No, it’s just someone banging on the photocopier trying to make it work.
With the composure of a neurosurgeon, you tighten a single screw no one else even knew existed.
The photocopier is alive again.
Well, the days of percussive maintenance are long gone. It’s the time of maintenance specialists.
And just like a good hard thump is no longer enough to fix a broken AC unit—an ugly, generic maintenance resume will no longer land you an interview.
You’re about to write the best maintenance resume ever. So, buckle up!
Here’s a sample resume for maintenance positions made with our online resume builder.
One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:
[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three . With the same stuff.
Maintenance Resume Examples
Looking for a similar position? We’ve got you covered:
Or maybe you want to craft a winning technical resume? There we go:
Technical Resume Example & Writing Guide
1
What’s the Best Format for a Maintenance Resume?
The first thing you may want to consider getting right is your maintenance resume format.
The variety of maintenance resume formats is striking. And the truth is, the more choice we have, the harder it is to pick the right thing.
Here’s the key to success:
Go for the reverse-chronological resume format .
Why?
It will keep your maintenance resume neat and organized. And wait, aren’t these exactly the qualities you’d like to show the hiring manager right from the start?
Once you’ve chosen the format for your maintenance resume, keep it nice and clean.
White space is your friend, not a foe. Do not cram too much information.
Stick to a resume-friendly font .
Write simple headings.
Export your resumes for maintenance jobs to a PDF file—this way you’ll help it maintain its great shape. That’s also maintenance of a sort.
Now you’re ready to move on to the first section of your maintenance resume.
If you’re in two minds about the format your maintenance job resume should stick to, follow up with a quick read: Best Resume Format: Which to Choose?
2
Maintenance Resume Summary or Resume Objective?
The first thing the hiring manager will see on your maintenance worker resume is the resume objective or summary. And you need to fine-tune this section, just like any other gizmo.
But—
What’s the difference between a maintenance resume objective and maintenance resume summary ?
Subtle, but crucial.
A maintenance resume objective consists of 2-3 sentences showing that you’re a good fit for the position on offer. It’s best suited for workers with limited experience in the field.
On the other hand, a maintenance resume summary , well, you know, summarizes one’s work experience that matches the position.
Maintenance Worker Resume Objective—Example
RIGHT Outgoing, dependable team-player with 2+ years of experience as HVAC helper. Seeks to leverage technical and diagnostic skills as a General Maintenance Worker at Vrooom!. Makita certified user of power tools.
WRONG Seeking position with Vrooom! as General Maintenance Worker. Experienced and good with power tools.
The first candidate knows how to market themselves. They do a great job presenting personal traits, blending in experience, and showing how they can benefit the company.
The other candidate may have exactly the same things to offer. The problem is, how can you know?
Maintenance Supervisor Resume Summary—Example
RIGHT Supervisor with an AAS in industrial maintenance and 10+ years’ experience in the field. Eager to leverage excellent judgment and planning skills to ensure smooth daily operation of the company’s facilities. Achieved 5% reduction in running costs by optimizing the usage of HVAC equipment.
WRONG Fully-qualified and experienced maintenance supervisor. Reliable team-player with good knowledge of HVAC equipment, electricity, and plumbing. Seeks the position of Maintenance Supervisor with your company.
The first example has it all. It’s only three sentences, but it feels like you’ve just read a novel about the candidate’s qualifications, experience, ambitions, and achievements.
Plus, there are numbers to back everything up. A clear winner.
On its own, the second example doesn’t look bad at all, does it? Maybe it even looks like something you’d write yourself.
Remember:
You are not the only one —you will always be compared to the other 299+ candidates.
To make your maintenance resume summary shine, you must:
Focus on your track-record. Be specific about your education and experience. Show your achievement(s). Pepper it with numbers wherever possible.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check . Start building professional resume template here for free
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder exactly how to make it better.
