icon
Select
icon
Customize
icon
Download

Want a stronger resume? Use our extensive library of professional resume examples as practical starting guides. You’ll also find ready-made content with our helpful Resume Builder – simple click, customize, and download.

Looking for cover letter ideas? See our sample Service Technician Cover Letter.

Find out what is the best resume for you in our Ultimate Resume Format Guide.

How to Format a Service Technician Resume

Writing your resume begins with choosing the best resume format. The fact is the majority of service technicians should go with the most popular style: the chronological resume. This format, which devotes the most considerable portion of the page to work history, is widely used in every industry and well-liked by recruiters.

Candidates with less experience in the field, like someone becoming a service technician straight out of school or switching from a different career, may want to use a different format. Functional resumes are also called skills-based resumes because they highlight the skill and abilities of the applicant, either by downplaying or dropping work history entirely. Combination resumes bring the other two styles together into a well-balanced document.

Take the candidates below, for instance. While Candidate A and Candidate B have similar experience levels, they have decided to take different paths. Thanks to Candidate A’s straightforward work history and track record of accomplishments, she uses a chronological resume. Candidate B has much professional experience, but she took an extended break from the job market and would like to elevate her skills with a functional resume.

Chronological Resume

Candidate A

  • 18 years of experience
  • 3 years at this job
  • AS Information Technology

Work History

Service Technician, IMPEX Corporation
11/2019–Current, Gulfport, MS

  • Repaired 300+ broken appliances visiting customers’ homes, focusing on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
  • Installed and tested nearly 200 security systems for residential and commercial buildings, with a 98% customer satisfaction rate.
  • Accepted more than 80% of overtime call opportunities.

Combination Resume

Candidate B

  • 17 years of experience
  • 1 year at this job
  • HS High School Diploma

Professional Skills

Problem-solving

  • Fixed hundreds of broken or defective products, including internet hardware, air conditioning (HVAC) systems, heating, ventilation, ovens, refrigerators and more.
  • Installed and tested 100+ home security systems with a near-perfect success rate after one year.
  • Kept inventory in stock for every job, anticipating our needs and placing orders for standard and specialty items.

Communication

  • Communicated politely and professionally with every customer, maintaining a 95% satisfaction rating in follow-up surveys.
  • Completed about a dozen detailed reports during every shift.
  • Agreed to take 90% of the overtime on-service jobs received.
icon

Service Technician Duties and Responsibilities

A Service Technician’s duties will vary widely depending on the type of services they provide, however there are similar core responsibilities common to all Service Technicians. A review of current job listings identified the following primary tasks.

Perform Routine Maintenance All Service Technicians perform some type of routine maintenance. For those in the auto industry this may be oil changes or tire rotations. And for those who work on appliances it may be changing filters or fuses. Regardless of what machinery a Service Technician services, routine maintenance is one of the most common tasks assigned to them.

Install Products Some Service Technicians are responsible for installing their products. These may be various appliances, security systems, or heating and cooling units. They are tasked with installing, testing, and then providing instructions to the client on the proper use of the machinery. Excellent customer service skills are important since Service Technicians have so much interaction with clients.

Perform Repairs Service Technicians are also called upon to fix defective or broken products which often involves replacing faulty or worn-out parts. Service Technicians will need to be able to use diagnostic tools to identify the issue and will then either fix the problem or order any necessary parts for the repair.

icon

Service Technician Skills

A successful Service Technician is mechanically-inclined, extremely reliable and trustworthy. They should be comfortable working independently and have excellent communication skills. In addition to these traits, employers look for applicants with the following skillsets. Core skills: Based on job listings we looked at, employers want Service Technicians with these core skills. If you want to work as a Service Technician, focus on the following.

  • Working knowledge of all equipment used in the field
  • Ability to read blueprints or technical diagrams
  • Experience with basic hand and power tools
  • Experience with diagnostic tools
  • Physically able to meet requirements of the job which may include, working in confined spaces, lifting heavy equipment, and bending down frequently

Advanced skills: While most employers did not require the following skills, multiple job listings included them as preferred. Add these to your Service Technician toolbox and broaden your career options.

