Machinist job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$58,750

BLS May 2025

1. Calculate dimensions or tolerances, using instruments, such as micrometers or vernier calipers. importance 4.8 of 5
2. Machine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, shapers, or grinders. importance 4.8 of 5
3. Measure, examine, or test completed units to check for defects and ensure conformance to specifications, using precision instruments, such as micrometers. importance 4.6 of 5
4. Set up, adjust, or operate basic or specialized machine tools used to perform precision machining operations. importance 4.6 of 5
5. Program computers or electronic instruments, such as numerically controlled machine tools. importance 4.5 of 5
6. Study sample parts, blueprints, drawings, or engineering information to determine methods or sequences of operations needed to fabricate products. importance 4.5 of 5
7. Monitor the feed and speed of machines during the machining process. importance 4.5 of 5
8. Maintain machine tools in proper operational condition. importance 4.5 of 5
9. Fit and assemble parts to make or repair machine tools. importance 4.4 of 5
10. Align and secure holding fixtures, cutting tools, attachments, accessories, or materials onto machines. importance 4.3 of 5
11. Confer with numerical control programmers to check and ensure that new programs or machinery will function properly and that output will meet specifications. importance 4.3 of 5
12. Operate equipment to verify operational efficiency. importance 4.3 of 5
13. Evaluate machining procedures and recommend changes or modifications for improved efficiency or adaptability. importance 4.3 of 5
14. Diagnose machine tool malfunctions to determine need for adjustments or repairs. importance 4.1 of 5
15. Design fixtures, tooling, or experimental parts to meet special engineering needs. importance 4.1 of 5
16. Dispose of scrap or waste material in accordance with company policies and environmental regulations. importance 4.0 of 5

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

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.

• Support metalworking projects from planning and fabrication through assembly, inspection, and testing, using knowledge of machine functions, metal properties, and mathematics.
• Install repaired parts into equipment or install new equipment.
• Dismantle machines or equipment, using hand tools or power tools to examine parts for defects and replace defective parts where needed.
• Test experimental models under simulated operating conditions, for purposes such as development, standardization, or feasibility of design.
• Set up or operate metalworking, brazing, heat-treating, welding, or cutting equipment.
• Prepare working sketches for the illustration of product appearance.

Knowledge areas: Mathematics, Mechanical, Production and Processing and Design.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Mastercam computer-aided design and manufacturing software, G-code, Autodesk AutoCAD, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office 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 long-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
• 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 machinist.

The most common answer among machinists surveyed by O*NET is a high school diploma or equivalent (36%).

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

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Machinist to set up and operate a variety of machine tools to produce precision parts and instruments out of metal.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Calculate dimensions or tolerances, using instruments, such as micrometers or vernier calipers.
- Machine parts to specifications, using machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, shapers, or grinders.
- Measure, examine, or test completed units to check for defects and ensure conformance to specifications, using precision instruments, such as micrometers.
- Set up, adjust, or operate basic or specialized machine tools used to perform precision machining operations.
- Program computers or electronic instruments, such as numerically controlled machine tools.
- Study sample parts, blueprints, drawings, or engineering information to determine methods or sequences of operations needed to fabricate products.
- Monitor the feed and speed of machines during the machining process.
- Maintain machine tools in proper operational condition.

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 operation and control, operations monitoring and critical thinking
- Working knowledge of Mathematics and Mechanical
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Mastercam computer-aided design and manufacturing software or G-code]
- [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 $58,750 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $28.24. BLS estimates about 287,050 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of machinists to grow 1.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 26,100 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

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

• Read a real machinist posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Calculate dimensions or tolerances, using instruments, such as…”, 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 machinist work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (operation and control and operations monitoring); machinist interview questions turns them into practice questions.