Stop Losing Jobs Over Your Resume
Discover the biggest resume mistakes pest control technicians make and how to correct them for instant impact.
Common Mistakes That Kill Your Chances
Each mistake includes why it hurts, how to fix it, and before/after examples
- Hiring managers skim resumes and discard vague objectives
- ATS scores lower when keywords aren’t front‑loaded
- Fails to highlight your specific pest‑control expertise
- Replace the objective with a 2‑sentence professional summary
- Lead with years of experience, certifications, and key results
- Insert top industry keywords early
Objective: Seeking a position in pest control where I can utilize my skills.
Professional Summary: Certified Pest Control Technician with 5+ years delivering Integrated Pest Management solutions, EPA‑registered pesticide applicator, and a 95% client satisfaction rate.
- Doesn’t demonstrate impact or value
- ATS looks for action verbs and quantifiable results
- Recruiters prefer numbers over tasks
- Begin each bullet with a strong action verb
- Add metrics (e.g., % reduction in infestations)
- Show how you solved client problems
- Performed routine pesticide applications. - Conducted inspections of commercial properties.
- Executed 150+ pesticide applications quarterly, achieving a 30% reduction in repeat infestations. - Inspected 40+ commercial sites per month, delivering detailed reports that improved client retention by 12%.
- Many pest‑control jobs require EPA or NAPPC certification
- ATS filters out resumes missing mandatory credentials
- Hiring managers may discard incomplete profiles
- Create a dedicated "Certifications" section near the top
- List EPA Pesticide Applicator License, NAPPC certification, and any state permits
- Include expiration dates
Work Experience - Pest Control Technician at XYZ Services (2019‑2022)
Certifications - EPA Certified Pesticide Applicator (License #123456, expires 2026) - NAPPC Certified Technician (2023) Work Experience - Pest Control Technician at XYZ Services (2019‑2022)
- ATS may fail to parse employment dates
- Hiring managers can’t quickly gauge tenure
- Looks unprofessional
- Standardize all dates to MM/YYYY
- Place dates on the right side of each entry
- Use the same format for education and certifications
Work Experience - Pest Control Technician, ABC Pest Services June 2018 – March 2021
Work Experience - Pest Control Technician, ABC Pest Services 06/2018 – 03/2021
- Takes up valuable space on a one‑page resume
- ATS may flag non‑professional content
- Hiring managers focus on qualifications, not hobbies
- Remove sections like "Hobbies" unless directly related to pest control (e.g., "Volunteer for community pest‑free initiatives") - Keep personal details to name, phone, email, and LinkedIn
Interests - Hiking, cooking, and gardening
Professional Affiliations - Member, National Pest Management Association (NPMA)
- Use a professional email address (first.last@domain.com)
- Add EPA and NAPPC certifications with expiration dates
- Start each work bullet with an action verb and a metric
- Standardize all dates to MM/YYYY
- Include a Core Competencies list with keywords like "Integrated Pest Management"
- Proofread for spelling of pest‑control terminology
- Convert generic objective to targeted summary
- Add quantifiable achievements to each role
- Standardize date formats
- Insert industry‑specific keywords
- Create a certifications section
