soft skill of communicating clearly and respectfully to their teammates!

Once you have worked out which skills will be most beneficial for you to include, you should list 6 to 8 of them in a “Skills” section. Additionally, you should strive to naturally add one skill per professional achievement.

Pro tip: If you can, it’s also a wise idea to mention one or two in your resume objective or summary.

How to highlight your most important achievements

The achievements you hold personally dear as an electrician and the ones that recruiters are genuinely interested in may not necessarily be the same. In order to highlight achievements that will impress recruiters, you need to:

• Naturally incorporate the keywords they have used throughout a job ad
• Use impactful action words
• Focus on writing about your achievements in a results-oriented way

For example, this is how an achievement looks when a candidate hasn’t followed our advice:

• Worked on fixing the electrical controls in a medical facility.

In contrast, this is how eye-catching that same achievement can look if the candidate applies our advice:

• Troubleshooted electrical controls in a client’s facility and successfully detected and fixed a misconfiguration that resulted in savings of $200,000 on client’s electrical bills.

How to write a resume objective or resume summary

Preparation goes a long way in both excelling at your job and writing an incredible electrician resume. Just like you wouldn’t dive into wiring a circuit without first working out the proper configurations, you shouldn’t launch into your resume without first properly introducing yourself to the recruiter.

That’s why it is vital to open your resume with either a resume objective or resume summary section that is around 2 to 3 sentences long. Both are designed to set the right tone for your resume from the very opening sentence. A well-written one will effectively communicate to the recruiter why you’re the electrician they have been searching for.

So which is the right one to include in your resume? It will depend on your experience level. Below, we’ll explain the differences between them as well as some important dos and don’ts to keep in mind:

Resume objective

What is a resume objective? A brief statement in which you share your career aspirations and relevant or exceptional training, skills, and professional experiences you have to date. 

Who should use it? An apprentice electrician with little to no experience.

What should you avoid? Emphasizing your lack of experience and skills. You should also avoid conveying a glass half full outlook. For example:

• I am an apprentice electrician who has hardly any experience and only minimal skills. I am worried about my employability so I really want this job.

What should you focus on instead? Highlighting useful attributes you offer as a budding electrician. You can highlight key details about your current training, the skills you have developed (or are in the midst of developing), and the professional experiences you’ve had so far. You should also make it clear to the recruiter that you’re excited about your future as an electrician and the opportunity to work for their company. For example:

• 2nd year apprentice electrician at Spark Electricians, who offers particularly strong skills in diagnosing and fixing problems in residential electrical systems and following directions. Aspires to transition to a part-time position at Lightning Home Electricians, where I endeavor to bring my passion for perfectly configuring home electrical components.

Resume summary

What is a resume summary? A summary of your most relevant training, skills, and professional experiences you offer as an electrician.

Who should use it: Any electrician with at least one year or more of full-time or part-time experience.

What should you avoid? Being vague when describing your training, skills and experiences. For example:

• A journeyman electrician with years of experience. I offer a great combination of training, skills, and experiences that make me the perfect hire for this job.

What should you focus on instead? Providing specific details about yourself as a professional. You should emphasize why you’re the right person for the particular job you’re applying for, based on the relevant training, skills, and experience you offer.

• A certified journeyman electrician with over 9 years of experience in commercial installation. I believe I would be an asset to Atom Electrical Contractors as in addition to my track record with efficiently reconfiguring electrical components in commercial buildings so they comply with Colorado building regulations, I offer strong teamwork and communication skills.

How to write an electrician resume when you have little or no experience

Are you looking to begin an apprenticeship as an electrician? Or perhaps you’re already an apprentice electrician, who’s looking to make some waves in the industry? In order to catch the attention of the very people who can launch your career, you’ll need to perfect your resume. Follow these simple tips to write an electrician resume when you have little or no experience:

• Use a functional resume format: This type of resume format draws attention to your skills and abilities over your limited professional experiences.

• Perfect your skills section: Your aim should be to show the recruiter that what you lack in experience, you make up for in soft and hard skills. Spend time pinpointing the most relevant skills you offer and work on developing frequently-requested ones you’re weak in.

• Write a resume objective: As we highlighted above, a resume objective will help to highlight your potential as a budding electrician. Writing a customized one for each job you apply for will give you the best chance of grabbing the recruiter’s attention.

