Welder Resume Templates and Examples by Process, Code, and Level

Open with a process-and-pass-rate summary

Write three to four sentences that name your years, your processes and positions, your strongest number, and the role you are targeting. An experienced welder leads with an x-ray pass rate and a code like D1.1 or API 1104; an entry-level welder leads with the certificate, the AWS test passed, and hands-on training. Keep it to about 60 words so it never spills past the top of the page.

AWS D1.1 certified structural welder with 9 years on steel buildings and bridges, holding a 98% x-ray pass rate on SMAW and FCAW welds in all positions. Qualified 3G and 4G on plate, fluent in 7018 low-hydrogen and self-shielded flux-cored, and steady reading blueprints and WPS. Targeting a senior structural welder role.

List your certifications and positions, not just "welding" (the honest part)

This is where most welding resumes go generic. A shop hires for a specific process, position, and code, so name your real qualifications and be honest about what you are tested and current on.

• Name the process and position: SMAW 3G and 4G plate, 6G pipe, GTAW on stainless, or API 1104 downhill, whichever you hold.
• State the code you weld to by name: AWS D1.1 structural, ASME Section IX pressure, B31.3 process piping, or API 1104 pipeline.
• Do not claim a certification you have let lapse. Say a qualification is current, or say when you last tested; a shop can pull your continuity.
• If you are strong in one process, like TIG or pipe, lead with it and let the general fabrication work support it.

Make every experience bullet a result with a number

Name the material, the process, and the joint, then attach one credible number and the code behind it. Welding is measured in x-ray pass rates and repair rates, so keep the numbers honest to a real shop.

• Use welding metrics: x-ray or RT pass rate, weld-repair or reject rate, diameter-inches or footage of weld, or fit-up tolerance.
• Open with a strong verb like welded, ran, fit, beveled, or qualified, never "Responsible for" or "Helped with".
• Name the process and material: "ran a TIG root and SMAW fill on B31.3 stainless with an argon back purge".
• Keep one number per bullet and aim for a number in about half of them; a wall of percentages reads as invented.

Put your AWS and code certifications where they get seen

Welding hiring is certification-driven, so a posting checks your quals first. List them in their own section with the position and code, and never list one you do not hold.

• List each certification with its position and code: "AWS D1.1 (3G, 4G)", "6G pipe, carbon and stainless", "API 1104 downhill".
• Add ASME Section IX for pressure work, D1.2 for aluminum, or D17.1 for aerospace where you hold them.
• Inspectors and QC-track welders lead with the AWS CWI and any ASNT NDT levels.
• Entry-level welders and career-changers lead with the AWS test passed, the certificate, and OSHA training in place of years.

Match skills and keywords to the job posting

A skills block should read like the posting, grouped so a shop and a parser both find what they need. List the processes and materials you have actually run, not a generic dump.

• Group by type: processes, positions, code, materials, and quality.
• Name specific processes and materials: GTAW root, SMAW 7018, FCAW, 6G pipe, 316 stainless, and 6061 aluminum, matched to the role.
• If the posting says "D1.1" or "6G", use that exact phrasing where it fits your experience.
• Mirror the posting's language, since that is what the applicant tracking system searches for when it ranks your resume.

Keep the format clean and ATS-safe

A welding resume is read by a parser first and a shop hiring manager second, so a clean layout with standard headings is the safe choice at every level.

• Use a single-column or simple two-column layout with standard headings a parser recognizes; skip heavy graphics and photos.
• Keep it to one page; a welding resume rarely needs two, even for a foreman or senior welder.
• Save as a PDF so the formatting holds, then run it through the ATS resume checker for a quick format and keyword pass.
• Swap the numbers in the templates above for your own pass rates, certifications, and processes; do not copy them as is.

How do you write a welding resume?

Lead with a three-to-four-sentence summary that names your years, your processes and positions, your strongest number, and the role you are targeting. Under each job, write results-first bullets that open with a strong verb and carry one credible number, like a 98% x-ray pass rate or a weld-repair rate under 3%. Name the process, material, and code behind each result, list your AWS and code certifications in their own section, and keep the whole thing to one clean, ATS-safe page.

What should a welder put on a resume?

A welding resume includes a process-and-pass-rate summary, experience bullets with real numbers, an AWS and code certification section, a grouped skills block, and education. The experience section carries the weight: every bullet should show work you can prove, such as welding B31.3 pipe with a TIG root and SMAW fill or running D1.1 structural in all positions. Name your certifications, like AWS D1.1 (3G, 4G) or 6G pipe, and list the processes and materials you run, like SMAW, GTAW, and 316 stainless.

How do you write a welder resume with no experience?

Lead with what you do have. An entry-level candidate leads with the AWS test passed, a welding certificate, and OSHA training, plus any welder-helper or shop work. A welding-school graduate leads with the program and externship hours. A career-changer, including a veteran from a hull or repair role, reframes welding that transfers. Your AWS test, certificate, and any supervised welding are your strongest early signal. The entry-level, graduate, and military career-change examples above show the shape.

What certifications should be on a welding resume?

List the AWS and code certifications you actually hold, with the position and code: AWS D1.1 structural (3G, 4G), 6G pipe (carbon and stainless), API 1104 for pipeline, ASME Section IX for pressure work, D1.2 for aluminum, or D17.1 for aerospace. Inspectors add the AWS CWI and ASNT NDT levels. List each with a date and note that it is current, and never list a qualification you have let lapse, since a shop can check your welder continuity before hiring.

What does 6G certified mean on a welding resume?

6G is a pipe welding test position where the pipe is fixed at a 45-degree angle and cannot be rotated, so you weld flat, vertical, and overhead in a single pass around the joint. Because it covers every position at once, 6G qualifies you for most other pipe and plate positions and is the benchmark a pipe shop looks for. On a resume, state the material you tested on, such as "6G pipe, carbon and stainless", and the code, like ASME Section IX or B31.3, so a hiring manager knows exactly what you are qualified to weld.

How long should a welding resume be?

One page for most welders, including entry-level, production, and experienced structural and pipe welders. Use a second page only when a foreman, senior welder, or inspector has enough relevant projects, crew leadership, or scope to justify it, and never pad to reach it. Whichever length you use, lead with your most recent and most relevant work, keep standard headings, and cut older or unrelated jobs so the space goes to the certifications, code, and numbers a shop checks first.