Welder Resume Examples by Level (2026)

Welder Resume Examples & Templates for 2025

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects roughly 45,600 openings for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers each year through 2034, driven largely by retirements and infrastructure expansion rather than new-position growth. The American Welding Society puts the figure even higher: approximately 82,500 welding positions need filling annually through 2028. With a median annual wage of $51,000 and top-decile earners clearing $75,850, a well-built resume is the difference between shop-floor callback and recycling-bin silence. The three complete resume examples below show exactly how entry-level, journeyman, and senior welders present certifications, weld-quality metrics, and project scope to pass both ATS filters and hiring-manager scrutiny.

Table of Contents

1. Why This Role Matters
2. Entry-Level Welder Resume Example
3. Journeyman Welder Resume Example
4. Senior Welder / Welding Foreman Resume Example
5. Key Skills & ATS Keywords
6. Professional Summary Examples
7. Common Mistakes
8. ATS Optimization Tips
9. FAQ
10. Citations

Why This Role Matters

Welders hold together the physical infrastructure of modern economies. Every high-rise steel frame, refinery pressure vessel, pipeline tie-in, and ship hull depends on weld joints that meet code the first time. A single failed X-ray on a pressure weld can shut down a $40 million turnaround for days. Fabrication shops, petrochemical plants, power-generation facilities, and shipyards all compete for qualified welders — and the competition is intensifying as the existing workforce ages out. The American Welding Society estimates that roughly 330,000 new welding professionals will be needed by 2028 to replace retirees and fill infrastructure-driven demand. This labor-market reality creates genuine leverage for welders who can document their qualifications properly. A resume that lists "welding" as a skill tells a hiring manager nothing. A resume that specifies "GTAW 6G pipe, ASME Section IX qualified, 97% radiographic acceptance rate on 6-inch Schedule 80 carbon steel" tells a hiring manager everything. The gap between those two resumes is not talent — it is presentation. The examples below model that precision. Each resume uses real certification codes, quantified weld-quality data, and project-scale metrics that fabrication supervisors and HR screeners both recognize. Whether you are applying to a structural steel erector, a refinery maintenance contractor, or a heavy-equipment manufacturer, these formats translate directly to the language hiring managers search for in applicant tracking systems.

Entry-Level Welder Resume Example

Marcus D. Reeves

**Location:** Tulsa, OK 74136 **Phone:** (918) 555-0147 **Email:** [email protected] **LinkedIn:** linkedin.com/in/marcusreeves-welder

**Professional Summary** AWS D1.1-qualified structural welder with 18 months of production welding experience at a 120-employee steel fabrication shop. Certified in GMAW and FCAW processes on carbon steel plate up to 1 inch. Maintained a 98.2% visual inspection pass rate across 4,200+ production welds while sustaining zero recordable safety incidents over the full employment period.

**Certifications** - AWS D1.1 Structural Welding — Steel (GMAW, FCAW), 3G and 4G positions, qualified 2024 - OSHA 10-Hour Construction Safety, completed 2023 - NCCER Welding Level 1 & Level 2, Tulsa Welding School, completed 2023 - Forklift Operator Certification, current

**Technical Skills** GMAW/MIG welding | FCAW flux-core welding | SMAW/stick welding (training) | Carbon steel plate | Blueprint reading | Welding symbols interpretation | Fitting and tacking | Overhead and vertical welding | Grinder and plasma cutter operation | Tape and level layout

