Top 12 Brick Mason Skills to Put on Your Resume
In brick masonry, getting noticed means showing command of the craft and the people side. Put skills on your resume that prove you build straight, fast, and clean—and that you do it safely, from first course to capstone.
Brick Mason Skills
- Trowel Proficiency
- Mortar Mixing
- Blueprint Reading
- Scaffolding Setup
- Leveling Techniques
- Brick Cutting
- Joint Finishing
- Masonry Restoration
- Safety Compliance
- AutoCAD Basics
- Estimation Software
- Laser Leveling
1. Trowel Proficiency
Trowel proficiency for a brick mason means clean, accurate control when applying, spreading, and shaping mortar so bricks seat tight, joints look right, and the work holds up.
Why It's Important
Trowel skill dictates bond quality, speed, and finish. Smooth beds, full joints, strong walls. Less rework, more trust.
How to Improve Trowel Proficiency Skills
Build precision with repetition and intent:
Practice daily: Start slow. Flat beds, even head joints. Then push pace without losing quality.
Study technique: Grip, wrist angle, pressure, and timing. Small adjustments pay big.
Match trowel to task: Size and shape matter—use the tool that fits the brick and the joint profile.
Work clean: Keep edges wiped, mortar workable, joints consistent.
Seek feedback: Have a seasoned mason critique your lines and flow.
Master the basics first. Then stack speed on top of accuracy.
How to Display Trowel Proficiency Skills on Your Resume
2. Mortar Mixing
Mortar mixing for a brick mason means combining sand, cement, and sometimes lime with clean water to produce the specified mortar type that bonds units and keeps the wall durable.
Why It's Important
Right mix, right strength. Proper workability for full joints, proper cure, fewer cracks, longer life.
How to Improve Mortar Mixing Skills
Dial it in and keep it consistent:
Follow the specified type: Use the mix design called out (Type N, S, or M). Measure by volume consistently and stick to it.
Use clean materials: Clean sand, potable water, uncontaminated tools. Impurities weaken mortar.
Mix to a uniform body: No dry pockets. No soup. Aim for peanut-butter consistency that holds the brick yet spreads smooth.
Mind the weather: Shade and cool in heat; protect and warm in cold. Adjust water carefully—don’t chase slump.
Cure well: Protect from wind and sun; keep damp for 48–72 hours where feasible for stronger, more durable joints.
Consistency beats guesswork. Document your ratios and repeat them.
How to Display Mortar Mixing Skills on Your Resume
3. Blueprint Reading
Blueprint reading means interpreting plans, elevations, sections, and details to lay out dimensions, openings, bonds, and materials exactly as designed.
Why It's Important
It keeps layout true, coordination smooth, waste low, and jobs moving. Less guesswork, fewer callbacks.
How to Improve Blueprint Reading Skills
Sharpen accuracy and speed:
Learn the symbols: Masonry hatches, bond patterns, rebar, control joints, lintels, and notes.
Work the scale: Read, convert, and double-check measurements before you snap lines.
Cross-reference sheets: Match plans to elevations and details; track revisions and clouded changes.
Lay out on the ground: Pull lines and tape to confirm the drawing translates to the field.
Practice often: Review varied sets—residential, commercial, veneer, load-bearing.
Precision on paper becomes precision in the wall.
How to Display Blueprint Reading Skills on Your Resume
4. Scaffolding Setup
Scaffolding setup creates safe, stable platforms at working height so masons can lay, point, and clean without strain.
Why It's Important
It protects crews, speeds production, and keeps work quality consistent across elevations.
How to Improve Scaffolding Setup Skills
Build it safe, build it square:
Plan the layout: Size, loads, tie-ins, access points. Account for changes as the wall climbs.
Inspect components: No bent frames, cracked planks, or worn pins. Replace questionable parts.
Start on a stable base: Level ground, base plates, mud sills where needed. Check plumb frequently.
Guardrails and access: Rails, toe boards, ladders or stairs in place—no shortcuts.
Train and re-check: Competent assembly, daily inspections, and documented fixes.
If it’s not rock-solid, it’s not ready.
How to Display Scaffolding Setup Skills on Your Resume
5. Leveling Techniques
Leveling techniques ensure courses run true, joints align, and the build stays plumb and straight from corner to corner.
Why It's Important
Alignment is structure, appearance, and speed all at once. Crooked work slows everything.
How to Improve Leveling Techniques Skills
Make straight work your habit:
Use the right tools: Quality spirit levels, laser levels, line blocks, and tight string lines.
Control mortar thickness: Uniform beds and head joints prevent wandering lines.
Check often: Level, plumb, and line on every few bricks—don’t wait for problems to grow.
Set solid leads: Build accurate corners first; they guide the field.
Mind the wind and sun: Drying can shift bricks; adjust pace and re-check.
Small corrections early beat big fixes later.
How to Display Leveling Techniques Skills on Your Resume
6. Brick Cutting
Brick cutting shapes units to fit patterns, angles, and openings using chisels, hammers, or saws with masonry blades.
Why It's Important
Clean cuts mean tight fits, sharper lines, and fewer gaps. The finish looks intentional, not improvised.
How to Improve Brick Cutting Skills
Accuracy, safety, repeatability:
Choose proper tools: Sharp chisels for snaps, diamond blades for precision, and a stable cutting surface.
Measure twice: Mark clearly with pencil or chalk; use a square or straightedge to guide.
Cut with control: Don’t force the blade; let it work. Score before full depth when needed.
Wear PPE: Eye, ear, and dust protection every time.
Maintain equipment: Keep blades sharp, tools clean, and guards intact.