Still not sure how to write your general or building maintenance resume objective or summary? Take a look at the maintenance resume example at the top of this page. Or jump right into one of our guides: 20+ Career Objective Examples Professional Resume Summary: 30 Examples and How-To Guide
3
The Best Maintenance Job Description for a Resume
If your resume is the Millennium Falcon, this section is its hyperdrive.
It needs to be in immaculate condition for your career to jump into hyperspace.
The rule of thumb is to fine-tune your experience section, so it matches the job ad itself.
This is how to do it:
First, take a good look at the list of maintenance responsibilities on the original job posting.
Here’s a sample:
With the Operations Manager, manages the Museum’s facilities to meet and maintain world-class standards. Manages and schedules vendors and operations personnel responsible for maintaining and repairing all facility systems including HVAC equipment, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, painting, etc.Supervises, trains and coaches maintenance technicians and laborers.Inspects the facility on a daily basis and directs maintenance and repairs.Troubleshoots and performs maintenance tasks and repairs to correct malfunctions as they occur.Takes an active role in recognizing and correcting deficiencies in equipment and processes.
The highlighted parts show the general maintenance skills the hiring manager is looking for.
Now:
If your experience fits the position, use the job ad as a guide to tailor-make your maintenance resume experience section.
Maintenance Resume Example—Experience
RIGHT Facility Maintenance Supervisor
The City University of New York, January 2012 - August 2017, New York, NY
Managed and supervised the university’s facilities to meet internal and external standards (e.g., OHSA).Introduced an innovative scheduling system that slashed repair times by 50%.Developed training programs and coached 30+ new technicians and laborers.Regularly directed and performed troubleshooting and maintenance tasks , which led to a 10% decrease in equipment downtime. Actively recognized and corrected HVAC equipment deficiencies reducing overheads by 5% per year.
The parts highlighted in the experience section address all the highlights from the original job ad.
To nail your maintenance resume experience section, follow these rules:
This is how it works!
And one more thing.
If you find it hard to quantify each and every example in your maintenance resume experience section, do not despair.
Here’s the thing:
Add a key achievement section underneath.
It could look something like that:
RIGHT Facility Maintenance Supervisor
The City University of New York, January 2012 - August 2017, New York, NY
Managed and supervised the university’s facilities to meet internal and external standards (e.g., OHSA). Introduced an innovative scheduling system. Regularly directed and performed troubleshooting and maintenance tasks.
Key achievement: Actively recognized and corrected HVAC equipment deficiencies that reduced overheads by 5% per year.
The experience section still lists your achievements, but the harsh reality might be that there’s no way for you to quantify them.
Don’t give up!
Find at least one you are able to quantify, and single it out by putting it in a separate key achievement subsection.
In contrast, the wrong example boils down to a dull list of maintenance supervisor’s responsibilities.
Maintenance Resume Sample—Experience
WRONG Maintenance Supervisor
The City University of New York, January 2012 - August 2017, New York, NY
Responsible for university facilities’ standards Responsible for vendors and operations personnel Responsible for training new staff Responsible for general daily troubleshooting Responsible for HVAC equipment
It doesn’t tell the hiring manager anything about how good you are at doing these things.
If you were to remember only one tip, it would be to always, always tailor your maintenance resume experience section to a specific job posting.
Still confused about how to nail this section of your maintenance worker resume? Jump right into our guide: Work Experience on a Resume: Job Description Bullets that *Kill*
Or maybe your maintenance experience isn’t big enough? Go right here: First Resume with No Work Experience
4
How to Put Skills on a Maintenance Resume
Let’s move on to show what’s hiding in that bag of tricks of yours.
But first:
Long gone are the times when you simply put your maintenance skills on a bullet-point list.
If you just realized you’ve done exactly this, don’t worry.
Here’s the trick:
If your maintenance resume experience section is done right, you’ve already demonstrated some of the most important skills the recruiter is after.
