Top 12 Auto Glass Technician Skills to Put on Your Resume
In the competitive field of auto glass repair and replacement, a sharp resume helps you get noticed. Showcasing the top auto glass technician skills not only proves technical know-how but also signals commitment to safety, precision, and trustworthy workmanship.
Auto Glass Technician Skills
- Windshield Replacement
- ADAS Calibration
- Chip Repair
- Sealant Application
- Glass Cutting
- Urethane Handling
- Leak Detection
- Sika Products
- Customer Service
- Safety Protocols
- Inventory Management
- Mobile Service
1. Windshield Replacement
Windshield replacement means removing a damaged windshield and installing a new one so it seals, aligns, and supports the vehicle the way it should. Done right, it meets safety standards and looks factory-clean.
Why It's Important
A properly installed windshield restores structural strength, protects occupants, preserves clear sightlines, and enables correct airbag performance. It also keeps you compliant with vehicle safety regulations.
How to Improve Windshield Replacement Skills
Better results come from disciplined technique and dependable materials. Try this:
Keep training current: Update certifications and attend hands-on workshops to stay aligned with current OEM procedures and industry standards.
Select the right glass and adhesive: Use OEM or high-quality OE-equivalent glass and crash-tested urethane systems that meet FMVSS requirements and safe drive-away times.
Control the environment: Limit dust, moisture, and temperature swings. Mobile setups should include covers, humidity/temperature checks, and surface prep controls.
Mind vehicle prep: Protect finishes, disconnect or power down as required, and verify correct mouldings, clips, and VIN-specific parts before cutting out.
Follow a QA checklist: Verify pinchweld integrity, bead size and placement, glass alignment, trim fitment, and leak checks before release.
Educate customers: Explain safe drive-away time, tape removal, wash limits, and calibration needs when ADAS is present.
Consistency wins. The more repeatable the process, the fewer comebacks.
How to Display Windshield Replacement Skills on Your Resume
2. ADAS Calibration
ADAS calibration aligns and verifies cameras, radars, and sensors after glass work so driver-assistance features operate as designed.
Why It's Important
Misaligned ADAS can nudge a vehicle the wrong way or fail to warn in time. Correct calibration restores safety systems and reduces liability.
How to Improve ADAS Calibration Skills
Follow OEM procedures: Use make- and model-specific instructions, including targets, stands, measurements, and lighting requirements.
Use validated equipment: Keep targets, levels, scan tools, and alignment aids in spec. Calibrate your calibration tools per manufacturer intervals.
Control preconditions: Verify tire pressures, fuel level, ride height, wheel alignment (if required), windshield bracket fit, and clean camera views.
Know static vs. dynamic: Understand when in-bay calibrations are required, when road calibrations apply, and when both are needed.
Document everything: Capture pre-scan, post-scan, calibration results, lot numbers, and environmental conditions. Clear proof protects you and reassures the customer.
Train relentlessly: Refresh with structured programs (e.g., I-CAR and OEM training) as systems evolve quickly.
After calibration, complete a test drive if specified and confirm no warning lights or DTCs remain.
How to Display ADAS Calibration Skills on Your Resume
3. Chip Repair
Chip repair fills small damage with resin, cures it, and polishes the area to stop spreading and restore clarity.
Why It's Important
Quick, effective chip repair preserves windshield strength, improves visibility, and prevents a far more costly replacement.
How to Improve Chip Repair Skills
Diagnose the break: Identify star, bull’s-eye, combination, or crack and choose resin viscosity and technique accordingly.
Use quality resins and tools: Stable resins, reliable injectors, UV lights with known output, and clean accessories make the difference.
Prep meticulously: Remove moisture and debris, control temperature, and prevent contamination before injection.
Eliminate air: Alternate pressure and vacuum to chase out air and drive resin into micro-fractures.
Finish cleanly: Cure fully, scrape flush, and polish for optical clarity without distortion.
Stay aligned with standards: Follow current guidance from the National Windshield Repair Division (NWRD) of the Auto Glass Safety Council.
Practice on scrap glass under different conditions to build speed without sacrificing quality.
How to Display Chip Repair Skills on Your Resume
4. Sealant Application
Sealant application is the art of laying the adhesive or sealant bead so glass bonds securely and stays watertight.
