Top 12 General Service Technician Skills to Put on Your Resume
Today’s job market moves fast. If you want to stand out as a general service technician, your resume needs to hum with the right skills—hands-on know-how, sharp diagnostics, steady judgment, and people skills that keep work moving. Put a balanced mix on the page and employers notice. Doors open.
General Service Technician Skills
- Diagnostics
- Troubleshooting
- Preventive Maintenance
- HVAC Systems
- Electrical Systems
- Plumbing Repair
- Carpentry Basics
- Welding Techniques
- Automotive Repair
- Safety Protocols
- Equipment Calibration
- Building Automation
1. Diagnostics
Diagnostics means finding the root cause behind odd noises, error codes, slow performance, leaks—whatever a system throws at you. It’s a blend of method, measurement, and experience, using test gear and data to zero in on the fault without guesswork.
Why It's Important
Accurate diagnosis saves time, parts, and headaches. Fix the real problem, not the symptom, and you keep equipment safer, longer-lasting, and reliable under pressure.
How to Improve Diagnostics Skills
Build a sharper diagnostic game with a mix of theory, process, and practice:
Know the systems: Map how components interact—mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, or digital controls—so symptoms make sense.
Use a repeatable process: Verify the concern, gather data, isolate variables, test hypotheses, confirm the fix, retest.
Master your tools: Scan tools, multimeters, manometers, leak detectors, thermal cameras—practice until setup and readings feel automatic.
Read the data: Compare live values to known-good ranges. Baseline normal behavior so anomalies pop.
Hands-on reps: Work varied faults. Document what worked, what didn’t, and why.
How to Display Diagnostics Skills on Your Resume
2. Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting is the stepwise unravelling of a problem—observing, testing, narrowing, and restoring normal operation with minimal disruption.
Why It's Important
Faster, cleaner fixes mean less downtime, safer workplaces, and fewer repeat visits. Good troubleshooting pays for itself.
How to Improve Troubleshooting Skills
Define the fault clearly: When, where, how often, under what load or environment.
Reproduce it: If you can make it happen, you can make it stop.
Change one thing at a time: Keep variables tight. Track each result.
Work from simple to complex: Power, connections, settings, then components and controls.
Use schematics and manuals: Trace paths. Confirm expected readings before chasing ghosts.
Document and debrief: Build your own playbook of fixes and telltale signs.
How to Display Troubleshooting Skills on Your Resume
3. Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance is scheduled inspection, cleaning, lubrication, adjustment, calibration, and planned replacement to stop failures before they start.
Why It's Important
It shrinks unplanned downtime, extends asset life, improves safety, and keeps costs predictable. Little fixes now beat big failures later.
How to Improve Preventive Maintenance Skills
Build a calendar: Align service intervals to manufacturer guidance and real-world usage.
Use a CMMS: Track work orders, history, parts, meters, and trends so nothing slips.
Standardize SOPs: Step-by-step tasks, torque values, inspection points, pass/fail criteria.
Train and cross-train: Consistency beats heroics. Close skill gaps before they bite.
Add predictive checks: Vibration, thermography, oil analysis—catch degradation early.
Stock critical spares: Identify choke-point parts and keep them ready.
Review results: Adjust intervals and tasks based on data, not habit.
How to Display Preventive Maintenance Skills on Your Resume
4. HVAC Systems
HVAC covers heating, ventilation, and air conditioning—comfort, humidity control, and indoor air quality delivered through equipment, ductwork, controls, and sensors.
Why It's Important
Healthy air and stable temperatures protect people and equipment. Efficient operation saves energy and money. A technician who understands load, airflow, and control logic keeps buildings running smoothly.
How to Improve HVAC Systems Skills
Tune the basics: Check airflow, refrigerant charge, static pressure, superheat/subcooling, and combustion safety.
Filter strategy: Right-size filters, change on differential pressure, and maintain seals for clean air and performance.
