Top 12 Utility Worker Skills to Put on Your Resume
In today's hiring scramble, utility workers need to show a sharp, varied toolkit on their resumes. The right mix of skills signals versatility, safety-first judgment, and readiness for messy real-world problems in the field—traits every crew leader craves.
Utility Worker Skills
- Welding
- Plumbing
- Electrical troubleshooting
- Forklift operation
- CAD software
- GIS systems
- SCADA systems
- Water treatment
- Hazardous materials handling
- CPR certified
- Backhoe operation
- Pipefitting
1. Welding
Welding joins metals or thermoplastics using heat, pressure, or both to create a durable, permanent bond. In utility work, it’s the backbone of reliable repairs on frames, brackets, piping, and critical infrastructure that must hold up under stress and weather.
Why It's Important
It keeps assets whole and safe. Strong joints prevent failures, extend equipment life, and cut downtime—vital when service interruptions ripple to customers fast.
How to Improve Welding Skills
Level up with a steady, disciplined approach:
Safety first: PPE every time. Ventilation, fire watch, and proper shielding. Follow site policy and OSHA/NFPA guidance.
Match process to job: SMAW for rugged field fixes, GMAW/GTAW for cleaner precision, FCAW for speed outdoors.
Know your materials: Steel vs. stainless vs. aluminum—preheat needs, filler choice, and distortion control change with each.
Prep like a pro: Clean edges, correct bevels, tight fit-up. Most defects start before the first arc.
Practice and certify: Cross-train on positions (1G–6G) and pass performance quals to document your ability.
Consistency beats flash. Clean beads, minimal spatter, strong penetration.
How to Display Welding Skills on Your Resume
2. Plumbing
Plumbing covers the systems that move potable water and carry away waste—pipes, valves, fittings, fixtures, meters, and the controls that keep everything flowing safely.
Why It's Important
It’s public health, plain and simple. Reliable supply and sanitary removal prevent contamination, property damage, and service outages.
How to Improve Plumbing Skills
- Preventive maintenance: Flush lines, check valves, inspect traps and backflow devices, and track recurring issues.
- Choose durable materials: Use corrosion-resistant pipe and fittings appropriate for pressure, temperature, and water chemistry.
- Master diagnostics: Isolate leaks, pressure-test, and trace flow problems without tearing up half a street.
- Use the right tools: Calibrated torque, clean dies, proper cutters. Avoid damage and rework.
- Know the code: Local and state requirements, permits, and backflow testing standards. Document everything.
How to Display Plumbing Skills on Your Resume
3. Electrical troubleshooting
Systematic diagnosis and repair of electrical circuits, controls, and equipment to restore function quickly and safely.
Why It's Important
It shortens outages, protects equipment, and prevents hazards. Good troubleshooting turns confusion into order in minutes, not hours.
How to Improve Electrical Troubleshooting Skills
Lockout/Tagout and NFPA 70E: Treat energy control as sacred. Use the right arc-rated PPE and test before touch.
Master the basics: Ohm’s Law, series/parallel circuits, grounding and bonding, harmonics. Fundamentals win.
Read the map: Schematics, one-lines, wiring diagrams, and ladder logic—trace signals, not guesses.
Use your instruments: Multimeter, clamp meter, insulation tester, and thermal camera. Verify, don’t assume.
Think in steps: Define the symptom, isolate the section, test inputs/outputs, prove the fix. Document the root cause.
Keep learning: Refresh training, pursue certifications, and review past faults to build a mental playbook.
How to Display Electrical troubleshooting Skills on Your Resume
4. Forklift operation
Operating powered industrial trucks to move, stack, load, and stage materials with control and care in busy, sometimes cramped worksites.
Why It's Important
Heavy gear doesn’t move itself. Safe, efficient handling prevents injuries, damage, and delays that ripple across a job.
How to Improve Forklift Operation Skills
- Get and stay certified: Classroom and practical evaluation, plus site-specific refreshers as conditions change.
- Inspect before use: Brakes, mast, forks, hydraulics, horn, tires, lights. Tag it out if something’s off.
- Honor limits: Rated capacity, load centers, incline rules, and speed control. Stability triangle matters.
- Read the room: Pedestrians, blind corners, uneven surfaces. Horn, eye contact, and clear lanes.
- Load discipline: Even weight, secure pallets, low carry height, slow turns, smooth stops.
- Debrief and improve: Review near-misses and telemetry (if available) to tighten habits.
How to Display Forklift operation Skills on Your Resume
5. CAD software
Computer-Aided Design tools used to draft, revise, and manage technical drawings and models for utility infrastructure—plans that crews can actually build from.
Why It's Important
Accurate drawings reduce field errors, speed permitting, and smooth coordination with engineers, contractors, and inspectors.
How to Improve CAD Skills
- Learn the shortcuts: Blocks, layers, Xrefs, dynamic annotations—work smarter, not slower.
- Template everything: Title blocks, standards, and symbol libraries that match your utility’s conventions.
- Coordinate with GIS: Align drawings to real-world coordinates and asset IDs for cleaner handoffs.
- Model changes clearly: Revision tags, clouds, and version control to stop confusion cold.
- Go mobile when needed: Use field-viewing apps to verify dimensions and mark-ups onsite.
How to Display CAD software Skills on Your Resume
6. GIS systems
Geographic Information Systems tie maps to data—showing where assets live, how they connect, and what condition they’re in. Perfect for planning digs, routing crews, and responding fast when things break.
Why It's Important
It brings location context to every decision. Less guesswork, fewer truck rolls, faster fixes.
