Welder resume examples built process, position, code — and pass rate.
Welding hiring runs on two gates: the certification on paper and the weld test at the shop. So the resume leads with your AWS or ASME qualifications formatted the way an inspector reads them — process, position, material, code, last-test date — because a foreman scans that block first to decide whether to hand you a hood. Then it proves the work in the trade's own numbers: X-ray pass rate, first-pass acceptance, rework versus the shop baseline, incident-free hours. This guide shows that resume, plus the pipe-and-pipeline pay math and the test-at-interview reality no template site covers.
- Ideal length
- 1 page
- Certs
- Process · position · code, top
- Gold standard
- 6G qualification
- Bullets per role
- 3–5
Cole Vasquez
Combination / Pipe Welder · 6G · API 1104 & ASME IX
Houston, TX
Summary
Combination welder with 8 years in refinery and process piping, 6G-qualified across GTAW and SMAW. Held a 97.4% X-ray pass rate on 300+ ASME B31.3 joints during a Valero turnaround; zero recordable incidents across 11,200 field hours and four turnarounds. API 1104 and ASME Section IX certified, carbon through 316L stainless, schedule 40 to heavy wall. Travel-ready, drug-clean, and I show up in gear expecting to test.
Experience
Combination / Pipe Welder · Gulf Coast Mechanical (refinery turnarounds)
2021 — Present
- Maintained a 97.4% X-ray pass rate across 300+ ASME B31.3 process-piping joints (schedule 40 carbon, P8 316L stainless) on 2025 Valero Port Arthur turnaround.
- Ran 6G GTAW root and SMAW fill/cap on 6- and 8-inch OD headers — 2,100+ linear inches, zero joints rejected for profile.
- Cut personal rework from a 6.2% shift baseline to 2.1% over a nine-month assignment.
- Zero recordable incidents across 11,200 field hours and four refinery turnarounds; current on confined space and hot-work permitting.
Structural / Fabrication Welder · Ironline Steel Fabrication
2018 — 2021
- Fabricated ASTM A36/A572 structural assemblies (GMAW, FCAW) to AWS D1.1 — improved first-pass inspection from 92% to 98% across 300+ welds a month.
- Read blueprints and weld symbols with the engineering and QC teams, cutting rework hours 25%.
- Produced 820 tons of shop-welded plate-girder sections at a 0.8% rework rate against a 2.5% shop average.
Welder Helper → Apprentice Welder · Ironline Steel Fabrication
2016 — 2018
- Passed 38 of 42 supervised D1.1 plate coupons (1G–3G) on first attempt (90%) during structured on-the-job training.
- Worked up from fit-up and grinding to independent station welding; earned OSHA 10.
Skills
Education
High school diploma · Welding Technology certificate — Houston Community College, 2016
Certifications
AWS D1.1 3G SMAW, 3/8" plate (last tested 02/2026) · API 1104 6G GTAW/SMAW pipe · ASME Section IX, P1/P8 · OSHA 10
Languages
English (native) · Spanish (fluent)
Why this example works
Certs formatted the way an inspector reads them
Each line names process, position, material and code with a last-test date — “AWS D1.1 3G SMAW, 3/8" plate, last tested 02/2026.” A foreman scans this block first, and AWS requires performance within six months to stay current, so the date matters.
The trade's own metrics: pass rate and rework
97.4% X-ray pass, first-pass 92%→98%, rework 6.2%→2.1%, 820 tons at 0.8%. X-ray/NDT pass rate and rework versus the shop baseline are what a welding resume quantifies — and they're checkable in the interview weld test.
6G and the safety record, stated
6G is the gold standard — it covers all positions on fixed pipe — so it leads, and higher positions subsume lower (no need to list every 1G). Incident-free hours belong on the page too; omitting a safety record signals you don't track it.
Welder resume summary examples
Three to four lines: scope, stack or specialism, one quantified win. Match the register to your seniority.
Entry / apprentice
Apprentice welder fresh from a welding-technology program, ready to test on day one. Passed 38 of 42 supervised D1.1 plate coupons (1G–3G) on first attempt, comfortable across MIG, TIG and stick, and disciplined on fit-up, grinding and OSHA 10 safety. No inflated experience — just clean coupons, a strong work ethic, and a hood I'm ready to put on. Give me the test.