Duct integrity: Seal leaks, balance dampers, insulate where needed to stop energy bleed.
Smart controls: Use programmable or smart thermostats, schedules, and setbacks tied to occupancy.
Upgrade when justified: High-efficiency equipment, variable-speed motors, and heat pumps can slash consumption.
Ventilation matters: Verify outside air rates and demand-control ventilation for better IAQ.
Educate users: Proper setpoints, filter changes, and clear vents prevent self-inflicted issues.
How to Display HVAC Systems Skills on Your Resume
5. Electrical Systems
Electrical systems include wiring, circuits, panels, protection devices, controls, sensors, and in vehicles the battery, starter, alternator, and control modules. Power in, power out, with safety and stability in between.
Why It's Important
Everything relies on clean, dependable power. Diagnosing faults, preventing hazards, and keeping systems compliant is mission-critical.
How to Improve Electrical Systems Skills
Prioritize safety: Lockout/tagout, proper PPE, and safe meter technique every time.
Know the code and the diagram: Follow applicable standards and read schematics fluently.
Test methodically: Voltage drop checks, continuity, insulation resistance, load balancing, and grounding verification.
Modernize wisely: Swap aging components for efficient, properly sized alternatives and smart controls where appropriate.
Maintain relentlessly: Torque checks, thermal scans on panels, and periodic cleaning to avoid heat and arcing.
How to Display Electrical Systems Skills on Your Resume
6. Plumbing Repair
Plumbing repair covers supply, drain, and vent systems—fixtures, valves, traps, pumps, heaters, and the hidden runs connecting it all.
Why It's Important
Leaks cause damage. Backups create health risks. Efficient, code-compliant plumbing keeps spaces safe, clean, and functional.
How to Improve Plumbing Repair Skills
Start with fundamentals: Pressure, flow, slope, venting, water quality, and expansion dynamics.
Work to current codes: Local requirements evolve; confirm materials and methods match the latest rules.
Use the right tools: Press tools, inspection cameras, test gauges, and quality cutters make better repairs.
Diagnose causes, not just symptoms: Fix water hammer, undersized vents, or failing PRVs instead of chasing recurring nuisances.
Protect against contamination: Backflow prevention, proper air gaps, and safe handling of potable lines.
Communicate clearly: Explain options, costs, and maintenance steps so solutions stick.
How to Display Plumbing Repair Skills on Your Resume
7. Carpentry Basics
Carpentry basics span measuring, cutting, fastening, and finishing—framing repairs, hardware installs, trim work, and small builds that make facilities usable and tidy.
Why It's Important
Solid carpentry keeps doors square, fixtures sturdy, and projects professional. It’s the backbone for a lot of day-to-day fixes.
How to Improve Carpentry Basics Skills
Measure like a hawk: Layout, squaring, and marking are where quality begins.
Practice core cuts: Straight, bevel, miter, and rip cuts with both hand and power tools.
Learn joinery: Butt, lap, pocket-hole, dowel, and basic mortise-and-tenon for strong connections.
Mind materials: Species, grain, moisture content, and fastener choice change outcomes.
Keep tools sharp and safe: Sharp blades, square fences, dust control, eye and hearing protection.
How to Display Carpentry Basics Skills on Your Resume
8. Welding Techniques
Welding joins metals (and sometimes thermoplastics) through heat and filler to create durable bonds. Common methods: MIG, TIG, stick, and oxy-fuel, each with strengths depending on material and thickness.
Why It's Important
Sound welds mean strong repairs and custom fabrication that holds under load. Done right, it’s precise and dependable. Done wrong, it fails when it hurts most.
How to Improve Welding Techniques Skills
Start with fundamentals: Joint prep, fit-up, polarity, shielding gas, and heat control.
Safety first: Respiratory protection, eye/skin shielding, fire watch, and good ventilation.
Dial in settings: Practice on scrap to tune wire speed, amperage, travel speed, and torch angle.