Why It's Important
Good beads don’t just block leaks—they underpin structural support, reduce wind noise, and keep customers happy when the next storm rolls in.
How to Improve Sealant Application Skills
Prep surfaces: Clean thoroughly, remove old urethane to the required thickness, and use primers exactly as specified.
Match product to conditions: Choose sealants with cure profiles suited to temperature and humidity on the job.
Control the bead: Use a well-maintained pneumatic or battery gun, maintain angle and speed, and ensure continuous contact with the pinchweld.
Mind open time: Install within the product’s open time; if you exceed it, remove and reapply.
Respect SDAT: Follow safe drive-away times based on airbag configuration, glass type, and ambient conditions.
Practice symmetry: Uniform height, no gaps, proper starts/stops. Small details prevent big leaks.
Always follow the adhesive manufacturer’s instructions to the letter.
How to Display Sealant Application Skills on Your Resume
5. Glass Cutting
In auto glass, cutting means scoring and breaking laminated or tempered stock to a specific shape when a direct-fit pane isn’t available.
Why It's Important
Precision cuts ensure proper fitment, safe edges, and clean installation when custom solutions are needed.
How to Improve Glass Cutting Skills
Maintain your tools: Sharp wheels, clean oilers, and correct pliers deliver consistent scores and predictable breaks.
Measure obsessively: Templates, digital calipers, and careful marking cut waste and rework.
Master scoring technique: One clean, continuous score—no double passes. Consistent pressure from start to finish.
Control the break: Start at the score’s end, use proper leverage, and protect edges from chips.
Suit up: Gloves, sleeves, and eye protection aren’t optional.
Practice: Scrap glass is a cheap classroom.
Know when custom cutting is appropriate and when OEM-shaped glass is the safer play.
How to Display Glass Cutting Skills on Your Resume
6. Urethane Handling
Urethane handling covers storage, prep, application, and safety when using structural adhesives to bond glass to the vehicle.
Why It's Important
Proper handling ensures strong bonds, leak-free installs, and compliance with crash standards.
How to Improve Urethane Handling Skills
Store correctly: Keep cartridges cool and dry, rotate stock, and watch expiration dates.
Prep parts: Clean glass and pinchweld, abrade or trim old urethane to the approved thickness, and apply primers as directed.
Apply with control: Use a calibrated gun, maintain steady speed and tip angle, and target the bead height specified by the manufacturer.
Protect yourself: Wear gloves and eye protection; use ventilation to manage fumes.
Track SDAT: Set expectations for safe drive-away based on temperature, humidity, and airbag configuration.
Dispose responsibly: Follow local regulations for chemical waste and empty cartridges.
Lean on manufacturer technical data sheets and keep them accessible on every job.
How to Display Urethane Handling Skills on Your Resume
7. Leak Detection
Leak detection finds gaps, weak seals, or body paths that let water or air into the cabin.
Why It's Important
Leaks corrode, stain, and irritate. Worse, they signal compromised bonding or misfit glass. Finding them early prevents damage and callbacks.
How to Improve Leak Detection Skills
Start with eyes and hands: Inspect trims, mouldings, drain paths, and bead lines. Feel for voids and misalignment.
Use simple tests: Soapy water and gentle air pressure reveal bubbles at leak points without guesswork.
Leverage ultrasonic tools: Listen for escaping air to pinpoint tiny paths without soaking interiors.
Check body sources: Sunroof drains, cowl covers, door membranes, and seams often masquerade as “glass leaks.”
Repair methodically: Replace damaged clips, reseat trims, and rework sealant where voids appear. Verify with a second test.
Document findings: Photos and notes help explain cause and prove resolution.
A structured process beats guess-and-check every time.
How to Display Leak Detection Skills on Your Resume
8. Sika Products
Sika products—primers, cleaners, and urethanes—are common choices for auto glass bonding and sealing.
Why It's Important
Using the right adhesive system, and using it correctly, ensures durable bonds, leak-free installs, and compliance with safety standards and OEM expectations.
How to Improve Sika Products Skills
Match product to the job: Choose adhesives based on ambient conditions, vehicle airbag configuration, and required safe drive-away time.
