Carpenter job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$60,580

BLS May 2025

1. Measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge. importance 4.0 of 5
2. Follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment. importance 3.9 of 5
3. Shape or cut materials to specified measurements, using hand tools, machines, or power saws. importance 3.8 of 5
4. Select and order lumber or other required materials. importance 3.8 of 5
5. Install structures or fixtures, such as windows, frames, floorings, trim, or hardware, using carpenters' hand or power tools. importance 3.8 of 5
6. Verify trueness of structure, using plumb bob and level. importance 3.7 of 5
7. Arrange for subcontractors to deal with special areas, such as heating or electrical wiring work. importance 3.6 of 5
8. Build or repair cabinets, doors, frameworks, floors, or other wooden fixtures used in buildings, using woodworking machines, carpenter's hand tools, or power tools. importance 3.6 of 5
9. Remove damaged or defective parts or sections of structures and repair or replace, using hand tools. importance 3.6 of 5
10. Install rough door and window frames, subflooring, fixtures, or temporary supports in structures undergoing construction or repair. importance 3.6 of 5
11. Erect scaffolding or ladders for assembling structures above ground level. importance 3.6 of 5
12. Maintain job records and schedule work crew. importance 3.5 of 5
13. Examine structural timbers and supports to detect decay, and replace timbers as required, using hand tools, nuts, and bolts. importance 3.5 of 5
14. Fill cracks or other defects in plaster or plasterboard and sand patch, using patching plaster, trowel, and sanding tool. importance 3.5 of 5
15. Dig or direct digging of post holes and set poles to support structures. importance 3.5 of 5
16. Finish surfaces of woodwork or wallboard in houses or buildings, using paint, hand tools, or paneling. importance 3.5 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Getting Information, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials and Handling and Moving Objects.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Work with or remove hazardous material.
• Build sleds from logs and timbers for use in hauling camp buildings and machinery through wooded areas.
• Construct forms or chutes for pouring concrete.
• Apply shock-absorbing, sound-deadening, or decorative paneling to ceilings or walls.

Knowledge areas: Building and Construction, Administration and Management, Mathematics, Design and Engineering and Technology.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word, Drawing and drafting software. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists apprenticeship as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become a carpenter.

Most carpenters surveyed by O*NET (52%) name a high school diploma or equivalent as the education the job requires.

Job title: Carpenter
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Carpenter to construct, erect, install, or repair structures and fixtures made of wood and comparable materials, such as concrete forms; building frameworks, including partitions, joists, studding, and rafters; and wood stairways, window and door frames, and hardwood floors.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil, chalk, and marking gauge.
- Follow established safety rules and regulations and maintain a safe and clean environment.
- Shape or cut materials to specified measurements, using hand tools, machines, or power saws.
- Select and order lumber or other required materials.
- Install structures or fixtures, such as windows, frames, floorings, trim, or hardware, using carpenters' hand or power tools.
- Verify trueness of structure, using plumb bob and level.
- Arrange for subcontractors to deal with special areas, such as heating or electrical wiring work.
- Build or repair cabinets, doors, frameworks, floors, or other wooden fixtures used in buildings, using woodworking machines, carpenter's hand tools, or power tools.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in active listening, critical thinking and monitoring
- Working knowledge of Building and Construction and Administration and Management
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Intuit QuickBooks or Microsoft Excel]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $60,580 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $29.12. BLS estimates about 670,090 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of carpenters to grow 3.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 62,800 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full carpenter salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real carpenter posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Measure and mark cutting lines on materials, using a ruler, pencil…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only carpenter work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and critical thinking); carpenter interview questions turns them into practice questions.