• Include relevant volunteer experiences: Even if you lack professional experience, volunteer experiences can help make your resume shine. Hone in on the skills and duties you performed that have direct relevance to the job.

How to make your resume stand out

You should always strive to make your resume as impressive as possible. Keep in mind that you will be competing against hundreds or even thousands of other candidates who have also followed the resume standards we have outlined above. In order to exceed a recruiter’s expectations, you need to make your resume stand out. To put your best foot forward, follow our insider tips below:

Follow any specific instructions provided in the job ad

One mistake that has caused even the most talented electricians to slip up is to ignore the specific instructions a recruiter has provided in the job ad. For example, a recruiter may ask for all resumes to be sent in PDF form or that all applications must include a cover letter in addition to a resume.

There are even recruiters who will ask candidates to include a certain word somewhere in their applications or email subject line so that they can tell who really read the job ad - and who’s just sending generic applications to each company. The word may even be silly, like “waffles”! To avoid getting caught out, be sure to carefully read a job ad to ensure you’re fully aware of any specific instructions you’ll be expected to follow.

Customize your resume to the specialization the recruiter is after

As we already highlighted throughout this guide, it’s essential to customize your resume to address the specific criteria a recruiter is looking for. One of the most powerful customizations you can make is to focus your resume on the particular specialization the recruiter is interested in.

There are 3 main types of specializations in this line of work:

1. Commercial
2. Industrial
3. Residential

However, they can be further subdivided into even more specific specializations. In fact, over 20 major electrician specializations exist!

In order to tailor your resume to the particular one a recruiter is looking for, scan the job ad to identify which one they are hiring for. You can then use this information to highlight the most relevant training, experiences, and skills you can offer in that specialization.

For example, if a job ad states that a company is hiring an electrician for an automotive company, emphasize your achievements in this specialization over all the other ones.

Give yourself adequate time to prepare and review your resume

Recruiters are always looking for ways to weed out less impressive candidates. That’s why, in order to reduce thousands of resumes to just a handful, they need to be unforgiving when it comes to any typos, grammatical errors, and formatting irregularities they spot.

If you rush putting together your resume, you’ll be far more likely to make mistakes and far less likely to detect them. As such, you should start working on your resume as soon as you find a job you’d like to apply for. With time at your side, you’ll be able to proofread it more than once to ensure it’s completely error-free.

3. How Resumebuild.com Resume Builder Tool Can Be Utilized for an Easy Resume Setup

Now that you know about all the nuts and bolts of making the perfect electrician resume, you’re fully equipped to make one yourself. All you need to do is find the time and energy to do it. Needless to say, this is the hardest step of all in the resume making process! When you’ve just returned from a hard day’s work or the weekend rolls around, the absolute last thing you can think of doing is opening up your laptop and writing about your job.

So why not leverage one of the tools of the resume making trade and use a resume builder to handle this whole process for you? By using Resumebuild.com’s ingenious resume builder tool, you’ll be able to piece together an eye-catching electrician resume in less time than it takes for you to organize your toolbox. All you’ll need to do is punch in some key details about all of the sections we mentioned above, and the resume builder will take care of the rest.

If you’re curious about how exactly it works, we’ll give you a quick rundown. The first step is to pick out a well-designed resume template. As you can see, there are all types of templates to choose from to suit your particular needs and aesthetic. You really can’t go wrong, as all of them are designed to effectively organize the contents of your resume in an eye-catching and professional way.

Next, you’ll work your way through each resume section, personalizing any details as necessary. Don’t worry; you won’t be on your own doing so. The builder will give you the guidance you need to fill out each section correctly. In fact, you’ll find numerous pre-written examples made just for electricians that you can pick and choose from. Finally, you’ll review your new resume and make any final edits. Once you’re happy with it you can save and download it. It’s really as easy as that! Already excited to start? Go on, give it a go for yourself!

With demand for janitors and custodians rising faster than the job market average, there’s more reasons than ever to look at moving up or finding a better role. The challenge is finding a way to translate all of your skills and experience into an effective resume. It’s not exactly something you learn on the job, but that’s why we’re here to help.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, including:

• Showing you janitor resume examples to get you inspired
• The ideal way to format your resume
• How long your resume should be
• How to optimize your resume for ATS
• What recruiters look for in a janitor resume
• Which skills to include and how to phrase them perfectly
• How to include your education
• Whether you should add an objective or summary and how to write both
• What other things you can include on your resume
• How to target a specific job
• And much more!