**Professional Experience** **Production Welder** *Midwest Steel Fabricators, Inc.* — Tulsa, OK *June 2023 – Present* - Fabricated structural steel components — beams, columns, gusset plates, and base plates — for commercial building projects valued at $2M to $8M per contract - Completed an average of 85 linear inches of fillet weld per shift using GMAW short-circuit transfer on A36 steel ranging from 3/16" to 1" plate - Maintained a 98.2% first-pass visual inspection acceptance rate across 4,200+ welds over 18 months, with only 74 requiring rework - Read and interpreted structural steel fabrication drawings, weld symbols (AWS A2.4), and bill-of-materials documents for 35+ unique assemblies - Performed fit-up, tacking, and dimensional verification on wide-flange beam connections using squares, levels, and tape measures, holding tolerances within 1/16" - Operated overhead bridge crane (5-ton capacity) and forklifts to position steel members weighing up to 4,000 lbs for welding - Logged zero recordable OSHA incidents and zero lost-time injuries across 3,120 work hours - Assisted senior welders with FCAW multi-pass groove welds on moment-connection joints during peak production periods **Welding Student / Shop Assistant** *Tulsa Welding School* — Tulsa, OK *January 2023 – May 2023* - Completed 900-hour welding technology program covering GMAW, FCAW, SMAW, and oxy-fuel cutting processes - Passed AWS D1.1 3G and 4G plate qualification tests on first attempt using GMAW spray transfer on 3/8" A36 plate - Fabricated 12 graded shop projects including T-joints, lap joints, open-root groove welds, and a structural steel bracket assembly - Maintained 95% attendance record and graduated with a 3.7/4.0 GPA

**Education** **Welding Technology Diploma** Tulsa Welding School — Tulsa, OK — 2023 **High School Diploma** Union High School — Tulsa, OK — 2022

Journeyman Welder Resume Example

Daniel R. Castillo

**Location:** Beaumont, TX 77705 **Phone:** (409) 555-0283 **Email:** [email protected] **LinkedIn:** linkedin.com/in/danielcastillo-welder

**Professional Summary** ASME Section IX and AWS D1.1 dual-qualified journeyman welder with 6 years of experience in refinery piping, structural steel, and pressure-vessel fabrication. Holds active 6G pipe certifications in GTAW and SMAW on carbon steel and P91 chrome-moly. Achieved a 96.8% radiographic acceptance rate across 1,100+ pressure welds during three turnaround seasons at ExxonMobil Beaumont and Motiva Port Arthur refineries. NCCER Welding Level 4 certified with a zero lost-time injury record across 12,480 documented work hours.

**Certifications** - ASME Section IX — GTAW/SMAW Combo, 6G Position, Carbon Steel (P-1) and Chrome-Moly P91 (P-5B), qualified 2022 - AWS D1.1 Structural Welding — Steel, FCAW 3G/4G, SMAW 3G/4G, qualified 2020 - API 1104 Pipeline Welding — SMAW, 6G downhill, qualified 2021 - NCCER Welding Level 3 & Level 4, completed 2021 - OSHA 30-Hour Construction Safety, completed 2020 - TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential), current - Confined Space Entry & Rescue, current - Scaffold User Certification, current

**Technical Skills** GTAW/TIG welding | SMAW/stick welding | FCAW flux-core welding | GMAW/MIG welding | 6G pipe welding | Pipe fitting and alignment | Carbon steel (A106, A53) | Chrome-moly (P91, P22) | Stainless steel (304, 316) | Pressure vessel fabrication | Blueprint reading | Isometric drawing interpretation | Weld mapping | Preheat and interpass temperature control | PWHT (post-weld heat treatment) coordination | Purge gas (argon back-purge) technique | Hydrostatic test preparation | Radiographic (RT) and ultrasonic (UT) weld quality | Hot work permit procedures

