Resume Objective

Lead carpenter with 8+ years of experience in residential and commercial construction, specializing in remodeling and renovation. Skilled in numerous rough and finishing techniques including cut ins. Possesses NARI lead carpenter certification

Skills

• Project Management
• Leadership
• Budgeting
• Active Listening
• Time Management
• Complex Problem Solving
• Hand and Power Tools
• Decision Making
• Attention to Detail

Experience

Lead Carpenter

Stanford Carpentry, Chicago, IL  / October 2015 – Present

•       Lead home improvement projects such as kitchen and bathroom remodeling, shed construction, custom carpentry work, as well as some electrical and plumbing repairs
•       Liaise with designers, planners, and clients on all aspects of residential renovation and remodeling
•       Manage a team of three members and work with a carpentry apprentice
•       Maintain daily job records and assemble weekly progress reports
•       Extensive knowledge of relevant materials, methods and tools, as well as government policies, quality control processes, and optimal budgeting techniques

Journeyman Carpenter

Mitchell Construction, Rockford, IL  / April 2010 – September 2015

•       Assembled and erected rough wooden structures, including forms, scaffolds, frames, and signage according to sketches, blueprints, and specifications
•       Installed windows, drywall, ceiling tiles, and other fixtures on over 500 unique buildings and structures
•       Followed safety protocols and maintained a clean work environment
•       Used roughly 30 different types of hand and power tools to handle client needs
•       Selected and ordered lumber and other materials on a bi-weekly basis

Education

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA

Chalmers High School, Belleville, IL, 2006 – 2009

NARI LEAD CARPENTER CERTIFICATION

Des Plaines, IL, May 2018

3 Solid Tips for Constructing Your Carpenter Resume

Before you start writing, make sure you know how to write a resume in a way that best emphasizes your strengths.

With a huge variety of projects and job types available, a career in carpentry really is what you make of it. As well as being satisfying work, it’s also quite lucrative, with some carpenters earning nearly $40 an hour according to the United States Department of Labor.

Whether you’re an apprentice looking to get your foot in the door or an experienced journeyman, these carpenter resume tips will help you prove that you can get the job done.

1. Don’t Take Your Other Skills For Granted

Carpentry is a skilled trade, so your resume needs to be heavy on its resume skills section.

First, you want to be specific and use some handy action verbs when describing your experience:

Cut boards / assemble structures / erect scaffolds / install fixtures / maintain records / navigate building codes / saw timber / bore boltholes / fasten frameworks

Next, you’ll want to take the key points from this, create a dedicated skills section, and then put it where it’s easily visible on the page. We recommend employing an interesting resume template that has the individual skills clearly highlighted so employers can see exactly what you bring to the table.

Skilled carpenters are in high demand.

Add Key Soft Skills

As well as knowledge of building and construction, think about other things you do on the job that are less obvious, such as solving problems, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and understanding the implications of information.

There are a variety of good soft skills to list that help prove that you’re a well-rounded candidate. For example:

Tip

Active listening is a particularly good example of an overlooked soft skill. We’ve got a whole toolbox of skills to put on a resumes if you’re looking to boost your application.

Hard Skills Are Crucial

If you’re comfortable navigating computer programs, you can also include these skills in your resume. Do you have experience with CAD software? Maybe your last job had you knocking out spreadsheets in Excel and you’re a pro with Microsoft Office. It’s all worth mentioning.

You can also try being specific about the equipment you use and your safety record. If you have experience maintaining or repairing certain professional tools, mention it:

• Extension ladders
• Visible beam laser levels
• Worm-drive saws versus sidewinder circular saws

Finally, think about all the calculations you make on a daily basis. Math and statistics are sought after abilities in the trade and are skills worth adding to your resume.

• Calculating angles
• Measuring materials
• Reading technical plans

Accuracy with these tasks is vital to planning a project and not wasting money. Proving your ability here could make all the difference to a hiring manager.

2. Highlight Your Certifications

You don’t need many formal qualifications to be a carpenter, with most people learning on the job or completing an apprenticeship. However, receiving a professional certification can really boost your career prospects for the future. These range from extra training to simply registering with a professional body.

Tip

Looking to further your expertise as a carpenter? You can find a list of carpentry-related certifications here.

Our candidate recently completed his Lead Carpenter Certification from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. This requires at least 5 years in the industry and 2 years as a lead carpenter, and teaches the essentials of project management in the field.

Having such a certificate tells employers that you can complete projects on time and on budget – thereby increasing profitability. You can’t go wrong with that.

At the end of the day, employers generally value experience over anything else. However, they’re also looking for industry-specific qualifications. Make sure your resume clearly shows how you’re certified.

Tip

It’s important to choose the correct layout for your resume’s education section, so employers can quickly gauge if you’re qualified for the position.

3. Quantify your experience

This may be the last tip, but for general resume writing it’s arguably the most important. Consider the difference between these two sentences:

• Used a variety of tools
• Used roughly 30 different types of hand and power tools to handle client needs

That’s right, the first is noticeably vague, whereas the second is specific and includes numbers. This is called quantification, and it can do wonders for your resume.

To show employers that you are the person for the job, use numbers to demonstrate your achievements and accomplishments on your resume.

Ask yourself questions. How many buildings have you worked on? How often do you order lumber?

Many job seekers focus on trying to include fancy technical jargon when it’s best to use plain English and talk about results. Think percentages, timeframes, and of course, dollars.

Tip

If you’re like our candidate and are ready to move into a more senior management role, check out our guide to describing effective leadership skills.

Make Your Move

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the future is bright for carpenters. If you take the same precision you bring to your work and apply these tips, you can craft a seriously impressive resume for whatever career move you want to make next.

Ready to start building? We have a massive collection of free resume templates ready for you to personalize. Alternatively, hammer out the perfect resume in a matter of minutes using our free resume builder.