Utility Operator Resume Examples: What Should You Include?
Whether you’re applying for your first utility operator role or looking to progress to the next stage of your career, a well-written resume will give you a competitive edge.
Your resume is a recruiter or potential employer’s first introduction to you, so it’s important to get it right. Keep reading as we break down resume-writing best practices, from how many previous jobs to include to whether or not you need to add your GPA.
Plus, we’ll share utility operator resume examples that you can use as a starting point. And, we’ll explain what makes them work well.
How to Write an Excellent Utility Operator Resume
No matter how much experience you have, you should follow these resume-writing best practices to get invited to more job interviews:
- Fit your resume onto one page, or if you have a lot of relevant experience, two pages maximum
- Use Arial or Times New Roman font in size 11 or 12
- Leave as much white space as possible on the page so your resume is reader-friendly
- Use one-inch margins and other standard resume dimensions
- Replace paragraphs with bullet points (except for in your Professional Summary)
- Use keywords from the job listing so your resume isn’t discarded by applicant tracking software
- Save your resume as a .docx or .pdf file so it’s machine-readable
- Save your resume with the file name “Your Name Resume” so it’s easy for recruiters to find in their downloads file
Example Utility Operator Resume with Breakdowns
There’s nothing like an example resume to show you how to create your own one. Let’s break down the resume of a fictional utility operator, Anne Example. Name and Contact Details
Your name should be the title of your resume, followed by your contact details. These include:
- Your phone number
- A professional email address, ideally made up of your name
- Optionally, your home address (e.g. if you’re required to live within X miles of your workplace)
- Optionally, your LinkedIn profile or a professional website
If you’re applying for roles in the US, you should not include a photo, your date of birth, age, ethnicity, race, religion, sexuality or any other protected characteristics.
For example:
Anne Example
AnneExample@gmail.com | (123)456-7891 | LinkedIn.com/AnneExample Professional Summary The professional summary is your chance to give a 30-second overview of who you are and why you’re an excellent candidate for the role. If you’ve got a lot of experience, you could use up to five sentences for this. Most people, however, should be able to write it in three sentences or fewer.
Don’t use full sentences. Cut out the subject unless it’s confusing, and try to start every phrase with a verb or adjective.
Here’s Anne Example’s professional summary:
Trained utility operator with 3 years of experience with electrical systems, plumbing and HVAC. Possesses excellent problem-solving skills and knowledge of state codes and regulations.
Anne’s an experienced utility operator and so she focuses her professional summary on her areas of expertise. She mentions the most important skills she possesses using the keywords that were in the job listing.
If you have less experience, you can still write a strong professional summary. However, you’ll probably want to focus on your personality traits, willingness to learn and education. For example, you could write:
Hard-working high school graduate with a passion for machinery. A quick learner with experience of installing a bathroom and an A in physics.
Skills
For the skills section, you should include a list of four to eight bullet points. Include the skills most relevant for the job, and where possible, use the exact phrasing from the job listing. Try to back the skills up with evidence while keeping the list concise.
Here’s how Anne does it:
Skills
- Full driver’s license
- Electrical systems; 3 years of experience in electrical maintenance
- Plumbing
- HVAC
- Safety standards; 98% average score on company safety assessments
- Familiarity with OSHA regulations
- Accurate reporting
She’s mentioned her full driver’s license to show that she can drive to various locations. She’s also provided numerical evidence for her skill sets.
Work History
It can be tough to know what to include in your work history. Should you include that retail job from four years ago? What about if that retail job was in HVAC supplies?
As a general rule, you should include jobs that are related to the role you’re applying for, are recent or show that you have valuable skills. As you get more work experience, you can begin cutting older and less relevant jobs from your resume.
When listing past jobs, specify the company name, your job title and your start and end date. You should then list key responsibilities and achievements in bullet points. Keep these concise, but make sure to mention key metrics and other evidence. Use more bullet points for more important roles.
Here’s a job description from Anne Example’s resume:
Electrical Utility Operator, EPH Ltd, June 2020 – present
- Conducted weekly safety checks on electrical equipment; maintained a 0 safety infringements record
- Performed preventative maintenance that kept downtime to under 2%
- Created detailed reports for legal records
Education
If you don’t have much relative work experience, you may want to place your education section beneath the skills section of your resume. For most applicants, however, your education section should go at the end of your resume.
If you have a college degree, you won’t need to include your high school certificate. You should also leave your GPA off your resume unless you’re a recent graduate and it’s above 3.5 on a 4-point scale.
You can also include certification and training in this section in chronological order.
Here’s Anne’s education section:
Education and Certification
- Electrical Safety Course (30 hours), EST Academy 2020
- Cleveland High School, Cleveland, Alabama, 2010 – 2014
A Utility Operator Resume that Will Catch a Recruiter’s Eye
An impressive resume can dramatically improve your career prospects. It will net you more invites to interviews, meaning you’re more likely able to be able to pick and choose between potential job offers. It will also support you in negotiating a better starting salary and work conditions.
Your resume has to tick a lot of boxes: machine-readable. Customized to the role and job listing. Professional presentation. Concise but full of impressive facts.
Creating an excellent resume doesn’t have to be hard work, however. We’ve got a wide range of utility operator resume templates that you can adapt in minutes.
Plus, our resume builder will guide you through the process, from suggesting the best structure based on your experience level to giving you recruiter-approved phrasing that will help you stand out.
Build your resume now so you can start applying for utility operator jobs with confidence.