12 ATS-resume checks Welders need to pass in 2026, the keywords recruiters scan for, and three role-specific resume bullets to copy.
Welding resumes are filtered by certification body, process, position, and material thickness. Recruiters at shipyards, fabrication shops, and pipeline contractors literally search for 'AWS D1.1 3G GMAW' or 'ASME Section IX 6G GTAW' as exact strings. Listing 'MIG and TIG welding' without process codes, positions, and material specs is a fast rejection.
QC managers and CWIs also look for shop literacy: blueprint and weld-symbol reading, OSHA 10 or 30, fit-up tooling, and tested-rod amperage ranges. Pipeline and structural shops care about union card or open-shop status, drug-screen readiness, and willingness to travel. Quantify hours under the hood, x-ray pass rates, and the heaviest plate or schedule you have run.
The 12-point ATS checklist for Welders
List AWS or ASME cert with code, position, processWrite 'AWS D1.1 3G GMAW unlimited thickness, 6G GTAW carbon and stainless per ASME Section IX'. Recruiters search the exact code and position string; abbreviations alone get missed.
Specify processes: SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, FCAW, SAWUse full process codes plus the common name: 'SMAW (stick) E7018 and E6010, GMAW short-circuit and spray, GTAW carbon/stainless/aluminum, FCAW-G E71T-1'. Hiring managers filter by both code and electrode.
Name positions tested: 1G/2G/3G/4G/5G/6GList every position you tested in and on what material. Pipeline shops require 6G on schedule 80; structural shops want 3G/4G plate. Position is the first filter.
List materials and thickness rangeSpecify 'carbon steel 1/8 to 1 inch, 304/316L stainless, 6061 and 5052 aluminum, Inconel 625, A36, A572 Gr 50'. Material literacy proves the cert paper has shop hours behind it.
Include CWI or QC inspection experience if anyNote 'CWI #20151234 (active), visual inspection per AWS B5.1, MT and PT Level II ASNT-TC-1A'. Welder-inspectors with CWI command higher rates and pass through to lead-hand roles faster.
Show blueprint and weld-symbol readingMention 'reads AWS A2.4 weld symbols, GD&T basics, ISOs for piping per ASME B31.3'. Foremen need welders who can interpret tail-of-arrow callouts without supervision.
List OSHA training and shop safety cardsInclude 'OSHA 10 (construction), OSHA 30 (general industry), confined-space entry, NCCER Core, MSHA Part 46/48 if mining work'. Job sites cannot onboard without these cards in hand.
Quantify x-ray and bend-test pass ratesQuote '97% RT pass rate over 220 production welds Q2 2024, 100% bend test on test coupons' so QC managers can rank your quality, not just count years.
Name machines and consumablesList 'Miller Dynasty 400, Lincoln Power Wave S350, Hobart Iron Man 230, ESAB Rebel; consumables: E7018 3/32 and 1/8, ER70S-6, ER308L, ER4043'. Shop owners hire welders who already know the cell.
Include rig, truck, and travel readiness if applicablePipeline and shutdown work: 'own welding rig (F350, Lincoln Vantage 500), willing to travel 100%, current TWIC card, clean MVR'. This converts call-out offers into hires.
Show fit-up and tacking fluencyMention 'lays out and tacks own work per ISO, uses pipe wraparounds, levels, squares; no full-time fitter required'. Shops bill more for welder-fitters than for hood-only hands.
List union card or open-shop statusState 'Local 798 member' or 'open shop, drug-screen clean, available for hair follicle test'. Recruiters need this in the first 30 seconds to route the resume.
Role-specific keywords ATS scans for
These terms recur across current 2026 Welder job descriptions on Indeed, LinkedIn, and Greenhouse. Weave the genuine ones (those you have actually used) into your experience bullets — keywords in narrative context outrank keyword dumps in a Skills section.
✗ Lists 'MIG and TIG' without process code or position
Fix:Replace with 'GMAW spray and short-circuit, 2F and 3G; GTAW 6G on 304L schedule 40' so recruiters can match a specific WPS.
✗ Certifications mentioned without code or expiration date
Fix:Write 'AWS D1.1 3G GMAW, tested 02/2024 at ABC Testing Lab, continuity maintained per AWS QC7-93' with current within-six-month log.
✗ No thickness or schedule range listed
Fix:Add 'plate 1/8 to 1.5 inch, pipe schedule 10 to schedule 80, up to 8-inch OD' so the foreman knows you handle the job's actual stock.
✗ Missing OSHA card and shop safety credentials
Fix:List 'OSHA 30 (issued 03/2024), confined space, fall protection, hot work permit trained' since most sites refuse onboarding without these.
✗ X-ray and bend test outcomes not quantified
Fix:Quote '98% RT acceptance over 145 production welds, zero rejected bend coupons in 2024 quals' to differentiate from welders who only mention hours.
✗ No machines or consumables named
Fix:Add 'ran Miller Dimension 652 and Lincoln Power Wave S500, Lincoln ER70S-6 0.045, Hobart Excel-Arc 71T-1 1/16' so the shop knows you can step on the floor day one.
Three example resume bullets for a Welder
Patterns a strong Welder bullet should hit: action verb at the start, role-specific noun in the middle, measurable number at the end. Adapt these to your real work; do not copy verbatim.
Maintained AWS D1.1 3G GMAW (unlimited thickness) and ASME Section IX 6G GTAW carbon/stainless certifications across 7 years; logged 98% x-ray acceptance over 340 production welds in 2024 at offshore module yard.
Welded 6-inch schedule 80 carbon-steel process piping per ASME B31.3 using GTAW root, FCAW fill/cap with E71T-1, passed 100% of RT shots across 62 welds during plant shutdown at Tier-1 refinery.
Fabricated 1/4-inch 5052 aluminum HVAC ductwork per AWS D1.2 with GTAW (ER4043 and ER5356), produced 180 linear feet per shift, passed CWI visual inspection on first walk with zero rework.
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Do I list the rod sizes I tested with or just the certification code?
List both. 'AWS D1.1 3G SMAW with E7018 1/8 inch' tells the foreman exactly which WPS you qualify for. The code without the electrode and diameter is a partial answer that often gets re-tested on day one, costing you a paid day.
How recent do my cert continuity logs need to be?
AWS and ASME require continuity within six months for most processes. Carry signed continuity logs from your last employer or a current certificate of conformance from an accredited testing lab. If you lapsed, say so honestly and offer to re-test; shops respect the answer more than the gap.
Should I list shop assistant or grinder work from when I started?
Yes, briefly. It shows you learned the cell, can run a grinder and a needle gun, and understand fit-up before the hood goes down. Frame it as 'fab helper progressing to welder-fitter in 14 months' so it reads as a career arc, not filler.
Do I include union local membership on an open-shop application?
Mention it neutrally: 'Local 798 traveler card, open to union or open-shop work.' Open shops sometimes assume union welders are leaving for hall calls; explicit flexibility removes that concern and keeps you in the pipeline.
How do I show pipeline-specific experience separate from structural?
Create a dedicated 'Pipeline' section listing cross-country versus station/fab, gas versus liquid lines, API 1104 versus ASME Section IX qualifications, and the diameters and schedules run. Recruiters at pipeline contractors filter on API 1104 specifically; bury that string in a general welding paragraph and you will be skipped.
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