**Professional Experience** **Journeyman Pipe Welder** *Brown & Root Industrial Services (KBR subsidiary)* — Beaumont, TX *March 2021 – Present* - Performed GTAW root / SMAW fill-and-cap combo welds on carbon steel pipe (2" through 24" diameter, Schedule 40 through Schedule 160) at ExxonMobil Beaumont Refinery during three consecutive turnaround seasons - Achieved a 96.8% first-time radiographic acceptance rate across 1,100+ pressure welds, compared to the site average of 91% - Welded P91 chrome-moly piping (4" through 10" Schedule 80) for high-temperature steam service requiring preheat to 400°F and interpass temperature monitoring via contact pyrometer - Coordinated argon back-purge procedures on stainless steel 316L piping systems, maintaining oxygen levels below 50 ppm during root passes to prevent sugaring - Completed 180+ tie-in welds during a 45-day turnaround at Motiva Port Arthur, averaging 4.2 completed welds per 10-hour shift with zero schedule delays attributed to weld repairs - Read and interpreted P&ID (piping and instrumentation diagrams), isometric drawings, and weld procedure specifications (WPS) to determine joint preparation, filler metal selection, and weld sequence - Mentored two apprentice welders during turnaround seasons, guiding both to ASME Section IX 6G qualification within 90 days - Logged zero lost-time injuries and zero environmental releases across 4 years and 8,320 on-site work hours **Structural Welder / Fitter** *Gulf Coast Fabricators, LLC* — Port Arthur, TX *January 2019 – February 2021* - Fabricated and erected structural steel for petrochemical facility expansions, including pipe racks, equipment platforms, and access stairways on projects valued at $5M to $22M - Performed FCAW and SMAW multi-pass groove welds on W-shape columns, wide-flange beams, and HSS members per AWS D1.1, passing 100% of UT spot inspections during a 14-month Valero project - Laid out, fit, and tacked structural connections from erection drawings with tolerances held to 1/8" across spans up to 60 feet - Operated boom lifts (60-foot JLG) and rigging equipment to position steel at elevations up to 120 feet during erection sequences - Maintained daily weld logs recording joint numbers, WPS references, filler-metal heat numbers, and preheat temperatures as required by the site QA/QC program - Contributed to a crew safety record of 185,000 man-hours without a recordable incident on the Valero expansion project

**Education** **Welding Technology — Associate of Applied Science** Lamar Institute of Technology — Beaumont, TX — 2019

Senior Welder / Welding Foreman Resume Example

James W. Kowalski

**Location:** Baton Rouge, LA 70809 **Phone:** (225) 555-0391 **Email:** [email protected] **LinkedIn:** linkedin.com/in/jameskowalski-cwi

**Professional Summary** AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) and ASME Section IX / AWS D1.1-qualified welding foreman with 12 years of field and shop experience spanning refinery turnarounds, LNG facility construction, and offshore platform fabrication. Supervised welding crews of 8 to 24 welders on projects valued up to $180M at Cheniere Sabine Pass, Marathon Garyville, and Kiewit Offshore Services. Drove crew-level radiographic acceptance rates from 88% to 96.5% through WPS compliance audits, welder-skill assessments, and structured remediation. Zero OSHA recordable incidents across 26,000+ supervised man-hours.

**Certifications** - AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI), Certificate No. 19XXXXXX, issued 2019, current through 2028 - AWS D1.1 Endorsement for CWI, structural steel, current - ASME Section IX — GTAW/SMAW Combo, 6G Position, Carbon Steel (P-1), Chrome-Moly P91 (P-5B), Stainless 316L (P-8), qualified 2016 - API 1104 — SMAW 6G downhill, carbon steel, qualified 2017 - AWS D1.1 — FCAW/SMAW, 3G/4G/6G, qualified 2014 - NCCER Welding Level 4 & Certified Welding Supervisor (AWS CWS) pathway, 2020 - OSHA 30-Hour Construction Safety, current - TWIC, current - NACE CIP Level 1 Coating Inspector (supplementary qualification), 2021

**Technical Skills** GTAW/TIG welding | SMAW/stick welding | FCAW flux-core welding | GMAW/MIG welding | SAW (submerged arc welding) | 6G pipe welding | Pipe fitting and alignment | Carbon steel | Chrome-moly (P91, P22) | Stainless steel (304, 316, duplex 2205) | Inconel overlay | Pressure vessel fabrication | Structural steel erection | Blueprint reading | Isometric drawing interpretation | P&ID interpretation | Weld mapping and tracking | WPS/PQR development assistance | Welder qualification testing | NDE coordination (RT, UT, MT, PT) | Preheat/interpass temperature control | PWHT coordination | Hydrostatic and pneumatic test preparation | Crew supervision (8-24 welders) | Quality management (ITP compliance) | Safety management (JHA, LOTO, hot work)

