Many tend to underestimate the important role janitorial services play in our lives. So, we’d like to give a huge shoutout to all the amazing people who ensure the sanitation, cleanliness, and safety of all public and private facilities.
If you are working as a professional janitor, you should feel good about the great work you do. And this sentiment should also come across when writing your resume. Never diminish or doubt your skills and abilities!
In this post, you’ll find several working janitor resume examples and bonus sections, explaining how to make a janitor title sound good on a resume!
Janitor Resume Examples
Janitor Resume Example (text version)
Jamie Mayers
Phone: (888)555-1111
Email: jamiemayers@email.com
Professional summary
Diligent, hardworking, amicable janitorial specialist, trained in Covid-19 sanitation protocols, CEFP and OSHA certified. Experienced with waxing equipment, plumbing work, and cleaning supply and inventory management.
Work Experience
Janitor
Sunnydale High School, Denver, CO
August 2018-present
Full-time school janitor, providing effective cleaning, floor care, trash removal, restroom cleaning, and groundskeeping services at a school of 500 students.
- Regular facilities cleaning and special floor care for the school library
- Timely trash removal and cooperation with local waste management companies
- Initiated a school trash sorting facility and educated students on recycling
- Co-developed a new cleaning checklist to comply with new school safety protocols
- Reference letter from Principal MacGill available upon request
Plumber
Independent Contractor, Denver, CO
May 2017-present
Outside of full-time work, I operate as an independent plumbing contractor, offering services to the local community.
- Install, replace, and repair water heating pipes
- Complete all-round bathroom/WC repairs
- Repair minor HVAC leaks
Cleaning Specialist
Sander’s Staffing Agency
November 2015-May 2017
Worked as a temporary cleaning specialist, assigned to augment in-house cleaning teams on-demand during busy seasons.
- Performed a variety of office cleaning duties — carpet cleaning, vacuuming, special woods care, trash removal, outside landscaping maintenance.
- Efficiently handled post-renovation facility cleaning — removed paint traces, disposed of construction waste, helped with furniture moving and arrangement.
- Worked as part of the hotel cleaning team — professionally polished all surfaces, performed floor treatments, did minor plumbing repairs and sanitary engineering jobs.
- Followed directions from team supervisors and received positive references from every temp employer I have worked for.
Shift Cleaner
Chicka Burgers
December 2014-November 2015
Worked as shift cleaner at a fast-food location in Colorado Springs. Ensured fast and effective cleaning of the restaurant facilities, including dining areas, washrooms, and kitchen areas after the end of the staff shifts.
Education & Certifications
Denver Trade School
2016-2017
Plumbing certification
Completed a plumbing training program and obtained a professional plumbing license from the Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations.
- OSHA Safety and Health Specialist Certificate, issued in Nov 2017
- Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP), issued in June 2018
Sample Janitorial Worker Resume
Pit Armstrong
Phone: (888)4545-1111
Email: p.armstrong@email.com
Dependable custodial worker, formerly employed by the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Seeking a new position on the janitorial team, following a move to Orange County. Experienced in chemical-based and green cleaning techniques, maintaining carpets and upholstery, and doing carpentry work and repairs.
University of Boston
Custodial Worker
May 2019-March 2024
Performed cleaning and housekeeping duties across the university estate, covering 3 buildings, including the concert hall.
- Performed careful cleaning and conditioning of heritage parquet floors and velvet sittings to preserve the assets’ longevity.
- Used microfiber rag system for cleaning study areas without damaging desk surfaces.
- Deep restroom cleaning and sanitation using green cleaning chemicals and equipment.
- Restored the newness of several wooden fixtures, including a library staircase and decorative moldings.
- Maintained always accurate supply stock and handled re-stocks for all shifts working in the same building.
- Completed checklists and compliance documents for assigned work areas on a requested basis using Office 365.
Trash Remover
Waste Remedy Corp
Dec 2015-April 2019
Completed trash disposal and deep cleaning at over 30 construction sites, mainly new residential and office buildings.
- Worked as a part of a five-person crew, handling most of the industrial trash collection and recycling tasks.
- Ensured proper disposal of hazardous waste materials including lead-based paints, asbestos, and concrete washout water.
- Perform deep cleaning of construction dust and residue from all surfaces (floors, walls, windows, fixtures), using a variety of equipment.
- Scrubbed and polished hard surfaces, such as tile, concrete, and hardwood floors, to restore their appearance and luster.
- Conducted checklist-based final inspections and presented the properties to owners. My team maintained a 4.8 ‘on-time-delivery’ and 4.5 ‘cleaning satisfaction score’.
Manual Laborer
Independent Contractor
Oct 2013-May 2015
Undertook occasional weekend and part-time work during the slow season, working as a general laborer on neighborhood construction projects.
- Performed a variety of carpentry jobs: Framing and finishing work, renovation of wooden bearing beams and porches in local houses.
- Conducted repairs of doors, windows, and cabinetry, using carpentry techniques and tools to restore functionality and aesthetic appeal.
- Identified termite damage and decay, suggesting repair solutions to ensure long-term building integrity
- Helped with worksite cleanup and setup, contributing to fast work start and on-time project completion.
References
- Armen Thorn: Custodial Leadperson at UMass Amherst. a.thon@umass.edu. Phone: (555)222-3333
- Callen Campinsky. Foreman at Waste Remedy Corp. Phone: (666)222-3333
Janitor Resume Summary
A resume header is the first thing a prospective employer will see. It should be designed for maximum impact.