Structural / construction
Structural welder with 5 years to AWS D1.1: 3G and 4G positions in SMAW and FCAW, ASTM A36/A572 assemblies, first-pass inspection consistently above 95%. Fluent in blueprints and weld symbols, fast on fit-up, and steady on the ironworker pace. The welder whose joints don't come back — and the numbers on the page prove it.
Pipe welder
Pipe welder with 8 years and a 6G ticket across GTAW and SMAW, API 1104 and ASME Section IX certified. Held a 97%+ X-ray pass rate on refinery and process-piping joints, carbon through 316L stainless, schedule 40 to heavy wall. Turnaround-tested, travel-ready, and clean on the drug screen. The premium track, and I've earned the premium.
Fabrication / manufacturing
Fabrication welder with 6 years multi-process (MIG, TIG, stick) in a production shop: 150+ precision welds a week, rework held well under the shop baseline, and $18K a year saved by cutting rework time. WPS-disciplined, jig-and-fixture comfortable, and the hand the shop trusts on the tight-tolerance jobs. Throughput and quality, not one at the expense of the other.
TIG / precision (aerospace)
Precision TIG welder with 7 years to AWS D17.1: titanium, Inconel and thin-gauge aluminum to Class A tolerances, full material traceability and NDE discipline. Clean-room habits, tight heat control, and the documentation aerospace and medical work demand. Zero test-article failures traced to my welds. Where the margin for error is measured in thousandths, I'm the steady hand.
Welding inspector / foreman
AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) and lead welder with 12 years: code fluency across AWS D1.1, ASME Section IX and API 1104, RT and VT interpretation, WPS/PQR authoring, and crews of up to 10 supervised. Cut a project's rejection rate by tightening fit-up and pre-heat discipline; passed every third-party audit clean. I weld, I inspect, and I keep the whole crew's welds sound.
Skills that belong on a welder resume
Processes & positions
- GTAW (TIG)
- GMAW (MIG)
- SMAW (Stick)
- FCAW (Flux-Core)
- 6G / 5G pipe
- 3G / 4G plate
Codes & materials
- AWS D1.1 (structural) / D1.2 / D1.5
- ASME Section IX (pressure vessel)
- API 1104 (pipeline)
- AWS D17.1 (aerospace)
- Carbon steel / stainless (304/316)
- Aluminum / Inconel / titanium
Technical & safety
- Blueprint & weld-symbol reading
- Fit-up & fabrication
- Plasma & oxy-fuel cutting / grinding
- Visual inspection (VT) / RT familiarity
- WPS / PQR
- OSHA 10/30 / confined space / hot work
Bullet point formulas that get interviews
Fill the brackets with your numbers — the structure does the selling.
- Held a [x]% X-ray/RT pass rate on [n] joints — e.g. “97.4% across 300+ ASME B31.3 joints (carbon, 316L).”
- Improved first-pass inspection from [x]% to [y]% — e.g. “92% to 98% across 300+ welds a month to D1.1.”
- Cut rework from [x]% to [y]% vs shop baseline — e.g. “6.2% shift baseline to a personal 2.1%.”
- Completed [n] linear inches / welds per shift — e.g. “2,100+ inches of 6G on 6- and 8-inch headers, zero rejected.”
- Produced [n] tons at [rework rate] — e.g. “820 tons of plate girder at 0.8% rework vs a 2.5% shop average.”
- Zero recordable incidents over [n] hours — e.g. “11,200 field hours across four turnarounds.”
- Passed [n] coupons at [rate] (entry) — e.g. “38 of 42 D1.1 plate coupons first attempt, 90%.”
- Maintained a [x]% weld rejection rate — e.g. “1.4% on stainless and aluminum to D1.2.”
- Cut rework time / saved $[amount] — e.g. “150+ MIG welds a week; rework time −22%, $18K saved annually.”
- Trained [n] junior welders — e.g. “5 on blueprint reading and plasma cutting; team output +43%.”