  • Certifications such as, ASE (for Automotive Service Technicians)
  • Technical degree in electronics or similar field
icon

Service Technician Resources

There are more resources available on the Web for those interested in becoming a Service Technician. We scoured the Internet and found these links full of learning opportunities. On the Web

Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers’ Links – The AHAM has a wonderful Links section on their website full of resources for education and information regarding all types of home appliances.

Contractor – This online magazine is geared towards mechanical contractors but is a wonderful resource for Service Technicians as well. They cover everything from the tools of the trade to in-depth articles covering repair services in areas such as, plumbing, heating and cooling, and bathroom and kitchen remodeling.

Auto Service Professional – This magazine delivers technical and problem-solving articles to over 150,000 Auto Service Technicians. It’s a great source for those working in this industry. Service Technician Books

Today’s Technician: Basic Automotive Service and Systems – A wonderful resource for Automotive Service Technicians, this thorough book covers the fundamental skills and maintenance one needs to know to work in this field.

Troubleshooting and Repairing Major Appliances – This resource is a fantastic guide for Service Technicians who work on appliances. With pictures and diagrams this book is makes repairs easy. The author has over 40 years of experience working as a Service Technician on all types of appliances. Industry Groups

United Servicers Association – This servicers association provides educational opportunities and a wealth of resources to their members.

International Society of Certified Electronics Technicians – ISCET was founded in 1965 to create a certification process for Electronics Service Technicians. It also helps protect consumers by providing training and best-practices to its 50,000 members.

Electronics Technicians Association – Established in 1978, ETA offers certification programs in a wide range of technical fields.

National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence – ASE has been testing and certifying Automotive Service Technicians since 1972. They have certified over 300,000 technicians and strive to create industry standards and promote best-practices to improve automotive services.

Service Technician Resume FAQ.

What should I put on a resume for a service technician?

Service technician resumes should include the five most essential resume sections. Within those, you should highlight your skills and how those skills led to meaningful, quantifiable results for the company. Here are the sections you should include:

  • Name, email address and phone number in the header.
  • Work history section that includes bullet points for your accomplishments. For example, a service technician may want to highlight the number of customers they served per day.
  • Education section, including advanced degrees and professional certifications.
  • Professional summary or resume objective that encapsulates your relevant skills and qualifications in a few sentences.
  • Skills section that highlights soft skills and hard skills.

How do I write a service technician resume?

Once you have your resume sections lined up, you’ll need to write a compelling resume for a service technician. Here are a few pieces of advice that will help you along the way:

  • Be specific. Your resume should speak to your unique skills and experiences, and being too vague could bore the reader. Rather than saying you “operate equipment,” why not list the types of equipment?
  • Use numbers. You never want to simply list your job duties. Instead, use numbers to show the significance of your work. Rather than saying you “repair air conditioners,” write something like, “diagnosed and repaired 10+ air conditioners per day with in-house visits.”
  • Be concise. Resumes should be no longer than two pages, and in most cases, one page is the ideal length. Concision is essential, whether it means cutting out your first job after high school or limiting your resume summary to four sentences.
  • Don’t forget soft skills. Technicians use hard, technical skills every time they’re performing a repair. But just as often, they employ soft skills like communication, problem-solving and collaboration. Consider the ways you employ a different set of skills when you are helping customers.

What is the service technician job description?

Service technicians are responsible for repairing electrical appliances. Typically employed by service centers, a technician’s job description may mention handling repairs in shops and clients’ homes, diagnosing technical issues, and testing products and machinery after installation. In some cases, technicians may have to negotiate with customers to set the cost of a given repair.

What skills must a service technician have?

Based on our extensive resume database, these are the most important skills for service technicians to have:

  • Verbal communication
  • Translating nontechnical language into technical solutions
  • Diagnostic ability
  • Preventive maintenance
  • Hand tools
  • Customer service
  • Attention to detail
  • Problem-solving
  • Relationship-building
  • Negotiation