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As a professional painter, you’re responsible for making sure that commercial and residential projects look their best. Whether you’re preparing a wall for painting, working as part of a decorating team, or interacting with customers, your role requires a variety of different skills. So, how can you write a painter and decorator CV that makes sure you look your best too?
Thankfully, myPerfectCV is here to help. We’ve got everything you need to write a showstopping painter CV today – including tips from UK recruiters, a top-rated painter and decorator CV example, and our trusted CV builder tool.
Painter CV templates
Painter CV tips
Follow our top recruiter tips to create a painter CV with a professional finish.
Quantify your impact
When you’re writing the work experience section of your CV, it can be tempting to list your daily duties and responsibilities – but this won’t necessarily help your application stand out. Instead, try including facts and figures from your previous positions, whether it’s an employee satisfaction rate, the average time it took you to complete a job, or the number of painting jobs you took on each week.
Use keywords from the painter and decorator job description
Lots of recruiters now use an ATS (application tracking system) to filter through CVs. By including keywords and phrases from the painter and decorator job description on your CV, you can help it get flagged by an ATS and increase its chances of being seen by a real recruiter.
Follow a professional painter CV template
Like a good painting job, your CV needs to have a clean and professional finish. Always follow a template to make sure your application is easy to read. This will also help you fit all of your information on just one page – the preferred length for a CV according to many recruiters.
Highlight your technical skill
It can be difficult to write a CV when your work normally speaks for itself. To help a recruiter understand your expertise, don’t forget to include your technical skills. These could include different painting techniques such as sponging, stenciling, and painting decorative plaster mouldings on walls and ceilings.
Show some personality
Painters often work closely with others, whether they’re collaborating with fellow tradespeople or discussing briefs with a client. Interpersonal skills are an important requirement for the role, so make sure to use positive language to describe your character and work ethic when writing your personal statement.
Painter skills to include in your CV
Cover all bases with these top-rated painter and decorator skills for your CV.
Essential skills for your painter CV
- Attention to detail
- Customer service
- Health and safety
- Hands-on expertise
- Preparing walls for paint
- Mixing and applying paint
Bonus skills to help your CV stand out
- Invoicing
- Decorative techniques
- Knowledge of construction law
- Confidentiality
- Time management
- Business management
Dazzle your recruiter with a stand-out personal statement for your painter CV
Like a fresh coat of paint on a front door, your personal statement (or personal summary) is responsible for giving your CV curb appeal! This section sits immediately beneath your contact details and is designed to make your recruiter want to read on.
In your personal statement, you should outline your current employment, professional background, and most impressive skills. You can also give a sense of your personality by including thoughtful adjectives to describe your work ethic.
Top FAQs about your painter CV
What skills do you need to be a painter?
To be a successful painter, you’ll need a combination of practical and interpersonal skills. These include preparing and applying paints, monitoring the condition of walls and ceilings, discussing client requirements, and time management. Depending on your place of work, you may also need to have a range of administrative skills, such as invoicing, payment processing, and record keeping.
What should I include in a painter CV?
When writing your painter CV, you’ll need to include the following sections:
- A personal statement that outlines your current painter and decorator role, as well as your key areas of expertise and short-term career objectives.
- A work experience section that includes your previous positions in reverse-chronological order, listing your main achievements at each.
- A skills section that bullet points your top eight most competitive painter and decorator skills.
- An education section that showcases your most recent academic achievements and professional painter and decorator qualifications.
What are a painter’s responsibilities?
A professional painter is responsible for carrying out home improvement tasks to a high standard. They can take on a combination of internal and external painting jobs, both of which come with their own set of challenges (including health and safety risks, weather considerations, and preparation methods). Painters may work for residential or commercial clients.
What should a painter put on a resume?
As a painter, your resume will need to convey the standard and professionalism of your work. Because a recruiter won’t be able to see examples of your finished projects, the best way to showcase your skill is by including examples of your achievements. For example, perhaps you helped your company secure record levels of local business or painted a venue for a particular event.
What is the average painter and decorator salary?
According to the National Careers Service, the average salary for a painter and decorate is between £17,000 and £32,000 a year. The average hourly rate for a painter and decorator in the UK is £14.
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Create your professional painter CV with myPerfectCV
With myPerfectCV, building your painter and decorator CV is as easy as painting by numbers. We’ve got all the resources you need to create a showstopping CV – so choose your professional templates, tailor your content, and download your personalised painter CV today.