**Professional Experience** **Welding Foreman / CWI** *Performance Contractors, Inc.* — Baton Rouge, LA *April 2020 – Present* - Supervise welding crews of 12 to 24 journeyman and apprentice welders across simultaneous refinery turnaround and capital-project scopes at Marathon Garyville Refinery and Cheniere Sabine Pass LNG - Drove crew-level radiographic acceptance rate from 88% to 96.5% over 18 months by implementing daily WPS-compliance spot checks, pre-shift fit-up inspections, and a welder performance tracking system that flagged individuals falling below 93% acceptance for targeted remediation - Managed welding operations on a $180M LNG pipe-rack expansion at Cheniere Sabine Pass, coordinating 18 welders across 4 weld stations with daily progress tracked against an Inspection Test Plan (ITP) covering 2,400+ numbered weld joints - Reviewed and approved 150+ Weld Procedure Specifications (WPS) and Procedure Qualification Records (PQR) for compliance with ASME Section IX, ASME B31.3, and client supplementary requirements before production welding commenced - Performed visual weld inspections per AWS D1.1 and ASME Section IX acceptance criteria, issuing NCRs (Non-Conformance Reports) and directing repair welding for 280+ joints across three turnaround seasons - Coordinated NDE (radiographic, ultrasonic, magnetic particle, and liquid penetrant) scheduling with third-party inspection firms, reducing NDE queue wait times by 35% through staggered weld-completion sequencing - Qualified 40+ welders to ASME Section IX 6G and AWS D1.1 standards by administering performance qualification tests, evaluating test coupons, and documenting results in the site welder qualification database - Maintained zero OSHA recordable incidents across 26,000+ supervised man-hours over 4 years through daily Job Hazard Analyses (JHA), weekly safety toolbox talks, and strict enforcement of hot-work permit and LOTO (lockout/tagout) procedures **Lead Welder** *Kiewit Offshore Services* — Ingleside, TX *June 2017 – March 2020* - Led a crew of 8 welders fabricating offshore platform jacket sections and topside modules for Gulf of Mexico deepwater installations, with individual module weights exceeding 500 tons - Performed GTAW root / SMAW fill-and-cap welds on heavy-wall pipe (up to 2" wall thickness, 36" OD) and structural nodes requiring full-penetration CJP welds with 100% radiographic examination - Achieved a personal radiographic acceptance rate of 98.1% across 640 tracked welds over 3 years, ranking first among 22 welders on the jacket fabrication team - Welded duplex stainless steel 2205 and Inconel 625 overlay on subsea components requiring argon purge and strict interpass temperature limits of 300°F maximum - Fabricated ASME Section VIII Division 1 pressure vessels (up to 12-foot diameter, 3" wall carbon steel) including nozzle-to-shell welds, manway frames, and saddle attachments - Mentored 6 apprentice welders, 5 of whom achieved 6G pipe certification within their first year under direct supervision - Contributed to a shop safety record of 1.2 million man-hours without a lost-time incident during the jacket fabrication campaign **Journeyman Welder** *Bechtel Construction* — Various Sites (LA, TX) *August 2013 – May 2017* - Performed GTAW, SMAW, and FCAW welding on refinery piping, structural steel, and equipment installation across turnaround and capital projects at Exxon Baton Rouge, Dow Plaquemine, and BASF Geismar facilities - Welded carbon steel pipe (2" through 16") and stainless steel pipe (2" through 8") to ASME B31.3 and ASME Section IX requirements, averaging 3.8 completed production welds per shift - Maintained a 95.4% radiographic acceptance rate across 820+ documented pressure welds over 4 years - Passed AWS D1.1 6G plate and ASME Section IX 6G pipe qualification tests on first attempt, earning a reputation as a first-call welder for critical-path tie-in welds during unit shutdowns - Participated in hydrostatic testing, assisting with blind installation, pump setup, and pressure-hold monitoring on piping systems up to 3,000 PSI test pressure