How to Improve GIS Skills
Keep data clean: Standardize attributes, prune duplicates, and sync field updates quickly.
Use mobile mapping: Collect and edit in the field with GPS accuracy and offline support.
Integrate systems: Link GIS with CMMS, AMI/AMR, SCADA, and work order platforms.
Visualize smartly: Thematic layers, buffers, 3D where useful, and dashboards that spotlight action items.
Train the team: Short, task-based workshops so crews can pull maps and update assets without friction.
How to Display GIS systems Skills on Your Resume
7. SCADA systems
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition platforms watch and steer plants, pumps, breakers, and valves. They collect real-time data and allow controlled actions from a central screen.
Why It's Important
Visibility and control. Early warnings reduce outages; smart commands restore service sooner and safer.
How to Improve SCADA Skills
Security mindset: Follow least privilege, strong authentication, network segmentation, and rigorous patching.
Alarm discipline: Tune setpoints and priorities; clear nuisance alarms so the real ones stand out.
Redundancy: Backup servers, hot-standby comms, and failover testing on a schedule.
Data you can use: Historian trends, KPIs, and reports that drive maintenance and load management.
Train operators: Simulations, playbooks, and drills for abnormal scenarios and black starts.
Integrate modern assets: Tie in renewable and distributed resources with proper protocols and cybersecurity controls.
How to Display SCADA systems Skills on Your Resume
8. Water treatment
Processes that remove contaminants and pathogens so water is safe for people, infrastructure, and the environment.
Why It's Important
Protects public health, meets regulatory standards, and keeps distribution systems from corroding into trouble.
How to Improve Water Treatment Skills
Dial in pretreatment: Optimize coagulation, flocculation, and sedimentation to lighten the load downstream.
Choose the right barrier: Granular media, membranes, activated carbon—match process to source water and goals.
Control dosing: Calibrate pumps, verify residuals, and monitor pH, turbidity, and CT values.
Maintain relentlessly: Inspect tanks, clean basins, service valves, and keep SOPs current.
Automate wisely: Sensors, alarms, and trend analysis that flag drift before compliance slips.
Trim energy use: High-efficiency motors, VFDs, and smart runtimes to cut costs without losing quality.
Train and cross-train: Operators who understand both process chemistry and plant mechanics can solve faster.
How to Display Water treatment Skills on Your Resume
9. Hazardous materials handling
Safe identification, storage, transport, and disposal of substances that pose health or environmental risks—while following strict rules and using the right protective gear.
Why It's Important
It prevents injuries, spills, fines, and long-tail liabilities. Good hazmat practices keep people and waterways safe.
How to Improve Hazardous Materials Handling Skills
Train thoroughly: HazCom, labeling, SDS literacy, and spill response—retested regularly.
Wear proper PPE: Select gloves, respirators, and suits based on actual exposure risks and verify fit.
Store correctly: Segregate incompatibles, control temperature, and secure containers with clear signage.
Plan for emergencies: Drill spill kits, decon steps, notification trees, and evacuation routes.
Inspect and log: Storage areas, containers, and vehicles—document conditions and fix defects fast.
How to Display Hazardous materials handling Skills on Your Resume
10. CPR certified
Certification proving you can perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and respond in life-threatening emergencies when every second clatters by.
Why It's Important
Field work carries risk. Being ready to act—until EMS arrives—can save a coworker, contractor, or bystander.
How to Improve CPR Skills
Refresh routinely: Standards evolve. Take renewal courses before expiration and practice compressions to current guidance.
Drill with equipment: AED operation, barrier devices, and team roles—muscle memory matters.
Scenario training: Heat stress, electrical incidents, confined spaces—make it real, then faster.
Document readiness: Keep proof of certification, track expiration dates, and know where AEDs live onsite.
How to Display CPR certified Skills on Your Resume
11. Backhoe operation
Using a backhoe loader to trench, dig, backfill, and handle materials—often near live utilities, traffic, and impatient schedules.
Why It's Important
It speeds excavation while reducing manual labor and exposure. Precision protects buried assets and people nearby.
How to Improve Backhoe Operation Skills
Train and certify: Understand controls, load limits, stability, and site-specific hazards.
Excavation safety: Follow trenching/shoring rules, locate underground utilities, and maintain safe slopes and access.
Practice finesse: Smooth feathering, clean trench walls, and minimal over-excavation save time later.
Maintain the machine: Daily inspections, fluid checks, pin greasing, and scheduled service keep breakdowns at bay.
Use the right attachments: Buckets, breakers, and thumbs selected for soil, task, and clearance limits.
How to Display Backhoe operation Skills on Your Resume
12. Pipefitting
Installing, fabricating, and repairing piping systems that move water, gases, steam, and more—above ground and below, new installs and emergency fixes alike.
Why It's Important
Reliable distribution depends on tight joints, proper supports, and leak-free connections. Done right, systems last. Done sloppy, they fail when it hurts most.
How to Improve Pipefitting Skills
Master measurements: Takeoffs, offsets, and expansion allowances—measure twice, thread once.
Use proper joining methods: Threading, welding, grooved couplings, solvent welding—match method to medium and pressure.
Support and alignment: Hangers, anchors, guides, and slope control to stop vibration and sag.
Pressure test right: Hydrostatic or pneumatic with documented procedures and calibrated gauges.
Know materials: Ductile iron, copper, PEX, HDPE, PVC—understand compatibility, temperature limits, and corrosion concerns.
Stay safe: Confined spaces, hot work permits, and isolation/lockout—no shortcuts.
How to Display Pipefitting Skills on Your Resume
