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Metal welder skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

1 min read

Quoted experts

Ryan Houtcooper,

Ryan Houtcooper

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical metal welder skills. We ranked the top skills for metal welders based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 22.3% of metal welder resumes contained mig as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a metal welder needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 metal welder skills for your resume and career

1. MIG

MIG is a specific type of welding in which two base materials are welded together using a solid wire electrode fed through a welding gun and into the weld pool.

Here's how metal welders use mig:

Welded New Dumpsters (Arc - Mig)
Repair and maintain all carts, racks and fixtures that support the production line utilizing MIG weld processes on steel materials.

2. Hand Tools

Here's how metal welders use hand tools:

Cut and treat materials such as steel and aluminum with saws, drill presses and hand tools.
Followed layout specifications and used welding torches, and hand tools.

3. Arc Welding

Here's how metal welders use arc welding:

Performed high-quality gas metal arc welding and weld testing for manufacturing electrical bus.
Experienced in arc welding and soldering mining equipment

4. Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is an alloy of iron, chromium, carbon, and some other metals with corrosion-resistant properties. The components of steel include less than 1% carbon, 1% manganese, and small quantities of other elements such as phosphorus, silicon, sulfur, and oxygen. Iron and carbon are the two essential components of steel. Stainless steel is resistant to tarnishing and rust.

Here's how metal welders use stainless steel:

Full penetration Pipe welder-fitter fabricator for refinery subcontractor per blueprint specifications stainless steel, chrome and carbon steel
Operate heavy machinery and install stainless steel panels in extreme conditions

5. Tack

A tack in nautical terms refers to the direction that a boat moves in order to align with the angle of the wind and to allow the boat receives the wind directly on its sails. Tack is also the word used to describe the fastening of a thing to a place. In the tailoring industry, it is used to describe the process of temporarily sewing pieces of materials.

Here's how metal welders use tack:

Assemble and tack welded steel battery tray Measured and marked locations for metal components on assembly table Read blueprint
Weld trailer frames together after they have been fabricated and tack welded, grinding and smoothing where needed, keep warehouse organized

6. GMAW

Here's how metal welders use gmaw:

Instruct, Demonstrate, and Assist students taking any of the three major electrical processes, GMAW, SMAW, and GTAW
Conducted weld wire testing that added solid GMAW wire availability and avoided expenses of $12,000 per spindle.

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7. TIG

TIG stands for "tungsten inert gas welding" and is also known as gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). This particular type of weld is more difficult as it requires the welder to heat materials until they are liquid.

Here's how metal welders use tig:

Completed all Welder Fitter duties including driving tow motor, MIG TIG welding styles, and reading blue print lay outs.
Changed gear boxes, sprockets, shafts, replaced belts as well as welding using TIG, MIG and stick welders.

8. Carbon Steel

Here's how metal welders use carbon steel:

Certified unlimited thickness carbon steel Fitted components for dump trucks
Worked primarily with aluminum and occasionally carbon steel.

9. SMAW

Here's how metal welders use smaw:

Utilized SMAW process exclusively regarding state and federal contracted jobs.
Welded metal parts with SMAW, and gas welding equipment as specified by layout, welding diagram, or work order.

10. Flame Cutting

Here's how metal welders use flame cutting:

Operate manual or semi-automatic flame cutting equipment.
Operated hand-welding equipment and flame cutting equipment.

11. Torches

Here's how metal welders use torches:

Preheated work pieces to specific temperatures prefatory to welding using acetylene torches and temperature sticks to check for proper welding temperatures.
Operated heavy fabrication machinery and cutting torches.

12. Tig Welding

Here's how metal welders use tig welding:

Manufactured car/truck Trailers Blueprint Reading ASME state certified Mig-Stick-Tig welding for many positions Collated components for assembly.
Specialized Skills: MIG/TIG welding, CNC welding, weld joint and connecting surface analysis and quality control

13. Spot Welding

Here's how metal welders use spot welding:

Followed work instructions and manufacturing process instructions in performing tasks such as spot welding and press brake operation.
Spot welding blower housings for furnaces and operating sheet metal fabricating machines.

14. Jigs

Here's how metal welders use jigs:

Increased quality and productivity of this operation by designing/fabricating and utilizing welding jigs and frames.
Designed and implemented various jigs and templates to reduce/eliminate reoccurring material deficiencies.

15. Brazing

Here's how metal welders use brazing:

Use trade procedures such as brazing, soldering, flame and arc-cutting, surface hardening, annealing and metal spraying.
Conduct trial runs before welding, soldering, or brazing and make necessary adjustments to equipment.

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What skills help Metal Welders find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on metal welder resumes?

Ryan Houtcooper

Professor of Welding, University of Alaska Southeast

The skills that stand out most depend a great deal on the geographic location of the individual. For example, if I were to have someone approach me for a job here in Ketchikan, I would look for two things. Is the person capable of welding aluminum and stainless steel? Now, if I were still down in the midwest chasing pipelines and someone came to me for a job, I would be looking for two different things. Is the person capable and efficient at fitting and welding pipes? However, should a person who has a magnitude of experience and is well rounded in most welding processes ever approach for a job, then that person would supersede anyone who has just one or two capabilities.

What soft skills should all metal welders possess?

Ryan Houtcooper

Professor of Welding, University of Alaska Southeast

For a welder, having PATIENCE is the biggest attribute. But there are a few other key factors that go into the success of a welder's career, such as having good communication skills, both written and oral. Having the knowledge and ability to do mathematical problem solving, along with the ability to read blueprints/shop drawings. These are the most critical aspects to the welder.

What hard/technical skills are most important for metal welders?

Ryan Houtcooper

Professor of Welding, University of Alaska Southeast

Knowing how to troubleshoot welding equipment, setting up and taking down equipment related to the trade (pan breaks, plate rollers, plate shears, torch sets, overhead cranes, forklifts, CNC machines, etc...). Rigging heavy objects for crane picks is also an important factor for big outfits.

Do you want to know more?

List of metal welder skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a metal welder resume and required skills for a metal welder to have include:

MIG
Hand Tools
Arc Welding
Stainless Steel
Tack

GMAW
TIG
Carbon Steel
SMAW
Flame Cutting

Torches
Tig Welding
Spot Welding
Jigs
Brazing

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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