Follow the system: Use the specified cleaner and primer sequence. Mixing systems risks failures.
Track shelf life: Note lot numbers and expiration dates; store per label. Old product compromises cure.
Bead geometry matters: Target the height and footprint recommended so glass beds properly and load paths are preserved.
Record everything: Capture product IDs, conditions, and SDAT on the work order for traceability.
Lean on technical data sheets and bulletins—process discipline prevents headaches.
How to Display Sika Products Skills on Your Resume
9. Customer Service
For an Auto Glass Technician, customer service means clear communication, respectful interaction, and confident guidance from estimate to handoff.
Why It's Important
Great service builds trust, fuels referrals, and keeps your schedule full. People remember how you handled their car and their time.
How to Improve Customer Service Skills
Set expectations: Explain timelines, SDAT, calibration needs, and any weather limits up front.
Communicate updates: Send arrival windows, delays, and completion notes. No surprises.
Be professional: Arrive on time, protect interiors and paint, and leave the work area cleaner than you found it.
Invite feedback: Ask how the experience went and act on patterns you hear.
Own issues: If something isn’t right, fix it fast and document the resolution.
Technical excellence paired with empathy makes loyal customers.
How to Display Customer Service Skills on Your Resume
10. Safety Protocols
Safety protocols cover PPE, tool handling, chemical safety, lifting, and vehicle protection while you work.
Why It's Important
Glass is sharp, cars are heavy, chemicals can irritate, and tools bite back. Safe habits prevent injuries and protect customers’ vehicles.
How to Improve Safety Protocols Skills
Train regularly: Refresh on PPE, hazard communication, and emergency response. Keep records current.
Wear proper PPE: Gloves, sleeves, eye protection, and respiratory protection when adhesives or primers demand it.
Maintain tools: Inspect blades, cups, guns, and cords. Tag out damaged gear.
Handle chemicals smartly: Read SDS, store properly, and ventilate workspaces.
Lift with care: Use team lifts or vacuum cups; avoid awkward reaches that strain backs and shoulders.
Plan for emergencies: First-aid kits, spill materials, and a clear procedure that everyone actually knows.
Culture matters—speak up when something looks off.
How to Display Safety Protocols Skills on Your Resume
11. Inventory Management
Inventory management tracks glass, mouldings, clips, primers, and urethanes so jobs start on time and waste stays low.
Why It's Important
Fewer stockouts. Less dead money on shelves. Faster cycle times because the right parts are at hand.
How to Improve Inventory Management Skills
Adopt simple software: Use an inventory or shop management system with barcodes, reorder points, and lot tracking for adhesives.
Audit frequently: Cycle counts catch shrinkage and data drift before it becomes a problem.
Set par levels: Base minimums on usage and lead times. Adjust seasonally for demand swings.
Standardize kits: Bundle common clips, mouldings, primers, and wipes for popular vehicles to reduce missed items.
Streamline supplier workflows: Build reliable lead times and backup sources for critical SKUs.
Track costs: Monitor turns and scrap so you know where money leaks.
Clean shelves and clean data keep trucks rolling.
How to Display Inventory Management Skills on Your Resume
12. Mobile Service
Mobile service brings the shop to the customer—at home, work, or wherever the vehicle sits safely.
Why It's Important
Convenience wins. Less downtime for customers, more flexibility for scheduling, and a competitive advantage in crowded markets.
How to Improve Mobile Service Skills
Plan smart routes: Use routing tools and real-time traffic to cut drive time and fuel spend.
Offer online booking: Simple scheduling with reminders reduces no-shows and phone tag.
Carry the right stock: Mobile inventory systems and pre-job checklists prevent mid-day part runs.
Keep customers informed: Send ETA texts and updates. If weather or site conditions change, advise early.
Enable easy payments: Accept cards and contactless options on-site. Email receipts immediately.
Respect conditions: If temperature, humidity, or wind threatens adhesive performance, reschedule or create a controlled work zone.
Train continuously: Mobile techs need strong problem-solving skills for varied environments.
A tidy van is a traveling billboard—organized, branded, ready for anything.
How to Display Mobile Service Skills on Your Resume
