My account

You control your data

We use cookies to tailor the experience of creating resumes and cover letters. For these reasons, we may share your usage data with third parties. You can find more information about how we use cookies on our Cookies Policy. If you would like to set your cookies preferences, click the Settings button below. To accept all cookies, click Accept.

Settings Accept

Cookie settings

Click on the types of cookies below to learn more about them and customize your experience on our Site. You may freely give, refuse or withdraw your consent. Keep in mind that disabling cookies may affect your experience on the Site. For more information, please visit our Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

Choose type of cookies to accept

Analytics

These cookies allow us to analyze our performance to offer you a better experience of creating resumes and cover letters. Analytics related cookies used on our Site are not used by Us for the purpose of identifying who you are or to send you targeted advertising. For example, we may use cookies/tracking technologies for analytics related purposes to determine the number of visitors to our Site, identify how visitors move around the Site and, in particular, which pages they visit. This allows us to improve our Site and our services.

Performance and Personalisation

These cookies give you access to a customized experience of our products. Personalization cookies are also used to deliver content, including ads, relevant to your interests on our Site and third-party sites based on how you interact with our advertisements or content as well as track the content you access (including video viewing). We may also collect password information from you when you log in, as well as computer and/or connection information. During some visits, we may use software tools to measure and collect session information, including page response times, download errors, time spent on certain pages and page interaction information.

Advertising

These cookies are placed by third-party companies to deliver targeted content based on relevant topics that are of interest to you. And allow you to better interact with social media platforms such as Facebook.

Necessary

These cookies are essential for the Site’s performance and for you to be able to use its features. For example, essential cookies include: cookies dropped to provide the service, maintain your account, provide builder access, payment pages, create IDs for your documents and store your consents.

To see a detailed list of cookies, click here.

Save preferences

Carpenter Resume—Examples, Skills, Job Description & Guide

You work wonders with wood, whether building things, maintaining or repairing them. Show hiring managers the value you bring to the table with a rock solid carpenter resume.

Dominika Kowalska, CPRW
Career Expert
Carpenter Resume—Examples, Skills, Job Description & Guide

Most carpenter resumes are full of flaws—

The kind that no amount of sawdust mixed with wood glue can smooth over.

Make your fit and finish better than theirs, and your carpenter resume is guaranteed to get read.

Choose the right materials and follow the right blueprints—

And you’re on your way to landing that interview.

In this guide:

  • A carpenter resume examples better than most.
  • How to create the perfect carpenter job description for resumes.
  • How to write a resume for carpenter jobs that stands out.
  • Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing a carpenter job.

Save hours of work and get a job-winning resume like this. Try our resume builder for free. Start by choosing a resume template.

Create your resume now

CREATE YOUR RESUME NOWcarpenter resume example

What users say about ResumeLab:

I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: “Wow! I love your resume.”
Patrick

I love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work!
Dylan 

My previous resume was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful!
George

Create your resume now

Looking into other jobs as well? Check out these guides:

Carpenter Resume Example

Jason Pagel

Carpenter

Personal Info

Phone: 870-917-7152

E-mail: jason.m.pagel@reslab.com

linkedin.com/in/jasonmpagel123

Summary

Passionate carpenter with 5+ years’ experience, skilled in cabinet making. Seeking to help Company ABC maintain its excellent carpentry standards. At Francie & Co., completed 80+ installations of cabinets, hardwood floors, drywall, and roll insulation and supervised crews of up to 15 journeymen.

Experience 

Carpenter

Francie & Co., El Paso, TX

March 2018–present

  • Explained floor plans and cabinet work to workers in a way that reduced errors by up to 20%.
  • Completed 80+ installations of cabinets, hardwood floors, drywall, and roll insulation.
  • Assigned duties to coworkers based on job orders and specifications, such that the team operated at over 90% capacity.
  • Supervised crews of up to 15 journeymen.

Carpenter

Weldinger’s, Santa Fe, NM

June 2016–March 2018

  • Prepared 40+ plans and designs for roofs, remodels, and decks.
  • Modified 30+ sets of blueprints to ensure code compliance.
  • Examined buildings and project specifications to determine measurements and dimensions with 98% accuracy.
  • Selected lumber based on the characteristics of each job, reducing waste by 10–15%.

Education 

Midwood High School

Brooklyn, NY

Graduated in 2012

  • Pursued a passion for woodworking classes.
  • Won Best Sculpture for wood carving “Flame Trees”.

Certifications

  • OSHA Safety Certificate, 2018
  • First Aid, CPR, AED, American Red Cross, 2016

Languages

  • English—native
  • Spanish—communicative

Key Skills 

  • Power tools and hand tools
  • Complying with building codes
  • Reading building plans
  • Cabinet making
  • Time management
  • Communication skills

Now here’s how to write a carpenter resume they’ll love:

1. Go With the Right Carpenter Resume Format

Just like that apprentice—

The one who manages to scratch your burnishing rod every time he tries (and fails) to prepare a cabinet scraper—

Your carpenter resume is not likely to get far if it doesn’t get the simple things right.

