Plumber CV Examples & UK Templates

As a plumber you keep households and businesses around the community in running order. While a job well done could go unnoticed for years, a poorly executed job will undoubtedly grab the attention of exasperated homeowners anywhere. 

A well-written CV is much the same. When it’s done right, there’s not much more to say and your route to that dream job becomes much easier. That’s why writing a strong CV as a plumber is so important — if it’s executed poorly, it will certainly stand out. And for all the wrong reasons.

Luckily for you, the nuts and bolts of a great CV really aren’t so difficult. At Resume.io, we specialise in providing job-winning CV examples for various professions. You’re in safe hands!

This CV guide, and with the corresponding CV example will cover the following topics:

• What does a plumber do?
• How to write a plumber CV (tips and tricks)
• The best format for a plumber CV
• Advice on each section of your CV (summary, work history, education, skills)
• Professional CV layout and design hints.

What does a plumber do?

As a plumber, you could be the everyday champion that keeps the piping mains and fixtures working for families and businesses across the neighbourhood. You could also be an unsung hero in industrial settings or working on construction projects, depending on your speciality.

Whatever it is, you know a thing or two about the structures that keep water and gas supplies functioning as they should. In fact, plumbing is one of the professions that tends to see the least disturbance to demand during slumps in the market. At least those that maintain a living working in domestic settings. Households will always need access to plumbing fixtures, whatever the time of year or economic climate.

How to write a plumber CV

Regardless of the type of job you’re applying for, your plumber CV example needs to meet some simple criteria. The very first step is understanding what sections to include. Your CV should contain the following elements:

• The CV header
• The CV summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The CV skills section
• The education section

Your CV should speak directly to the employer you’re hoping will hire you. That means the language and examples you choose throughout should correspond to what you think will impress them for this job in particular. Whether you’re applying via a job advert or a friend has encouraged you to send a spontaneous application, you have some tips at your disposal to decide the tone you’ll adopt for your entire CV. Formal? Friendly? Whatever it is, just make sure it stays professional. If you’re in doubt, follow some of these tips:

• Check the job ad for the type of language used and follow suit.
• Keep your CV to one page in length or a maximum of two.
• Research the company’s work culture to understand better what they will respond well to.
• Don’t write a neverending list of projects and accomplishments that aren’t relevant to the job you’re applying for.
• Don’t Forget to format your CV so it looks great to the hiring manager.

Choosing the best CV format for a plumber

For most job seekers, the best CV format is reverse chronological. This concentrates on your employment history and makes it the central focus of your CV. However, as a skilled tradesperson, you may opt for the functional format for your plumber CV.

If you are looking for or finishing an apprenticeship, or even specialising in a certain area of plumbing, the functional CV format will be especially useful for you. This format allows you to focus your plumber CV on the skills section, and add further context to examples of your competencies.

Try not to feel overwhelmed when choosing a CV format. Asking yourself which CV format is best for you may get a different response depending on the job you’re applying for or the stage that you’re at in your career. The important thing is to remember who you’re talking to through this application. Choose the format that you think will speak best to them and show off your value in this particular job role. 

CV summary example

The first content on your CV that you need to adapt to the job role at hand is the CV summary. This is also sometimes referred to as the profile. It sits below the header and tells the hiring manager who you are as a professional and why you think you’re a good fit for their advertised plumber position.

This is your chance to pump up your strongest points by making them abundantly clear. Throwing in some of the top keywords that have been emphasised in the job advert they’ve posted is a good idea, too. Remember, you have just a few phrases to convince the hiring manager to read on.

We would recommend two or three strong sentences with descriptive action verbs showing off your top traits and/or accomplishments as a plumber. To save on your word count you can cut out “I am” or “I have” and simply write in the present or past tense. Check out the example content below for some inspiration on making your plumber profile shine. For even more ideas, check out our electrician CV sample and engineering CV sample.

Employment history sample

If you have selected the reverse chronological format, this section will be the longest one on your plumber CV example. List each of your previous positions clearly on your plumbing CV, putting the most recent role at the top and the least recent further down the page. 

Every job position will serve as a mini sub-heading including your job role title, the name of the establishment that hired you, the location, and the dates you worked there. Underneath this, you can list bullet points with examples of your main achievements and responsibilities in the job. If you have selected the functional format, you will be focusing more on other sections. However, you can still list your previous roles and notable accomplishments during your time in each of them here.

This area is the prime surface area to make it clear what your strong points are in relation to what the hiring manager is looking for. Don’t waste precious space on examples which don’t paint a picture of why they should hire you for this role. Check out the CV sample content below for more ideas. 

CV skills example

A poor workman blames his tools. As a plumber, you know that so much of your value comes from the skills you have accumulated over the years. This is especially true if you are applying for a specialist role. It’s important to communicate them clearly in your plumber CV.

While your plumber CV is bound to focus on hard skills — that is, the technical skills that you have picked up along the way in your plumbing career — don’t forget to sell yourself based on your soft skills, too.

Hard skills focus on the technical expertise you’ve gained, whereas soft skills focus on how you execute a task. These could range from skills related to your communication, organisation, or even people skills. There’s no shortage of examples of soft skills for you to describe the way you work as a plumber. 

The CV sample content below can help to point you in the right direction with your keyword inclusion, too. Remember the pesky ATS will be in action, and this can be a great section to include your relevant keywords. 

Plumber CV education example

As a plumber, you know what it means to put hard work into studying your profession. However, the journey to becoming a plumber can look different for different people. Aim to list your formal education in this section such as high school and college education. When it comes to the various certifications you may have picked up in relation to your plumbing, you can list these in a separate section labelled “training” or “certifications”.

CV layout and design

Just like a well-done plumbing job, before you leave you need to tidy up so your work looks as great as it performs. Your plumber CV is no different. In fact, the appearance of your CV is the first thing a hiring manager will notice. 

Take the time to format your CV properly and choose a nice layout. If aesthetics aren’t your thing and you don’t want to lose time, then consider using one of our professionally-designed CV templates. Our CV samples have been HR tested and should be able to save you some patience from working on that fiddly formatting.

Key takeaways for a plumber CV

1. Choose the CV format that best shows off your skills for the job you’re aiming for.
2. Use convincing language and examples to sell the relevance of your previous experience.
3. Vary those technical skills with some soft skills to tell the hiring manager the sort of plumber you are.
4. Make a top first impression with a CV that has aesthetics that match its performance.