Driller resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what drillers actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most drillers should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Experienced driller with hands-on capability operating rotary drilling rigs across onshore and offshore sites. Skilled in managing drill strings, monitoring pressure and depth gauges, and enforcing site safety protocols in remote, high-risk environments. Comfortable working rotating shifts and coordinating with geologists, engineers and service technicians to keep drilling on program.
Key skills
- Plant and equipment operation
- Worksite safety management
- Regulatory compliance (WHS)
- Rotary drilling rig operation
- Drawworks and hoisting equipment
- Mud circulation systems
- Pressure and depth gauge monitoring
- Drill string and downhole tool assembly
- Problem solving under time pressure
- Physical stamina and manual dexterity
Experience: example bullet points
- Operated rotary drilling rigs and monitored pressure, depth and rate-of-penetration gauges to keep drilling within work program specifications
- Assembled, tested and maintained drill strings, pipes and downhole tools, catching wear and faults before they caused unplanned downtime
- Followed geological work programs and directional data to drill to specified depths and angles across multiple well or hole sites
- Conducted pre-shift safety briefings and enforced site protocols, contributing to an incident-free run of shifts on rotation
- Troubleshot equipment faults on drawworks and mud circulation systems, coordinating with service technicians to restore operations with minimal lost time
- Kept accurate driller's logs and handover notes so incoming crews had a clear picture of hole condition and outstanding issues
Education
Typical pathway is a Certificate III in Drilling Operations (or equivalent trade qualification) completed through a traineeship with a Registered Training Organisation, combined with a driller's High Risk Work Licence; many drillers progress from offsider or roughneck roles through on-the-job experience rather than starting with formal study.
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- Rotary drilling rig
- Drawworks and hoisting equipment
- Mud circulation systems
- Rate of penetration (ROP)
- Downhole tools and drill string
- Driller's High Risk Work Licence
- Certificate III in Drilling Operations
- Work Health and Safety (WHS)
- Site safety induction
- Drilling work program
- Geological logging
- Coal seam gas (CSG) drilling
- Australian Drilling Industry Association (ADIA)
- Onshore and offshore drilling operations
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.