Practice on offcuts: Dial in technique before touching the finished face.
Precision cuts save time on the wall and polish the result.
How to Display Brick Cutting Skills on Your Resume
7. Joint Finishing
Joint finishing smooths and shapes mortar after laying, tightening the seal against weather and refining the look.
Why It's Important
Well-tooled joints shed water, resist deterioration, and elevate the appearance of the work.
How to Improve Joint Finishing Skills
Timing and touch are everything:
Match the mortar: Use the right mortar type for the brick and exposure.
Strike at thumbprint hard: Too early smears; too late crumbles. Catch the sweet spot.
Use proper jointers: Tool profiles to match the spec—concave, vee, or flush—and keep pressure consistent.
Compact, don’t drag: Compress the joint to seal it; avoid tearing the surface.
Clean as you go: Brush lightly after tooling; remove smears before they lock in.
Protect and cure: Shield from rapid drying; light misting can help early cure in hot, dry conditions.
Uniform joints make the whole wall look sharper—and last longer.
How to Display Joint Finishing Skills on Your Resume
8. Masonry Restoration
Masonry restoration repairs aging or damaged brickwork—repointing, replacing spalled units, cleaning, and addressing moisture paths—to bring back strength and character.
Why It's Important
It preserves structure, stops water, and protects historic or high-value facades from further decline.
How to Improve Masonry Restoration Skills
Respect the original, fix the cause, not just the symptom:
Assess first: Identify movement, moisture, salts, and mismatched past repairs before touching the wall.
Match materials: Select brick and mortar compatible in strength, color, and vapor permeability.
Clean gently: Start with the least aggressive methods; avoid damaging faces or joints.
Repoint correctly: Rake joints to proper depth, avoid overcutting, and tool to match existing profiles.
Repair cracks wisely: Use appropriate stitching, anchors, or grouts—never trap moisture.
Control water: Fix flashings, weeps, caps, and grade issues before considering repellents.
Plan maintenance: Schedule inspections and spot repairs so small issues stay small.
Good restoration disappears into the original work—and lasts.
How to Display Masonry Restoration Skills on Your Resume
9. Safety Compliance
Safety compliance means following health and safety rules, wearing proper PPE, using tools and equipment correctly, and setting up work areas to prevent incidents.
Why It's Important
It protects people, avoids shutdowns and fines, and keeps production steady. Everyone goes home in one piece.
How to Improve Safety Compliance Skills
Make safety part of the workflow:
Train regularly: Material handling, silica control, fall protection, and equipment operation.
Equip the crew: Hard hats, eye and hearing protection, gloves, respirators when cutting or mixing—used correctly and consistently.
Audit the site: Daily checks for tripping hazards, unsecured loads, faulty cords, and scaffold issues. Fix immediately.
Follow regulations: Align with applicable standards and document procedures and inspections.
Talk about it: Short toolbox talks, incident reviews, and near-miss reporting build a safety-first culture.
Safety isn’t a task—it's a habit.
How to Display Safety Compliance Skills on Your Resume
10. AutoCAD Basics
AutoCAD basics help masons read, adjust, and communicate digital layouts—brick patterns, elevations, dimensions, and details—with crisp accuracy.
Why It's Important
It sharpens takeoffs, clarifies questions before they hit the jobsite, and speeds coordination with designers and GC teams.
How to Improve AutoCAD Basics Skills
Keep it simple and precise:
Master core commands: Lines, polylines, offsets, trims, moves—fast and exact.
Use snaps and grids: Lock into accuracy; avoid “close enough.”
Organize with layers: Separate dimensions, notes, masonry, and structural elements for clarity.
Create reusable blocks: Common details, bond patterns, and openings saved once, dropped many times.
Practice on real plans: Trace details, check dimensions, and annotate questions.
Learn markup: Cloud changes, add comments, and export clean PDFs for the field.
Precision on screen prevents confusion on site.
How to Display AutoCAD Basics Skills on Your Resume
11. Estimation Software
Estimation software helps calculate materials, labor, and time for masonry work, turning plans into numbers you can build a bid around.
Why It's Important
Accurate estimates win jobs, protect margins, and keep schedules honest. Guessing is expensive.
How to Improve Estimation Software Skills
Make the tool work for you:
Import and trace plans: Use digital takeoff to count units, measure areas and lengths, and reduce manual errors.
Build assemblies: Tie bricks, mortar, ties, lintels, reinforcement, and waste factors into repeatable templates.
Keep costs current: Update material prices and regional labor rates regularly; document productivity assumptions.
Standardize outputs: Create report templates that break out materials, labor, and alternates so clients can compare cleanly.
Validate against actuals: Compare bid to job costs and refine your databases after each project.
Enable field updates: Use mobile access so counts and notes can be corrected on site.
Tighter inputs produce tighter bids—and fewer surprises later.
How to Display Estimation Software Skills on Your Resume
12. Laser Leveling
Laser leveling projects level or plumb reference lines so courses run true and elevations stay consistent across long pulls.
Why It's Important
It speeds layout, reduces rework, and keeps big walls razor-straight.
How to Improve Laser Leveling Skills
Set up once, trust the line:
Choose the right tool: Self-leveling laser with adequate range; green beams are easier to see in bright light.
Stabilize the setup: Solid tripod or pole, protected from vibration and traffic.
Calibrate routinely: Verify accuracy before critical layout and after transport.
Position smart: Place the laser to avoid obstructions and cover the full work area; use a receiver for long distances.
Protect the gear: Keep it clean, dry, and cased; check batteries and seals.
Trust the beam, but verify with a hand level as you go.
How to Display Laser Leveling Skills on Your Resume
