Skills
Roustabout Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in roustabouts, and how to build and show them.
What skills do roustabouts need?
Roustabouts need technical skills such as pipefitting basics, rigging, and equipment maintenance, plus people skills like stamina and teamwork. They also use tools such as Pipe wrenches and Power tools.
Technical (hard) skills
- Pipefitting basics
- Rigging
- Equipment maintenance
- Forklift operation
- Hand and power tools
- Trenching
People (soft) skills
- Stamina
- Teamwork
- Reliability
- Safety awareness
Tools, equipment and technology
- Pipe wrenches
- Power tools
- Forklifts
- Backhoes
- Welding support equipment
- Gas monitors
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how roustabouts put their skills to work:
- How to make up a threaded pipe joint
- How to complete a job safety analysis
- How to respond to an h2s alarm
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Pipefitting basics” and “Rigging.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “stamina,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as SafeLand USA near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our roustabout glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Roustabout 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.