Just have a look:
Maintenance Supervisor Resume Sample—Skills
Managed and supervised Introduced an innovative scheduling systemDeveloped training programs and coached Directed and performed troubleshooting and maintenance tasks Actively recognized and corrected HVAC equipment deficiencies
The bullet point list above is a pruned version of the maintenance resume experience section.
And it’s essentially the same as the list below:
management supervision initiative scheduling coaching diagnosing troubleshooting knowledge of HVAC systems
The difference is that instead of just listing your maintenance skills , you've blended them smoothly into your experience!
This way, your maintenance resume experience section looks much more powerful.
If you’re afraid these skills might be overlooked, you can extract them from the experience section. Then, pick the ones you’d like the hiring manager to focus on, and list them in a separate skills section.
“Right,” you say, “but I’d like to show my soft skills as well, and it may be quite hard to quantify them.”
The soft skills relevant to the position on offer can go straight to your maintenance resume soft skills section:
Maintenance Resume Skills Hard skills
Soft skills
Management (e.g.,PMP Certification)
Communication
Supervision
Ability to Work Under Pressure
Scheduling (e.g., PMI-SP Certification)
Decision Making
Coaching (e.g., ICF Certification)
Time Management
Troubleshooting
Self-motivation
Knowledge of HVAC systems
Conflict Resolution
Technical mathematics
Leadership
Mind you: don’t go overboard—the sweet spot is about 5-7 key skills.
Take a look at the maintenance resume example at the beginning of this guide to see how it works in practice.
If in doubt what skills to put on your general maintenance resume, this guide is just what you need: 30+ Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume
5
Is Your Education Section Underperforming? It Might Be
Common knowledge has it that you simply list the highest level of education, and that’s it.
Well, let those 299+ other candidates fall back on common knowledge.
You’re gonna use expert knowledge, and nail the education section of your maintenance technician resume.
Maintenance Resume Sample—Education
right AAS in Facilities Management Technology—2011
Northwest Technical College, Bemidji, MN
Relevant coursework:
building preventative maintenance optimizing HVAC control systems introduction to energy efficiency and management technical mathematics
Don’t limit yourself to the degree, date, and the school’s name. Show coursework relevant to the position.
Pro Tip: If you’re a recent graduate, you may want to add your GPA. If you scored more than 3.5.
Haven’t graduated yet? If you’re confused about preparing the education section of your maintenance worker resume, here’s a guide with all the answers: How to Put Your Education on a Resume
6
How About a Cover Letter for a Maintenance Position?
This is pretty obvious:
Maintenance is not about talking to machines. Neither is it a solitary occupation.
You need to have good communication skills to work effectively in a team, give precise instructions, and offer clear explanations.
What better place to prove them than in a cover letter!
“But I thought cover letters were dead,” you may think.
Cover letters still matter , and that’s a fact.
Ignore the naysayers, and give your maintenance cover letter the attention it deserves.
It shouldn’t be too wordy, and neither should it be too short. Aim for maximum content and the fewest number of words.
Is there anything missing from your maintenance resume?
If so, the cover letter is exactly the place to fill in all the blanks. Craft it into a story.
Use the cover letter to your advantage. Let it reflect the qualities sought after in the candidates.
To make your cover letter stand out, it must be:
Well-organized. Clearly written. To-the-point.
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here.
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Not sure how to do it? Here’s our complete guide on how to write a perfect cover letter in 8 simple steps.
Key Takeaway
Your maintenance resume should be specifically written to answer a particular job ad.
A laundry-list of your past responsibilities is totally unimpressive—it won’t land you an interview, let alone a job.
To write the winning maintenance resume, make sure you:
Kick off with a strong opening statement (objective or summary). Follow up with a pithy experience section (list your achievements). Lay everything out in a clean, eye-catching format.
And get ready for your interview!
Are you writing a resume for maintenance positions for the first time? Or perhaps you’re a seasoned maintenance pro eager to help greenhorns out? We’d love to hear from you, leave your comment below!
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