Dishwasher job description for a resume

The short answer

A dishwasher writing a resume should describe what they actually did — work like sweep or scrub floors — rather than copying a generic bullet list. The U.S. Department of Labor classifies the role as Dishwashers (SOC 35-9021.00). All 10 of its published duties are listed below. O*NET rates no single skill as highly important here, so the duties themselves are the evidence.

What follows is the published duty list, not a set of bullets to copy. The difference matters: a line describing work you did not do is one interview question away from falling apart.

What a dishwasher does

Clean dishes, kitchen, food preparation equipment, or utensils.

O*NET occupation: Dishwashers (SOC 35-9021.00).

Dishwasher duties you can put on a resume

These are all 10 duties O*NET classifies as core to this occupation. Which ranking is a fact from the source; which of them you personally did is not something any dataset knows. Use the list as a memory aid, never as a list to paste.

1. Sweep or scrub floors.
2. Place clean dishes, utensils, or cooking equipment in storage areas.
3. Maintain kitchen work areas, equipment, or utensils in clean and orderly condition.
4. Wash dishes, glassware, flatware, pots, or pans, using dishwashers or by hand.
5. Sort and remove trash, placing it in designated pickup areas.
6. Clean garbage cans with water or steam.
7. Stock supplies, such as food or utensils, in serving stations, cupboards, refrigerators, or salad bars.
8. Clean or prepare various foods for cooking or serving.
9. Receive and store supplies.
10. Transfer supplies or equipment between storage and work areas, by hand or using hand trucks.

Skills a dishwasher can list

No individual skill met O*NET's importance threshold of 3.0 for this occupation. That is the source's finding rather than a gap in this page, and it is why the duties above carry the evidence here. Listing skills the data does not support would be padding.

What not to claim

• A duty from the list above that you did not personally perform. It describes Dishwashers as an occupation, not your particular job — and interviewers for dishwasher roles ask about the specifics.
• Work from an adjacent role you have not held. Dishwasher and the roles beside it overlap, and the overlap is where overstatement creeps in.
• A percentage, a headcount or a volume you did not measure. "Improved satisfaction by 35%" is the single most copied line on resume-example sites, and almost nobody who pastes it can source it.
• A capability you have not demonstrated. O*NET rates no single skill as dominant here, so the concrete duties are what a hiring manager will ask about.
• A tool, system or certification you have not used or hold. This is the fastest claim to disprove.

Source and method

O*NET data are provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence.The duties and skills above are reproduced as published. The resume guidance, the prompts and any generated lines are RoleSprint's, and O*NET did not write them.

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Same occupational family in the SOC classification, so the duties often overlap with work you have done.

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