How To Become A Quality Control: What It Is and Career Path

What is a quality control and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. William Collier Ph.D.

Quality control inspectors monitor the quality of production procedures, as well as materials and products coming in and out of manufacturing sites or company premises. They run tests and log defects of products or procedures at assembly lines, laboratories, or quality control departments.

Quality control focuses on the inspection aspect of quality management and fulfilling quality requirements, as opposed to monitoring processes, which is more along the area of quality assurance.

Summing up to much more than error hunting, the position of quality control inspectors is a widely misunderstood one, burdened by many stereotypes. One of them, strangely enough, is a gender stereotype assuming that women perform better at quality control. Multitasking and attention to detail do seem to be skills ladies tend to beat quality control dudes at, as well as empathy and communication. But deciding whether a job is for men or women is pointless. If you like it, it is for you. Who says you have to be like other men? Or women?

What general advice would you give to a quality control?

Dr. William Collier Ph.D.

Professor of Chemistry, Oral Roberts University

Know where you want to go, and head in that direction. Be open to a lot of different starting positions; you are young and can change at this point in your career reasonably quickly. In short, if an exciting job comes up, it is not exactly what you are looking for, but you need a job. You might be surprised to find out what you do and do not like about it. You can always change a few years down the line. Work hard, be honest, treat others right, be a team person, and leave excellent impressions of yourself. You will live happier, and be surprised at how far your reputation (for good or ill) will travel. Verbal references to your work skill, talent, and work behavior can carry more weight than a resume.

ScoreQuality ControlUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $32,824

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.6

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.06%

Asian 10.44%

Black or African American 9.52%

Hispanic or Latino 16.83%

Unknown 5.92%

White 56.23%

Gender

female 45.55%

male 54.45%

Age - 35

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35

Stress level

5.6

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a quality control

Explore quality control education requirements

Most common quality control degrees

Bachelor's

33.6 %

High School Diploma

26.7 %

Associate

18.9 %

Start to develop specific quality control skills

Skills	Percentages
Quality Checks	21.65%
Product Quality	12.63%
Safety Standards	7.21%
Laboratory Equipment	6.44%
Quality Standards	4.37%

Complete relevant quality control training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New quality controls learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a quality control based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real quality control resumes.

Gain additional quality control certifications

Quality control certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific quality control certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for quality controls include Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) and OSHA Safety Certificate .

More About Certifications

Research quality control duties and responsibilities

Develop procedures for testing equipment for safety and compliance to achieve FDA regulations for safety and manufacturing.
Develop and enhance environmental monitoring and testing procedures to insure ~~~~~~~~~compliance through risk assessment utilizing HAACP, USP and EP guidance.
Perform quality control check for all video and audio DVD data streams.
Used extensive use of SQL queries for back end testing using API and XML.

Prepare your quality control resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your quality control resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a quality control resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable quality control resume templates

Build a professional quality control resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your quality control resume.