So make sure your resume format says all the right things about you. Here’s how to format your resume properly:

Carpenter Resume Format

  • Use the chronological resume format to show your most recent successes first.
  • Choose a good resume font like a Arial or Calibri in 11–12 pt.
  • Set your resume margins to an inch all round and don’t crowd the page.
  • Measure out your resume length. How many pages should a resume be for carpenter jobs? One will suffice—go to a second page only if you’ve been at it for 20 or more years. 
  • Include at least these sections: Resume header, Summary, Experience, Education, and Skills. Additional sections, like Certifications and Languages, are optional. 

When it comes to sending your carpenter resume—

Saving your resume in PDF will keep the formatting straight and true, but—

Some companies scan incoming resumes with ATSs (Applicant Tracking Systems) that can’t handle PDF.

So—

To make sure you submit an ATS-friendly resume, always check the job ad for a preferred file format.

If they haven’t specified anything, go with PDF.

2. Start With an Attention-Grabbing Carpenter Resume Objective or Summary

The best way to start a resume for carpenter jobs?

With a strong summary of why you’re exactly who they’re looking for.

And the best way to do that?

With a resume profile.

The profile is a short paragraph that goes right below the header of your resume. It serves a series of important purposes: to catch the reader’s attention, to show your value to the employer straight away, and to get the recruiter to read on. 

Now then— 

Got a year or more of carpentry experience?

Make your profile a resume summary. It’ll let you make full use of that experience.

Use:

  1. One adjective (dedicated, reliable, highly disciplined)
  2. Job title (Carpenter)
  3. Years of experience (4+, 6+)
  4. How you’ll help (maintain high standards of work while keeping costs down)
  5. Two or three of your most relevant achievements (examined buildings and project specifications to determine measurements and dimensions with 98% accuracy, selected lumber based on the characteristics of each job, reducing waste by 10–15%)

These carpenter resume summary statement examples show how:

Carpenter Resume Summary—Examples

Good Example
Passionate carpenter with 5+ years’ experience, skilled in cabinet making. Seeking to help Company ABC maintain its excellent carpentry standards. At Francie & Co., completed 80+ installations of cabinets, hardwood floors, drywall, and roll insulation and supervised crews of up to 15 journeymen.
Bad Example
Carpenter with 5 years’ experience, skilled in carpentry. Seeking to join a fun-loving team at a company with decent insurance. At Francie & Co., installed cabinets, hardwood floors, drywall, and roll insulation and supervised crews of journeymen.

Who would you choose?

The first of these carpenter resume examples does two things particularly well:

It’s all about what the candidate can do for their potential employer, not the other way around, and—

It puts numbers to duties, effectively turning them into resume achievements.

What if you have little or no experience working as a fully fledged carpenter?

Use a resume objective as your resume profile. Focus on relevant experience and transferable skills from other sources, like apprenticeships, volunteer work, projects, school accomplishments, or non-carpentry jobs. 

See these resume objective statement examples

Carpenter Resume Objective—Examples

Good Example
Dedicated carpenter with 10+ months’ experience, skilled in using hand tools. Seeking to help Company ABC maintain its excellent carpentry standards. At Weldinger’s, modified 30+ sets of blueprints to ensure code compliance and prepared 40+ plans and designs for roofs, remodels, and decks.
Bad Example
Only just finished apprenticeship and looking to move to the next stage of this carpentry journey. Looking for a company that looks after its employees, willing to stay on for a year or two (if the pay is OK).

And again:

The first carpenter resume example quantifies everything it can while keeping the spotlight on the value the candidate can bring to the company.

Feeling stuck?

Write your resume profile after you’ve done the next two sections—

You’ll find it much easier, and you’ll do a better job, too.

3. Write the Perfect Carpenter Job Description and Skills Sections

When it comes to convincing them you’ve got what it takes, the next best thing to mailing in past passion projects is describing what you’ve handled in the past.

So, time to make your resume work history section a trophy room of past achievements.

How to write a job description for carpenters:

  1. Re-read the job ad.
  2. Mark the carpenter skills and duties in it.
  3. Think of times those skills helped you wow employers.
  4. Write resume bullet points that describe and quantify those times. Action words and numbers are your best friends here. 

