Handyman Resume: Sample and Complete Writing Guide [20+ Tips]

Sample Handyman Resume Template

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Here’s how to write a handyman resume that gets jobs:

1. Choose the Best Format for Your Handyman Resume

A slipshod handyman skills resume belies a slipshod handyman.

Show the hiring manager you’re worth a second look with a professionally formatted resume.

These steps will fix you up fast:

• What’s the right format for a resume? The most respected is the chronological layout. That’s reverse-chronological to you and me.
• In the heading for your resume, feature your name and your job title prominently.
• Give the hiring manager a break now and add plenty of white space. Put your words in good resume fonts so they don’t have to struggle reading the text.
• When you save it, should you do that in PDF format or Word format? Resumes as PDFs always work better unless the job ad says they’re “not code.”

Pro Tip: How many words should a resume be for handyman jobs? A single page is the standard. Any longer and you’d better have built Shea Stadium.

2. Write a Handyman Resume Objective or Resume Summary

You don’t have much time.

A handyman resume gets very little time with the busy hiring manager.

That’s why you need a resume profile that stands up and shouts.

The key to nailing it? Stock it with achievements.

When you’ve got more than two years of experience, a resume summary is the way to go. In it, show a couple skills and things you did in other handyman jobs that really helped.

For entry-level resumes for handyman positions, write a resume objective. That’s where you talk up your skills, but add accomplishments from non-handyman jobs.

Pro Tip: You need a summary in a handyman or landscaping skills resume, but write it last. If you write it first, you’ll get stuck looking for raw material.

3. Make a Polished Handyman Job Description for Your Resume

Who would you hire?

Someone who “handled” handyman duties and responsibilities?

Or somebody who excelled at them?

Show you’re the second kind of candidate, by listing accomplishments in your resume work experience section.

• Put your latest job up top with a position title, company name, and dates you worked there.
• Put about five bullet points under that top job. What goes in them? Duties and achievements.
• Duct tape those achievements to the job by using them to prove skills from the job posting. That’s called tailoring a resume.
• Add a few numbers like dollars saved or hours saved to show you weren’t just killing time.
• Use powerful resume words to keep things interesting for the hiring manager.

Pro Tip: As you get lower on your handyman resume, use less bullet points. The key is to describe your current skills more fully.

4. Write a Functional Handyman Resume Education Section

Ready for a surprise?

In a handyman resume, your education section can get you hired.

How can that be possible?

Well, employers don’t care about your education. But they do care about your passion.

You want to show technical skills and softer skills in a resume.

Your education can prove the softer ones.

Here’s how:

• List things you did in school that show your people skills, communication, or time management.
• Did you belong to any clubs or teams? That shows collaboration skills.
• Did you do any projects or excel in any classes that show job compatibility? List them.

Pro Tip: Should you show your GPA in a handyman or maintenance man resumes? You don’t need to. If it will make the hiring manager notice you in a good way, list it.

5. Show Your Handyman Skills

Use this handyman resume skills list in your resume:

Handyman Resume Skills

Hard Skills:

• Carpentry
• Landscaping
• Painting
• Appliance repair
• Sheetrocking
• Roofing
• Electrical work
• Plumbing
• Appliance installation
• Pest control

Soft Skills:

• Interpersonal relations
• Conflict resolution
• Communication
• Active listening
• Dependability
• Driver’s license
• Problem solving
• Time management
• Critical thinking

But don’t just hammer that resume skills list in your application for handyman jobs. Did the job ad mention landscaping skills? Add them, then show how you used ‘em.

Pro Tip: Even if you’ve never held the handyman job title, you can still get the job with a good handyman resume. How? By adding skills that carry over from other jobs you’ve had.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add Other Sections to Your Handyman Resume

Go above and beyond to get the job.

To do it, show you’ve still got energy when you’re not at work.

That works by adding extra resume sections like:

• Volunteer efforts
• Activities
• Kudos from employers
• Sports
• Interests and hobbies
• Foreign language skills

7. Attach a Cover Letter to Your Handyman Resume

Really?

Do you actually need to write a cover letter for a handyman resume?

Oh, yes.

Most recruiters like them. If you write a good one, it can get you in the door.

But you’ve got to show you fit the job like you were shimmed into it.

So:

• Begin with a format for cover letters managers respect.
• Always start cover letters with a grippy hook.
• In the middle, say what you like about the company.
• To end a cover letter, make a tantalizing offer like, “I’d like to talk with you about making your life easier.”

Pro Tip: When you send a handyman resume and cover letter, follow up on your job application. Don’t be afraid to do it more than once. They won’t count it against you at hiring time.

That’s it!

That’s how to write a resume for handyman positions.

Still puzzling out how to write a handyman or carpenter resume objective? Got tips for greenhorns that will get them on the premises? Give us a shout in the comments. We’d love to talk!