Skills
Drilling Machine Operator Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in drilling machine operators, and how to build and show them.
What skills do drilling machine operators need?
Drilling Machine Operators need technical skills such as drill press setup, speeds and feeds, and tapping, plus people skills like precision and focus. They also use tools such as Drill presses and Boring mills.
Technical (hard) skills
- Drill press setup
- Speeds and feeds
- Tapping
- Measurement
- Blueprint reading
- Fixturing
People (soft) skills
- Precision
- Focus
- Reliability
- Safety awareness
Tools, equipment and technology
- Drill presses
- Boring mills
- Drill bits
- Taps
- Calipers
- Pin gauges
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how drilling machine operators put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Drill press setup” and “Speeds and feeds.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “precision,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as NIMS Drill Press near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our drilling machine operator glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Drilling Machine Operator training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.