The best approach is to include a resume summary — a short blurb highlighting your key qualifications and past work experience. In most cases, a summary follows this formula:
[Descriptive adjective] [your job title] [experience level] [top skills] [achievement]
Here’s a sample resume summary for an experienced janitorial worker, written with this formula:
Reliable and efficient office cleaner with ten years of experience. Strong knowledge of cleaning supplies and equipment (floor scrubbers, pressure washers, and carpet instructors). Over 200 5-star reviews on Broomees.
An alternative option is to include a janitor resume objective statement. Unlike a summary, a resume objective explicitly states what type of work you’re looking for. Rather than just marketing your skills, it suggests how you can be helpful to a particular company.
Here’s a sample resume objective for illustration:
Custodial foreperson with positive references, with 5 years of experience overseeing trash removal at industrial and manufacturing sites. Trained over 20 new employees in proper cleaning methods, use of equipment, and safety practices. Seeking to effectively lead operations at [Company Name]
A resume objective is a bit more formal and old-school option, but it’s still a preferred format for applying for jobs in the public sector or more ‘old school’ industries like education.
Janitor Skills for Resume
Skills include all the specific abilities you’ve developed on the job (or outside of it!). As a janitorial worker, you sure know more than how to handle a mop and a sweep. What you may lack, though, are the right words to describe your competencies. We’ve got you covered here!
Here are different groups of sample janitor skills to include on your resume when describing your duties and competencies.
Cleaning techniques and methods:
- Surface disinfection
- Upholstery cleaning
- Window cleaning
- Grout cleaning
- High dusting
- Floor care (mopping, sweeping, vacuuming)
- Trash removal and disposal
- Recycling management
- Degreasing and descaling
- Pressure washing
- Knowledge of cleaning chemicals and their proper use
- Restroom cleaning and deodorization
- Carpet cleaning and maintenance
- Green cleaning techniques
- Kitchen cleaning and sanitation
- Pest control management
- Pool cleaning
- Basic repair skills
- Computer literacy
Cleaning equipment
- Wet/dry vacuum
- Floor scrubbers
- Floor polishers
- Pressure washers
- Carpet extractors
- Industrial vacuums
- Ride-on sweepers
- Steam cleaners
- Parts washers
- Air purifiers
- Trash compactor usage
- High-pressure air duster
Safety and compliance
- Cross-contamination prevention
- Experience with hazardous materials handling
- Knowledge of OSHA regulations
- Ability to follow safety protocols
- PEE usage and maintenance
- Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
- Adherence to lockout/tagout procedures for equipment maintenance
- Proper lifting techniques to prevent injuries
- Work equipment maintenance
- Knowledge of first aid and emergency response procedures
Organizational skills
- Time management
- Prioritization
- Accountability
- Self-motivation
- Teamwork
- Inventory management
- Shift planning
- Stress-resistance
- Supply management
- Product restocking
- Adaptable work schedule
- Work coordination
- Attention-to-detail
- Instruction creation
Customer service skills
- Polite and professional demeanor
- Patience
- Tolerance
- Discreetness
- Responsiveness
- Continuous improvement mindset
- Attention to client preferences
- Conflict resolution
You can list some of the skills in a featured skills section on a resume template and use others when describing your janitorial responsibilities on a resume.
How To Make A Great Janitor Resume: 4 Working Tips
You may not be a great writer, but you probably know the importance of good structure. The above sample janitors resumes follows the chronological resume format. You should use it too if you have several years of cleaning experience.
You can grab a premade free resume template or try our resume maker to serve as a general frame for layout. Then customize all main resume sections — header, work experience, education — using our tips!
Never Send A Generic Resume
Janitors are hired by different companies — from public organizations like schools and universities to staffing agencies and individual businesses. Given the variety of options, you should always customize your resume to each position.
In other words — think about the employer’s facility type and likely cleaning needs. Then, format your job descriptions to show that you can effectively address these with the skills you have. For example, if you are applying as a janitor to a hotel, highlight that you are good at vacuuming and removing fingerprints and all sorts of stains from different surfaces.
Bring Up Your Soft Skills
More times than not, and you’d be hired to work as part of a bigger cleaning team. Show that you can get along well with others by bringing up some of your soft skills. If you are aiming for a supervising janitorial position, give some extra room for showing your organizational skills.
As a janitor, some good soft skills to highlight on a resume are:
- Teamwork/team player
- Time management
- Strong work ethics
- Reliable/dependable
- Punctual
- Responsive
- Friendly/approachable
- Attentive to details
Need more ideas? We have a big list of adjectives to describe yourself.
Use Strong Verbs To Describe Your Janitorial Duties
A strong verb denotes concrete action. They are more descriptive in nature and help you better convey the nature of your work.
A quick way to tell a strong verb from a weak verb is by forming past tense. Strong verbs are irregular verbs and change their structure (e.g. go -> went). Weak verbs form a past tense with d/t ending (e.g. walk -> walked).
For example, compare these two job entries:
Janitor | Janitor |
Mowed the lawn and cut bushes Removed trash | Did groundskeeping and gardening work Took care of waste management |
The right one reads more persuasively because the resume bullet points are composed of strong verbs and extra descriptive nouns/adjectives. Try to mimic this too when writing your resume.
Final Tip: Don’t Dwell Too Much On Your Education
If you have a substantial work history, don’t dwell too much on your education. You don’t have to list your high school or GED diploma issue date. If you went to a trade school or completed some professional training, bring those things instead. If not, leave the education section of your resume entirely and allocate more space towards your work experience, as this is what most employers are interested in seeing on your resume.