Plumber resume example

What recruiters look for

• License class and state: journeyman or master, plumbing and gas, with the issuing board. In most states this decides whether you can work alone.
• Service or construction: service plumbers need diagnosis and customer skills; new construction needs speed, layout and blueprint reading. Say which you do.
• Fix rate and callbacks: first-visit fix rates, callbacks and failed inspections are the quality numbers service managers watch.
• Sales without pushing: average ticket, replacement options and reviews show you can grow revenue honestly.
• Extra endorsements: gas fitting, backflow testing, medical gas or sprinkler work widen what an employer can send you to.

Writing the summary

Open with your license and state, your years and whether you do service or construction. Then one line on how you work with customers or crews. Name extra licenses such as gas fitting or backflow testing.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

• Cleared and camera-inspected 400+ main sewer lines a year, recommending 60 targeted repairs that saved customers full replacements.
• Installed 35 tankless water heaters in 2025 with zero callbacks, including venting, gas sizing and descaling kits.
• Repiped 12 older homes from galvanized to PEX in an average of 2 days each, with drywall repairs scheduled before we left.
• Raised maintenance plan sign-ups on my route from 8% to 22% of customers in one year.
• Ran the plumbing on a 42,000 sq ft medical office, including 120 fixtures, 3 backflow assemblies and a grease interceptor, passing all inspections on the first visit.
• Located and repaired a slab leak that had raised a customer’s water bill by $300 a month, using thermal imaging and acoustic detection.
• Trained 4 apprentices on soldering, ProPress and code; all passed their journeyman exams within 2 years of finishing hours.
• Kept a 98% on-time arrival rate across 1,200 scheduled calls.
• Handled emergency on-call one week a month, answering within 15 minutes and reaching most calls within an hour.

Skills to list

Certifications and licenses worth listing

• State journeyman or master plumber license: required to work unsupervised in almost every state. Give the class, the board and the year.
• Gas fitter license or endorsement: some states license it separately (Massachusetts does); others include it in the plumbing license.
• Backflow tester certification: through your state or an approved body such as ASSE or ABPA; lets you test and sign off devices.
• ASSE 6010 Medical Gas Installer: valuable for hospital and clinic work.
• OSHA 10 or 30: expected on construction sites, less so in residential service.

Length and format

One page. Licenses go near the top (the sidebar of a two-column layout works well). Give the current job four bullets with numbers and earlier jobs two or three. Skip the full list of every fixture brand you have installed.

Common mistakes

• Leaving out the state on a license. A license from one state does not always transfer, and employers need to know which you hold.
• Describing service work without numbers: calls a day, fix rate and reviews are easy to find in your company’s software.
• Mixing service and construction work on one generic resume. Make a version for each.
• Listing “customer service” as a skill without proof. A review rating or repeat customers say it better.
• Old or expired certifications such as a lapsed backflow tester card. Renew it or leave it off.