General Labor Resume: Guide, Example & Tips

A general laborer performs various physical tasks on a wide variety of sites from construction sites to public infrastructure, such as: 

• Carrying out tasks and following specific instructions.
• Operating equipment to transport materials or raw materials carefully.
• Preparing site materials and cleaning up debris.

A general labor worker is different from a skilled labor worker in that most of the general laborer tasks are considered basic and generic labor tasks. A skilled labor worker, on the other hand, possesses specific skills and knowledge to perform certain tasks. 

To land a job as a general labor worker, you have to have strong work ethics and endurance to carry out the tasks for the worksite. To show that you have the right mentality and skills, you need to prepare a professional general labor worker resume (or general laborer CV). 

Whether you plan to build a general construction worker resume or a general labor warehouse resume, the following steps and advice will guide you to writing an impressive general labor resume.

• How long should a general labor resume be?
  To quickly get the point across to the employer, be concise with your general labor resume and limit it to one page. 

• What is the best font to use for a general labor resume?
  Another method to help you easily show the employer your list of credentials is by choosing a reader-friendly font for your general labor resume, such as Arial or Times New Roman with a font size between 10 and 12. 

• What is the standard margin for a general labor resume?
  For your general labor resume, set margins to 1 inch on all four sides of the page. 

• What spacing should a general labor resume be in?
  Based on the type of font that you choose for your general labor resume, your line spacing should be between 1.2 and 1.5.

• What format should a general labor resume be in?
  To ensure that the information you provide in your general labor resume stays organized, save the general laborer resume in a PDF file unless the employer asks for a resume in Word format, 

So do make sure to check the job description of the general laborer job for your resume format.

To write a well-arranged general labor resume, do research on which of the three formats below will be the most suitable one for you. 

• Chronological resume format:
  • Lists your work experience from the most recent to the oldest
  • Highlights your work history
  • Not ideal for people with career gaps

• Functional resume format:
  • Focuses on your technical and transferable skills
  • Highlights your skills
  • Hiring managers can doubt about your hands-on experience

• Combinational resume format:
  • Ideal for job applicants with a strong work history and various transferable skills
  • Highlights both work history and skills
  • Can be lengthy and repetitive

The contact information section is your introduction of your general labor worker resume and tells the recruiter who you are. What you include within this section is crucial as you want to make sure the employer will be able to reach you after reviewing your general labor resume. 

The headline title of your general labor resume is where you construct a striking one-liner that describes your professional experience and/or achievements.

✅ Tip 1:
Make the headline of your general labor resume stand out with capitalization. Using uppercases allows the employer to quickly notice the title of your general labor resume. 

✅ Tip 2:
Ensure that the headline of your general labor resume is concise. To keep it brief and easy to read for the employer, limit the headline of your general labor resume to ten words or less.   

✅ Tip 3:
Position your headline at the top of your general labor resume. This guarantees that the hiring manager sees your headline and wants to continue reading your resume. 

The summary statement of your general labor resume is where you explain your manual-related expertise further. 

A strong descriptive word is an ideal start of a professional general laborer resume summary. Hence, start with a powerful adjective describing a suitable attribute you have or the training you have completed. 

You also need to include experience and skills in the summary for your general laborer resume. It's important to display your strengths and what will be covered through the rest of your general labor resume.  

Additionally, chip away any grammatical errors by proofreading your general laborer resume summary. Show the employer that you are detail-oriented with a general laborer resume summary free of typos.   

The skills you include in your general labor resume provide the employer with examples of what you are proficient in. Begin writing the skills section of your general labor resume by choosing one of the four styles to organize your skills:  

• A bulleted list: 
  • Easy-to-view.
  • Lacks details of how you utilize a skill.

• Expanded bullet lists:
  • Easy-to-read.
  • Provides details of how the skills are used.
  • Takes up much space.

• Integrating skills with work experience:
  • Provides contexts and details of how the skills are used.
  • Not suitable for freshers.

• A categorized skill section: 
  • Effectively lists broad skills.
  • Lack details how you apply a skill.

Example General Labor Skills for a Resume:

The work experience section of your general labor resume provides the employer a detailed account of projects and jobs you have been professionally involved with.

✅ 3 tips for effectively delivering your work experience in your general labor resume:

• Create a suitable general labor resume based on the type of manual work you’re applying for. 
• Upgrade examples of work experience in your general labor resume with quantifiable details.  
• While you may have the strength to take on the role, make sure to also strengthen up your general labor resume with action verbs.  

Even though there usually are no specific education requirements for a general laborer role, you will still want to include any educational achievements you have and related training you have completed in your general labor resume.

If you are crafting a general labor resume with no experience, you will find it beneficial to list your education credentials right after your objective/summary statement. If you are an experienced general labor writing a resume, place your educational background after your work experience instead. 

How to list education in different situations and examples:

• High school education
  • Avoid listing it if you finished college.
  • Landfalls High School (MD, U.S.)
    2011 - 2015 | GPA: 3.86
    
• Education in process
  • List “in progress” or “expected to graduate in (year)” 
  • B.S. in Labor & Human Resources, Penn State
    (Expected to graduate in 2026) | GPA: 3.93
    
• Incomplete education  
  • Include credits earned or experience earned
  • Landfalls High School (2013 - 2015)
    • Completed 40 credits towards a high school diploma. 

• Hobbies and interests
  • List under “areas of interest” or “additional information”.
  • Fit for people who have hobbies or interests that showcase relevant skills or who have enough space in their general labor resume.
  • Example: crafting with hand tools.  
• Volunteer work
  • List in your work experience section or additional information section.
  • Example: Homebuilder volunteer at Habitat for Humanity.
• Certification and awards
  • Example: Laborer of the Month at XXX Construction Company, June 2019.
• Projects
  • Example: Crane Development Project.
• References
  • Example: Mr. Randy Sol, the director of General Labor at ABC company | Former direct supervisor.

• Contact Details
  • Full Legal Name
  • Email Address
  • Mobile Number
  • Current Address

• Introduction: Greet the hiring manager and tell them who you are or how you found the role. 

• Motivation: Let the employer know why you applied for the general laborer position at this company/factory.

• Qualification: Provide the employer with credentials and background information to show you are fit for the general laborer position.  

• Closing: Conclude your general labor cover letter with contact information and a thank you.

With these ten effective steps, various examples of elements in a general labor resume, and the general labor resume sample below, you will have no difficulties in building a successful general labor resume for your next manual position.