These carpenter resume examples show how to put the above into practice:

Carpenter Job Description for a Resume

Good Example

Carpenter

Francie & Co., El Paso, TX

March 2018–present

  • Explained floor plans and cabinet work to workers in a way that reduced errors by up to 20%.
  • Completed 80+ installations of cabinets, hardwood floors, drywall, and roll insulation.
  • Assigned duties to coworkers based on job orders and specifications such that the team operated at over 90% capacity.
  • Supervised crews of up to 15 journeymen.
Bad Example

Carpenter

Francie & Co., El Paso, TX

2018–present

  • Explained floor plans and cabinet work to workers.
  • Installed cabinets, hardwood floors, drywall, and roll insulation.
  • Assigned duties to coworkers based on job orders and specifications.
  • Supervised crews of journeymen.

Quite the contrast.

Being specific and putting numbers to benefits and claims makes a huge difference, every time.

One more thing:

It’s time to select the skills to put on a resume.

But—

This isn’t like gluing up end grain: more is not better.

Be selective in the skills you include: cover everything suggested by the job ad, add one or two skills for good measure, and stop there.

The following lists will get you started and help you see the difference between hard and soft skills: 

Carpenter Skills for a Resume

Hard skills

  • Power tools
  • Hand tools
  • Dry wall
  • Wall hanging
  • Building codes
  • Building plans
  • Cabinet making
  • Blueprint reading
  • Trim carpentry
  • Doors and windows

Soft skills

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now.

CREATE YOUR RESUME NOW

CREATE YOUR RESUME NOWcreate your resume now

Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, and highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You're the perfect candidate, and we'll prove it. Use our resume builder now.

4. Turn Blah Education Into a Reason to Hire You

It takes a lot to become a carpenter

But a college degree isn’t usually on the list.

That doesn’t mean you can phone in your education section—

It can make all the difference.

First:

List your highest level of schooling, the name of the school or college, and graduation year.

Then:

Add bullet points that show carpentry skills in the making.

This carpenter resume example shows how:

Carpenter Resume Template—Education Section

Good Example

Midwood High School, Brooklyn, NY

2012

  • Pursued a passion for woodworking classes.
  • Won Best Sculpture for wood carving “Flame Trees”.

Short on carpentry experience? 

Lengthen your resume education section to include relevant projects, classes, and accomplishments.

5. Fill Your Carpenter Resume With Added Sections

Sometimes it’s good to overshoot the mark:

Most resumes for carpenter jobs stop with experience, education, and skills sections—

Stand out by taking it further.

Add one or two extra sections:

These two carpenter resume examples show yes vs no:

Carpenter Resume Examples—Extra Sections

Good Example

Certifications

  • OSHA Safety Certificate
  • First Aid, CPR, AED, American Red Cross

Languages

  • English – native
  • Spanish – communicative
Bad Example

Hobbies and Interests

  • Pottery
  • Renovating vintage computer mice
  • Painting light bulbs

Languages

  • English and some Spanish

MDF, meet hickory.

Hobbies and interests can make for a great addition to your carpenter resume—

But—

They have to be relevant to the job ad at hand.

Everything you include has to be relevant to the job ad.

Nearly there, one last question:

Is there something in the job ad about not writing a cover letter?

If there isn’t, then you’ll need to include one. Your carpenter resume will be incomplete without it.

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

CREATE YOUR COVER LETTER NOW

CREATE YOUR COVER LETTER NOWcreate your cover letter now

Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Key Points

For a carpenter resume that gets interviews:

  • Use the template for a carpenter resume up top. It fits with hiring managers’ expectations like a mortise and tenon.
  • Add carpenter achievements to your summary, work experience, and education sections to show you know how to use every tool in your tool belt.
  • Go with the right carpenter skills for your resume. Which ones are the right ones? The job ad will tell you all you need to know.
  • Write a carpenter cover letter. It’s how you get to show your passion for the work as you roll out a highlights reel of your achievements.

Our carpenter resume sample not detailed enough, as far as blueprints go? Got any questions to ask or advice to share? Drop us a line down below—we can’t wait.

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

Rate my article: carpenter
Thank you for voting
Average: 5 (1 votes)
Dominika Kowalska, CPRW
Dominika is a job expert with a focus on career development and onboarding processes. At ResumeLab, she co-manages our team of career experts.

Was it interesting? Here are similar articles

56 Resume Writing Tips and Tricks for 2024

56 Resume Writing Tips and Tricks for 2024

You can stop searching—this is the ultimate collection of best resume tips that can help you succeed in 2024. These resume writing tips will help to impress hiring managers.

Roma Kończak, CPRW
Roma Kończak, CPRW
Career Expert
Free Resume Templates: The Ultimate Collection for 2024

Free Resume Templates: The Ultimate Collection for 2024

The best things in life are free. That applies to free resume templates, too—browse our hand-picked free resume template collection and download your favorites straight away!

Maciej Duszyński, CPRW
Maciej Duszyński, CPRW
Career Expert