**Education** **Welding Technology — Certificate of Completion** ITI Technical College — Baton Rouge, LA — 2013

Key Skills & ATS Keywords

The following 30 terms appear most frequently in welder and welding-foreman job postings across construction, petrochemical, and manufacturing sectors. Include the terms relevant to your experience verbatim — ATS software matches on exact phrasing. | Welding Processes | Materials & Codes | Inspection & Quality | |---|---|---| | GMAW / MIG welding | Carbon steel (A36, A106, A53) | Radiographic testing (RT) | | GTAW / TIG welding | Stainless steel (304, 316, duplex) | Ultrasonic testing (UT) | | SMAW / stick welding | Chrome-moly (P91, P22) | Magnetic particle testing (MT) | | FCAW flux-core welding | Inconel overlay (625) | Liquid penetrant testing (PT) | | SAW submerged arc welding | ASME Section IX | Visual inspection (VT) | | Oxy-fuel cutting | ASME B31.3 process piping | Weld mapping | | Plasma cutting | AWS D1.1 structural steel | Non-conformance reports (NCR) | | Pipe welding (6G position) | API 1104 pipeline | WPS/PQR compliance | | Structural welding | ASME Section VIII pressure vessels | Hydrostatic testing | | Fitting and tacking | Blueprint reading | X-ray acceptance rate | **Additional high-value keywords:** preheat and interpass temperature control, argon back-purge, PWHT (post-weld heat treatment), confined space entry, hot work permit, LOTO (lockout/tagout), crane rigging and signaling, scaffold user, TWIC, OSHA 10/30-Hour, NCCER welding certification, AWS CWI, crew supervision, safety toolbox talks, Job Hazard Analysis (JHA).

Professional Summary Examples

**Entry-Level (0-2 years):** AWS D1.1-qualified welder with 14 months of production experience fabricating structural steel connections for commercial and industrial building projects. Certified in GMAW and FCAW on carbon steel plate through 1" thickness in 3G and 4G positions. Averaged 90 linear inches of fillet weld per shift with a 97.5% visual inspection pass rate and zero safety incidents across 2,800 work hours. **Mid-Level / Journeyman (3-7 years):** ASME Section IX and AWS D1.1 dual-qualified pipe welder with 5 years of field experience in refinery turnarounds and petrochemical facility construction. Holds active 6G certifications in GTAW/SMAW combo on carbon steel and chrome-moly P91. Delivered a 96.2% radiographic acceptance rate across 900+ pressure welds at three Gulf Coast refineries while maintaining zero lost-time incidents over 10,400 documented work hours. **Senior / Foreman (8+ years):** AWS Certified Welding Inspector and welding foreman with 11 years of experience supervising crews of up to 20 welders on refinery, LNG, and offshore fabrication projects valued to $150M. Implemented welder-performance tracking and WPS-compliance audit programs that raised crew radiographic acceptance rates from 89% to 96% within two turnaround cycles. Qualified 35+ welders to ASME Section IX 6G standards and maintained zero OSHA recordable incidents across 22,000 supervised man-hours.

Common Mistakes

**1. Listing welding processes without position qualifications.** Writing "TIG welding" tells a hiring manager nothing about your capability. Write "GTAW 6G pipe, ASME Section IX, carbon steel and P91 chrome-moly." The position (6G), code (ASME Section IX), and material group (P-1, P-5B) are what qualification means in welding. **2. Omitting weld-quality metrics entirely.** Radiographic acceptance rate is the single most important performance metric for any welder working to pressure or structural codes. If you have tracked data — even informally — include it. "96% RT acceptance rate across 800+ welds" is a concrete hiring signal. Absence of any quality metric suggests you either failed frequently or never worked on code welding. **3. Using "responsible for" as a lead-in for every bullet.** "Responsible for welding pipe" describes a job description, not performance. "Completed 4.5 GTAW/SMAW combo welds per shift on 6-inch Schedule 80 carbon steel with a 97% first-time RT pass rate" describes a welder a superintendent would request by name. **4. Burying certifications below work experience.** In welding, certifications gate access to jobsites. A foreman reviewing 40 resumes for a turnaround crew checks certs first. Place your certifications section immediately after your professional summary — before work experience — so ASME Section IX, AWS D1.1, API 1104, and your CWI (if applicable) are visible within the first third of the page. **5. Failing to specify material groups.** "Pipe welding" on carbon steel A106 Grade B is a fundamentally different qualification than pipe welding on P91 chrome-moly or 316L stainless. Each material requires separate ASME Section IX qualification. List every material group you are qualified on — it directly expands the jobs you are eligible for. **6. Ignoring safety record documentation.** Construction and petrochemical employers screen for safety. A clean record is a competitive advantage only if you state it. Include total work hours and incident count: "Zero recordable incidents across 10,000+ work hours" is verifiable and valued. **7. Submitting a generic resume across industries.** A structural-steel erector cares about AWS D1.1, bolt-hole tolerances, and erection-drawing interpretation. A refinery contractor cares about ASME Section IX, P&ID reading, and radiographic acceptance rates. A shipyard wants AWS D1.6 stainless or MIL-STD-1688. Tailor the top half of your resume — summary, certs, and first job — to the specific industry of each application.