ATS keywords for welder roles
Filters match tokens from the posting. These are the terms worth mirroring — verbatim — when they appear in the job ad.
| Keyword | Priority |
|---|---|
| processes — list BOTH acronym and name: GMAW/MIG, GTAW/TIG, SMAW/Stick, FCAW/Flux-Core | High |
| AWS certification (Certified Welder) / journeyman / combination welder | High |
| codes by name: AWS D1.1, ASME Section IX, API 1104 (and D1.2, D1.5, D17.1) | High |
| positions: 1G–4G plate, 5G, 6G, 6GR | High |
| blueprint / weld-symbol reading | High |
| fabrication / fit-up | High |
| materials: carbon steel, stainless (304/316), aluminum, Inconel, titanium | Medium |
| thickness / schedule / OD range | Medium |
| grinding / plasma cutting / oxy-fuel | Medium |
| NDT / RT (radiographic) / VT (visual) inspection | Medium |
| WPS / PQR | Medium |
| equipment brands: Lincoln Electric, Miller, Fronius, ESAB | Medium |
| OSHA 10/30 / confined space / hot-work permit / PPE | Medium |
| CWI (Certified Welding Inspector) — for the inspector track | Medium |
Don't guess — score your resume against the specific posting and see exactly which terms are missing.
How to write a welder resume
Lead with certifications formatted the way an inspector reads them
Put a dedicated Certifications section in the top third, and format each line process + position + material + code + last-test date: “AWS D1.1 3G SMAW, 3/8" plate, last tested 02/2026.” A foreman scans that block first to decide whether you're worth a weld test. And keep the dates current — AWS requires performance within six months to maintain a qualification, or you have to requalify by re-testing.
Quantify in the trade's metrics: pass rate, first-pass, rework
X-ray or NDT pass rate, first-pass inspection acceptance, rework percentage against the shop baseline, linear inches or welds per shift, tons produced, joints completed. “Welded pipe and structural steel” is every welder's line; “97.4% X-ray pass across 300+ ASME B31.3 joints” is a hire. These numbers are also checkable — which is exactly why they carry weight.
Match the exact process acronyms — the ATS is literal
Large manufacturers run screening software that matches the exact string, so if the posting says “GMAW (MIG),” your resume carries both “GMAW” and “MIG.” List the highest position per process (4G subsumes 1G–3G, so you don't pad with every lower one) and name the codes precisely — D1.1, ASME IX, API 1104 — because the wrong or missing acronym reads as a capability you don't have.
State your safety record — omitting it is a red flag
Incident-free field hours or years belong on the page: “zero recordables across 11,200 field hours and four turnarounds.” Leaving a safety record off signals you don't track it, which no refinery or structural employer wants to read. Add the safety tickets too — OSHA 10/30, confined space, hot-work permitting — near your certifications.
Come to the interview ready to weld — and target the pipe track for pay
A weld test at hiring is near-universal, from a few fillet welds to confirm your experience to a vertical-up plate that must pass X-ray, tensile and impact — so assume it and show up in gear. If pay is the goal, the pipe and pipeline track is where it lives: a 6G ticket plus a code cert (API 1104 or ASME IX) and travel-readiness turns a ~$54K base into $90K–$135K with per diem and overtime.
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Start freeMistakes that filter welders out
Listing tasks and equipment instead of qualifications and results
“Operated welding equipment” tells a foreman nothing. Lead with the codes, positions and materials you're certified on, and the pass rates you hold.
Certifications mixed into the skills section
They're the gate — keep them in a separate Certifications block, formatted process/position/material/code/date, in the top third.
Listing every position ever passed
4G implicitly covers 1G–3G; padding with all of them reads as padding. List the highest position per process.
Missing the exact ATS acronyms
Writing “MIG” but not “GMAW” when the posting uses “GMAW” drops you from the search. Carry both forms.
Stale test dates on current certs
AWS qualifications lapse after six months without documented performance. Keep your last-test dates current or note active maintenance.
No safety record
Incident-free hours are expected on a welding resume. Omitting them signals you don't track safety — quantify it.
No quantifiable results
Pass percentage, rework, throughput, tons, joints — a welding resume without numbers reads as unverifiable. Add the metrics.
Welder salary ranges (US)
United States market. Absolute figures differ by country — the gaps between levels travel better than the numbers.
| Helper / apprentice | $15 – $22/hr (~$33K–$42K) |
| Journeyman welder (median) | ~$51K – $56K |
| Certified / experienced (5+ yrs) | $50K – $70K+ |
| Pipe / pipeline (with per diem + OT) | $90K – $135K |
| CWI / inspector | $70K – $118K |
BLS median for welders, cutters and solderers is roughly $51,000 (May 2024; the $56,760 figure some sites cite is the mean, not the median — 10th–90th run about $37K–$78K). Pipe and pipeline is the money track: a ~$54K base can reach $90K–$135K with per diem and overtime. Union total packages (wage plus benefits) run $38–72/hour; the AWS CWI inspector credential opens $70K–$118K. Expect a weld test at the interview — it's near-universal.