It may seem like a lot now, but take it step by step and before you know it you’ll be ready to apply for that position you’ve had your eye on. To get you over that first hurdle, we’ll begin with some useful template examples.

Janitor resume template examples

The worst part about creating a resume is staring at a blank page wondering where to start. So, we find it helpful to begin with some examples to give you a mental picture of what your janitor resume should look like when you're done.

As you look through them, try taking notes about what stands out or what you’d like to use on your resume. That way, you can begin with some ideas and inspiration.

[Examples]

How to write a janitor resume that will get you the job

Before you write a single word, you need to know exactly who is going to see your resume. After all, you’re not writing it for just anyone. You need to be thinking about who you need to make an impression on and just how you’re going to do that. So, let’s begin by understanding your two audiences.

Why your janitor resume needs to be ATS optimized

First, let’s answer the question I’m sure you have: what on earth is ATS? It stands for Applicant Tracking System. Essentially, it’s a computer program, usually driven by artificial intelligence, that scans your resume to determine whether or not a human should review it. 

It’s mostly used by larger companies but is increasingly becoming an industry standard. Not all janitor jobs you apply to will use it, but because you can’t know for sure, you need to make sure you’ve prepared.

It’s a frustrating reality but many of the dozens of resumes that will come in for a janitor position never even make it to a human. They get rejected by ATS. We’re here to help ensure your resume isn’t one of them.

How to get past ATS

The good news is, it’s pretty simple to get past that initial ATS scan of your resume. You just need to know how they work. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Get the format right. Every ATS is a bit different and there are dozens of them out there. But, your best bet to ensure your resume can be easily read is to use a universal format like .doc or .pdf. Sending your resume in another format might mean that an ATS can’t read it and it will go straight into the digital trash can.
2. Check the job requirements. You’d be amazed at how often jobs which clearly state that a specific certification of number of years of experience is required get flooded with applications that don’t meet those requirements. That’s one of the big reasons employers turn to ATS, they don’t want to waste their time with those resumes. So, before you apply, double check you meet the must-have requirements.
3. Remember that the main function of ATS is to scan for keywords. So, you need to make sure they’re in there and worded correctly. For example, if the job ad mentions that you must have HVAC experience, don’t write "helped maintain home ventilation systems.” because the ATS might not realize that you’re talking about the same thing.

Fortunately, many of the things you need to do to optimize your resume for ATS also help set it up for your other main audience.

Why you need to be thinking about the recruiter or hiring manager from the start

The person reading your resume is a person. They probably have to read a pile of resumes and want the process to be as easy as possible. If your resume makes their job harder, they’re less likely to hire you. If your resume makes their job easy, you’ve already earned points in their eyes.

For example, if your skills are worded exactly the way they are in the job ad (to optimize for ATS), that also makes it easy for a recruiter to see that you’re a great candidate. If the design and format of your resume is clean, making the information easy to read and digest, their job is easier. Just imagine how many dull .doc files those recruiters have to look through and you’ll understand why something pleasing to the eye is a welcome change.

Lastly, be sure to double check how things are written on your resume and cover letter. The last thing you want is a hiring manager being forced to read a sentence three times to make sure they understood what you were trying to say. It’s best to have a friend help with this because something you wrote will usually make perfect sense to you even when someone else has no idea what you meant.

How to analyze a janitor job ad

Everything we just mentioned about optimizing your resume for recruiters and ATS comes down to reading the job ad carefully. This is why creating one resume and sending it everywhere isn’t very effective. You need to tailor your resume for individual positions to have the greatest chance of success.

For example, one janitorial position might involve helping take care of plants in an office, while another might require you to help maintain HVAC systems. One might have you interacting with kids in a school while another will require you to be extra professional to work in an office setting. You might have the skills for any of those positions, but creating a resume that emphasizes the specific skills for those roles will land you the job you want.

The practical side of analyzing a job ad comes down to reading it carefully and making a list of all the skills and other requirements it mentions. Then, as you create your own resume, include those skills as close to exactly as they appear in the job ad as possible. Now, when a recruiter reads your resume, you’re an easy “yes.”