ATS Optimization Tips

**1. Mirror the exact certification codes from the job posting.** If the posting says "ASME Section IX 6G," your resume should say "ASME Section IX 6G" — not "ASME 9" or "Section 9" or "6G pipe cert." ATS software matches on character strings. Abbreviation mismatches cause silent rejection. **2. Spell out process abbreviations at least once.** Write "GTAW/TIG welding" and "GMAW/MIG welding" rather than only the abbreviation or only the common name. Some ATS systems search for "GTAW" while others search for "TIG." Including both guarantees a match regardless of the recruiter's keyword configuration. **3. Include a dedicated Technical Skills section with exact terms.** ATS parsers typically scan a skills section separately from work-experience bullets. A clean, comma-separated or table-formatted skills section ensures every keyword is captured in the skills field of the parsed candidate record, even if the parser misreads a bullet point. **4. Use standard section headings the parser expects.** Label your sections "Professional Summary," "Certifications," "Technical Skills," "Professional Experience," and "Education." Creative headings like "My Welding Journey" or "Torch & Wire" confuse parsers and can cause entire sections to be skipped during field mapping. **5. Quantify with numerals, not written-out numbers.** "6 years" parses more reliably than "six years." "96% RT acceptance rate" is captured by keyword-extraction algorithms searching for percentage metrics. "Ninety-six percent" is not. Use numerals for all measurements: inches, pipe diameters, crew sizes, hours, project values. **6. Submit in .docx format unless the posting specifies PDF.** Most enterprise ATS platforms (Workday, Taleo, iCIMS, Greenhouse) parse .docx files more accurately than PDFs. PDF parsing frequently garbles tables, columns, and special characters. If the posting accepts .docx, prefer it. **7. Place your most relevant certification and process keywords in the first 15 lines of the document.** Many ATS systems and recruiter quick-scans weight the top of the resume more heavily. If the job requires ASME Section IX 6G, that phrase should appear in your summary or certifications — not buried in a bullet on page two.

FAQ

What certifications do welders need for refinery and petrochemical work?

Most refinery contractors require ASME Section IX welder performance qualification in the 6G position (pipe fixed at a 45-degree angle) using the GTAW/SMAW combo process on carbon steel (P-1 material group) at minimum. Chrome-moly (P91/P-5B) and stainless steel (P-8) qualifications significantly expand eligibility. A current TWIC (Transportation Worker Identification Credential) is mandatory for MTSA-regulated facilities. OSHA 30-Hour Construction, confined-space entry, and scaffold-user certifications are standard site-access prerequisites. The AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) credential is required for supervisory and QA/QC roles and requires passing a three-part exam covering welding fundamentals, practical inspection, and the applicable code book.

How important is the 6G pipe welding position for career advancement?

The 6G position — pipe welded at a 45-degree fixed angle requiring the welder to work in all positions without repositioning the joint — is the most demanded qualification across petrochemical, power-generation, and pipeline sectors. Passing a 6G qualification test automatically qualifies a welder for all lesser positions (1G through 5G) under both ASME Section IX and AWS D1.1 codes. Welders who hold 6G qualifications on multiple material groups (carbon steel, chrome-moly, stainless) command the highest day rates and are first-call selections for critical-path turnaround welds. Without 6G, career progression beyond shop-floor production welding in most heavy-industrial sectors stalls.