Certifications worth listing
- AWS Certified Welder — a performance test, not a course: you qualify by passing a hands-on weld test across positions, processes and codes; no prerequisite classes required
- The 6-month continuity rule — an AWS qualification stays valid indefinitely only if you document performing that process at least every six months; lapse it and you must requalify by re-testing
- Code certifications — AWS D1.1 (structural), D1.2 (aluminum), D1.5 (bridge), ASME Section IX (pressure vessel), API 1104 (pipeline), D17.1 (aerospace); name the exact ones you hold
- Position logic — 3G qualifies flat/horizontal/vertical, 4G adds overhead, 5G and 6G are pipe; 6G is the gold standard because it covers all positions on fixed pipe
- AWS CWI (Certified Welding Inspector) — the inspector track: a high-school diploma plus 5 years' experience qualifies you; three exams, valid 9 years, and it opens the $70K–$118K inspector band
Templates that fit welder resumes
Welder resume FAQ
How do I list my certifications and weld-test results?
In a dedicated Certifications section near the top, format each line with the process, position, material, code and last-test date — “API 1104 6G GTAW/SMAW pipe, carbon and 316L, last tested 03/2026.” List the highest position per process (higher subsumes lower) and keep dates current, since AWS qualifications lapse after six months without documented performance. For entry welders, stating coupon pass rates (“38 of 42 D1.1 plate coupons, first attempt”) gives a foreman a verifiable reason to test you.
Will I have to take a weld test at the interview?
Almost certainly — a weld test at hiring is near-universal in the trade. It ranges from running a few fillet welds to confirm you didn't oversell your experience, up to a demanding vertical-up plate with a backing bar that has to pass X-ray, tensile and impact, sometimes after several interviews. The practitioner rule is simple: always assume you'll test, and show up in your gear ready to weld. Your resume gets you the test; the test gets you the job.
Do I need trade school, or can I learn on the job?
Either works, because welding is credentialed by passing the weld test, not by a diploma. The AWS Certified Welder program requires no coursework — it's a performance test. Apprentices earn a wage (roughly $15–19/hour) while they learn, trade school gives you structured fundamentals and coupons to point to, and both paths converge at the same gate. Lead your resume with your current AWS or ASME qualification, whichever route got you there.
Is pipe welding really the money track?
Yes. A pipe welder's base sits around $54K, but the pipeline and refinery work pays through a structure of arm pay (taxable), truck pay (tax-free) and per diem (tax-free) that, with 60-hour project weeks, can push earnings to $90K–$135K. The price of admission is real: a 6G ticket, a code certification like API 1104 or ASME Section IX, X-ray-quality welds, and willingness to travel and live on turnarounds. If you can pass the tests and take the road, it's the highest-paying lane in the trade.
Union or non-union — how does the pay compare?
Compare total compensation, not the headline wage. Union total packages — the Boilermakers, UA Pipefitters, Ironworkers — run roughly $38–72/hour including health, pension and annuity, and generally out-earn non-union on a fully-loaded basis. Non-union quotes are usually base wage only, with benefits (if any) on top. On your resume, note your local and journeyman status if you're union; if you're weighing an offer, load the union benefits into the math before you decide.
How do I move up to inspector or foreman?
The inspector path is the AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI): a high-school diploma plus five years of welding experience qualifies you to sit three exams (fundamentals, practical, and an open-book code section), and the credential is valid nine years. It's a real step up in pay — the inspector band runs roughly $70K–$118K — and it shifts your resume from pass rates to code fluency, WPS/PQR authoring, NDT interpretation and crews supervised. Foreman roles build from the same code depth plus leadership: crew size, rejection-rate reduction, clean audits.
Which keywords matter most for welder screening?
Your processes written both ways (GMAW/MIG, GTAW/TIG, SMAW/Stick), your AWS or ASME certification, the codes by name (D1.1, ASME IX, API 1104), your positions (up to 6G), and blueprint reading and fabrication — plus materials, NDT familiarity and the OSHA safety tickets. Mirror the posting's exact acronyms. Run it against the actual listing — Resumap's ATS check scores the match and lists what's missing.
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