How to format a janitor resume

Good news is, the answer here is pretty simple. To start, your resume should be reverse-chronological. That means your most recent job goes at the top and your oldest one goes at the bottom. The reason gets back to the idea of making a recruiter or hiring manager’s job as easy as possible. Putting the most relevant information up at the top makes evaluating your resume faster and easier.

That same logic applies to other sections as well. The most important information should go up and to the left. So if you’ve got your full address or something similar taking up a large portion of your resume’s header, switch that out for some more useful info. For example, a resume objective would work great there (more on how to write one below).

How long should your janitor resume be?

Your next question after wondering about the right format is probably about length. Deciding how long your janitor resume should be should come down to thinking about your audience (not the ATS, it doesn’t care). Ask yourself “is a hiring manager going to want to look through a page and a half of my resume?” The answer is probably no.

For janitor and custodian positions, a single page is going to be enough in most cases. The exception would be if a role asks for expertise in a wide range of areas so it takes more space to discuss your experience in them. After all, it might be tricky to demonstrate competence in grounds maintenance, engine repair, HVAC maintenance, driving larger vehicles, team management, and customer service in a single page.

The rule of thumb is to look at everything on your resume and ask yourself if it adds value or information. If it’s not making your resume better, it’s making it worse. This is another case where having a friend review it for you can be helpful to get some outside perspective and decide what to cut and what to keep.

What janitorial skills to mention and how to do it correctly

The specific requirements for a janitorial position can vary widely. You might be largely doing work outside or be entirely inside. You might be focused just on cleaning or help do more complex electrical or plumbing work. For that reason, your skills need to reflect the job you’re applying for.

That said, here are two general lists of the most in-demand skills for janitors today:

Top hard skills to mention on a janitor resume

• Electrical skills
• Plumbing
• Speaking multiple languages (especially Spanish)
• HVAC maintenance
• General cleaning
• Grounds maintenance
• Equipment maintenance and repair (cars, mowers, etc.)

Top soft skills to mention on a janitor resume

• Self-motivated
• Diligent
• Independent
• Friendly
• Organized

How to enhance your skills

The key way to make your soft or hard skills more effective is to back them up. For hard skills, mentioning certifications or previous cases when you demonstrated these skills will leave a greater impact. These examples could even be from outside work. For example, if you helped your kids build a go-cart or volunteer to help maintain a community garden, these demonstrate skills (and make you seem like a nice person to work with!)

The same goes for soft skills. They can seem especially vague and can therefore be easy to ignore. Giving examples when you showed how independent, organized, or friendly you are will make the recruiter or hiring manager more certain that you’re the right candidate.

How to list your education

It’s easy to discount education for a janitor position, but there are cases where including it can improve your resume. Simply stating that you graduated high school isn’t worth much and shouldn’t be included. However, if you were a part of any relevant activities like shop, automotive repair, etc. then you should mention them.

If you attended a technical school related to your janitorial work, that’s also something you should absolutely include. But overall, if educational information doesn’t help show that you’re qualified for the position, you can leave it off.

How to highlight your job experience

If the description of your past jobs simply says “Responsible for cleaning” or “Did an excellent job maintaining the grounds” a hiring manager reading your resume will probably ignore it. To really have an impact when describing your job experience you need to be specific.

Instead, mention that you “managed a team of 6 responsible for cleaning and maintaining 67 classrooms and 12 acres of grounds for a high school.” or “repaired a broken floor buffer after the engine burned out.” These small details not only make your experience stand out, but show an attention to detail that is welcome in any janitorial position.

Use the same technique for achievements outside of work

What if you accomplished something relevant to the job you want outside of your job? An achievements section is perfect for listing experiences like this. For example, if you learned basic plumbing and electrical work so you could help improve your grandfather’s hunting cabin, that’s a great achievement to mention. It shows self-motivation and makes you a more memorable candidate.

How to choose between writing a resume objective and summary

Most resumes begin with either an objective or summary. An objective is shorter and simply states who you are and what you aim to do. If your resume and qualifications for the job you want are fairly straightforward, this is the way to go.