What is a good radiographic acceptance rate, and should I include it on my resume?

Industry benchmark for radiographic (X-ray) acceptance on code-quality pressure welds typically runs 90-93% as a site average across all welders. Individual welders consistently above 95% are considered high-performers, and rates above 97% place a welder in the top tier of the craft. Include your rate if you have tracked data from quality departments, weld maps, or personal logs. Stating "96.5% RT acceptance rate across 900+ welds" immediately communicates code-level quality to any hiring manager or superintendent who has managed welding operations. If you do not yet have radiographic data (common for structural-only or shop-fabrication welders), substitute visual-inspection pass rates and UT spot-check results where available.

What is the difference between AWS D1.1 and ASME Section IX qualification?

AWS D1.1 (Structural Welding Code — Steel) governs welding on buildings, bridges, and other structural steel applications. ASME Section IX (Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code — Welding, Brazing, and Fusing Qualifications) governs welding on pressure-containing equipment such as piping, boilers, pressure vessels, and storage tanks. A third major code, API 1104, covers pipeline welding specifically. Each code has its own qualification requirements, essential variables, and acceptance criteria. Qualification under one code does not automatically qualify a welder under another — a welder qualified to ASME Section IX must separately qualify to AWS D1.1 if structural work is required, and vice versa. Welders who hold qualifications under multiple codes have access to a broader range of projects and employers.

How do I list welding certifications if they were qualified by my employer rather than a testing agency?

Employer-administered welder qualification tests are standard practice under both ASME Section IX and AWS D1.1. These qualifications are legitimate and should be listed on your resume with the code, process, position, and material group — for example, "ASME Section IX — GTAW/SMAW Combo, 6G, Carbon Steel P-1, qualified at Brown & Root Industrial Services, 2022." Note that welder qualifications under ASME Section IX remain valid indefinitely as long as the welder does not go more than six consecutive months without using the qualified process. AWS D1.1 has a similar continuity provision under Clause 4.2.3.1. If your qualification has lapsed due to inactivity, disclose that you are "previously qualified" and note willingness to re-test — employers expect to re-qualify welders for site-specific WPS requirements regardless.

Citations

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers — Occupational Outlook Handbook," updated 2024. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/welders-cutters-solderers-and-brazers.htm
2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — 51-4121 Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers," May 2023. https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes514121.htm
3. American Welding Society, "Welding Workforce Data — Highlighting the Welding Workforce Needs in the U.S.," 2024. https://weldingworkforcedata.com/
4. American Welding Society, "Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) Certification," 2025. https://www.aws.org/certification-and-education/professional-certification/certified-welding-inspector/
5. American Welding Society, "D1.1 Endorsement for CWI & SCWI — Structural Welding Code — Steel," 2025. https://www.aws.org/certification-and-education/professional-certification/cwi-and-scwi-endorsements/d11-endorsement/
6. American Welding Society, "ASME BPVC Section IX Endorsement for CWI & SCWI," 2025. https://www.aws.org/certification-and-education/professional-certification/cwi-and-scwi-endorsements/asme-bpvc-section-ix/
7. Material Welding, "Welder Certificate Validity as per ASME Section IX, AWS D1.1 and ISO 9606," 2024. https://materialwelding.com/welder-certificate-validity-as-per-asme-section-ix-aws-d1-1-and-iso-9606/
8. The Fabricator / The Welder, "Outlook, Trends, and Pay for the Welding Workforce According to AWS Data," 2024. https://www.thefabricator.com/thewelder/article/arcwelding/outlook-trends-and-pay-for-the-welding-workforce-according-to-aws-data
9. Lincoln Tech, "Welder Salary Guide for the United States 2025." https://www.lincolntech.edu/news/skilled-trades/welding-technology/welder-salary-guide-what-you-might-find-your-career
10. Earl Beck Corporation, "2025 Welding Career Outlook," 2025. https://www.earlbeck.com/welding-101-blog/2025-welding-career-outlook