Read the weld: Bead profile, penetration, and coloration tell the story—adjust accordingly.
Maintain equipment: Clean nozzles, fresh consumables, correct grounding, and cable integrity.
Advance deliberately: Add positions, metals, and processes as proficiency grows; consider formal certifications.
How to Display Welding Techniques Skills on Your Resume
9. Automotive Repair
Automotive repair spans inspection, maintenance, diagnostics, and corrections on vehicles—brakes, steering, suspension, engines, drivetrains, electrical, and increasingly hybrid/EV systems.
Why It's Important
Safe, efficient vehicles keep fleets moving and people protected. Quality repair prevents breakdowns and extends service life.
How to Improve Automotive Repair Skills
Stay current: OBD-II and CAN diagnostics, ever-tighter tolerances, and emerging EV/hybrid safety procedures.
Invest in tooling: Reliable torque tools, scan tools, pressure/vacuum testers, and alignment/measurement gear.
Use service data: Torque specs, fluids, procedures, and TSBs reduce comebacks.
Manage time: Standardize inspections, stage parts, and batch similar tasks to move faster without rushing.
Communicate clearly: Explain faults and options so customers can approve work with confidence.
How to Display Automotive Repair Skills on Your Resume
10. Safety Protocols
Safety protocols are the rules of engagement—PPE, hazard controls, equipment handling, chemical management, and emergency readiness that keep work uneventful in the best way.
Why It's Important
People go home healthy, jobs stay in compliance, and operations avoid costly incidents. Culture follows habits.
How to Improve Safety Protocols Skills
Train regularly: Task-specific training, refreshers, and drills that stick.
Right PPE, right job: Fit-tested respirators, eye/hand/hearing protection, and maintenance of gear.
Maintain tools: Inspections and service intervals to stop failures before they hurt someone.
Plan for emergencies: Clear evacuation routes, first-aid steps, spill response, and posted contacts.
Handle chemicals properly: Labeling, secondary containment, and up-to-date Safety Data Sheets (SDS).
Assess and correct: Routine hazard and risk assessments with quick remediation.
Encourage reporting: Make it easy to flag near-misses and hazards without fear.
How to Display Safety Protocols Skills on Your Resume
11. Equipment Calibration
Calibration aligns tools and instruments to known standards so measurements are trustworthy and repeatable.
Why It's Important
Bad data leads to bad decisions. Accurate instruments protect quality, safety, and your reputation.
How to Improve Equipment Calibration Skills
Follow recognized standards: Use documented procedures with defined tolerances and intervals.
Maintain reference gear: Ensure your reference standards are certified and in date.
Control the environment: Temperature, humidity, and cleanliness affect precision.
Record everything: Dates, conditions, results, adjustments, and next due dates for full traceability.
Train operators: Proper use and storage reduce drift and damage.
Review trends: Watch for instruments that drift faster than expected and tighten intervals if needed.
How to Display Equipment Calibration Skills on Your Resume
12. Building Automation
Building Automation ties HVAC, lighting, access, and metering into a central system (BAS/BMS) for control, monitoring, and optimization. Protocols like BACnet and Modbus are common, with modern layers for analytics and alarms.
Why It's Important
It trims energy use, improves comfort, and spots faults early. A technician who can read trends and fine-tune sequences saves real money.
How to Improve Building Automation Skills
Learn the language: Points, trends, setpoints, schedules, PIDs, and common protocols.
Integrate systems: Coordinate HVAC, lighting, and occupancy data so they play nicely together.
Preventive care: Sensor calibration, clean terminals, firmware updates, and backup/restore routines.
Energy focus: Use trend logs and dashboards to spot waste—rogue schedules, drifting setpoints, short cycling.
User training: Teach operators how to change schedules safely and interpret alarms.
Cyber hygiene: Strong passwords, role-based access, network segmentation, and documented changes.
How to Display Building Automation Skills on Your Resume