On the other hand, if something about your resume requires more explanation, like a gap in your work history, a resume summary is the best place to offer an explanation (though a cover letter can also do this). Below you can find examples of how to write both and, importantly, how not to write them as well.

How to write a resume objective with examples

Remember, the last thing you want to do is waste the time of the person reading your resume. So, keep your objective to the point.

“Bilingual office janitor with 12 years of experience looking to manage the Janitorial team at ACME Corp.”

Right there you have a short sentence that tells you a lot of valuable information. It tells the reader who you are and that the resume they’re about to read was customized for this exact role (more on why that’s important later). Compare that to this example:

“Experienced janitor with the skills and qualifications needed to excel as the head janitor at ACME Corp.”

Somehow this objective is the same length as the previous example but tells you far less. Instead it’s full of vague references to “skills and qualifications”. If a hiring manager reads this, they already feel like your resume is going to waste their time. That’s not the first impression you want to make.

How to write a resume summary with examples

Just because a resume summary is generally longer is no excuse to ramble on. Here are some examples to show you what makes a summary effective:

“After taking 2 years off to help care for my elderly mother I’m looking to return to the workforce and apply my 7 years of janitorial and 4 years of grounds maintenance work towards helping H. Smith High maintain its reputation as a quality school with well maintained facilities.”

That summary humanizes you, explains why there’s a 2 year gap in your work history, and explains your motives for applying to the position. It’s not too long but still provides invaluable context for the rest of the resume.

“I haven’t been able to find a good job for a few years but I still have what it takes to succeed here. I’m hard-working and have all the skills needed. If you give me a change in this role, I’m sure you won’t regret it.”

This example sounds desperate and spends a suspiciously large amount of time reassuring the reader that they can do the job. This kind of wording is more likely to make a hiring manager think “if I hire this person, I’m going to be hearing a lot of excuses” instead of “they seem confident and well suited for the role.”

How to list any additional details, like certifications, hobbies, interests, volunteer experience.

These additional sections can add a lot to a janitor resume. Certifications in particular are critical for demonstrating your ability to work on critical systems. Some top certifications to include are:

• HVAC certifications
• Bloodborne Certification (BPC)
• Medical Cleaning Certification (MCC)
• Biohazard Cleaning Certification (BCC)
• Mold Inspection & Remediation Services (MIRS)
• Green Cleaning Certification (GCC)
• Carpet Cleaning Certification (CCC)

You can find more information about these and other janitorial certifications at the IJCSA website. Overall, certifications like this show a level of professionalism that goes above and beyond what most other applicants will have. It can also show that you’re self-motivated enough to obtain them.

Hobbies or interests can also be added in the right circumstances. If a hobby or interest isn’t appropriate or doesn’t add any real value to your resume, leave it off. But, if the position you’re applying for involves grounds maintenance, then mentioning that you love gardening is a nice addition.

Lastly, volunteer experience is nearly always a welcome addition. Showing that you’re engaged in the community and enjoy giving back will help recruiters or hiring managers form a positive opinion of you. It also makes you look more reliable and pleasant to work with.

How to target your resume for each application, how to list only the relevant skills for that

As should be clear by now, your best chance of landing the janitorial position you want comes from targeting your resume. This starts with a careful reading of the job ad and making sure your resume answers its requirements as closely as possible.

However, there are other ways to go above and beyond. If you’re applying for a position at a school, using the school colors in your resume can add a subtle but meaningful touch. As the examples above demonstrate, mentioning the employer by name in an objective or summary also makes it clear that you’re not sending an identical resume out to every position.

How to make your resume stand out

Lots of people ask how their resume can stand out and the best advice is to do so in subtle but powerful ways. Avoid loud designs, as they’ll have you standing out for the wrong reasons. A resume that stands out is precisely tailored for the job, well written, and has a clean and easy-to-understand design and layout. 

A hiring manager reading your resume doesn’t want fireworks, they want a well-written resume that makes their job (hiring the right candidate) as easy as possible. Do that, and you’re sure to stand above the competition.

How Resumebuild.com resume builder tool could be utilized for an easy resume setup

Obviously you’ve got a lot on your plate when it comes to creating the perfect janitor resume. Using the right tool can make it all much easier by ensuring you have great design, an ideal layout, and an easy way to edit multiple versions. Resumebuild.com builder offers all of that and more. Try it for yourself and see the difference!