How To Become A Tool Dresser: What It Is and Career Path

What is a tool dresser and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a tool dresser. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.26 an hour? That's $52,551 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -45,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreTool DresserUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $52,551

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.6

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 6.69%

Black or African American 10.61%

Hispanic or Latino 18.37%

Unknown 3.92%

White 59.71%

Gender

female 3.70%

male 96.30%

Age - 46

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 - 46

Stress level

5.6

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a tool dresser

Explore tool dresser education requirements

Most common tool dresser degrees

High School Diploma

50.0 %

Master's

16.7 %

Bachelor's

16.7 %

Start to develop specific tool dresser skills

Skills	Percentages
Rig	100.00%

Complete relevant tool dresser training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New tool dressers 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 tool dresser based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real tool dresser resumes.

Research tool dresser duties and responsibilities

Perform various customer service duties under strict deadlines, including assisting performers with costumes, quick changes, and backstage ;.
Operate large-volume cooking equipment such as grills, deep-fat fryers, or griddles.

Prepare your tool dresser resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your tool dresser 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 tool dresser resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable tool dresser resume templates

Build a professional tool dresser 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 tool dresser resume.