Adapted from a real OPS Staffing article originally posted by Mitchell Riley (Sep 2026).
A restoration resume stands out when it reads like a job, not like a slogan. Name the loss types, the seat you held, the software, and one file you can defend. Recruiters already have a stack of hard-working team players. They do not have enough people who can walk a water or fire job in two sentences.
Tailor it to the seat (mitigation is not reconstruction). Write a summary that names the work. Lead with achievements that are jobs, not duties. Cut what is not this industry. Use a clean one-column layout a recruiter can scan on a phone.
Candidates pay OPS nothing. Submit through career opportunities or contact. Format basics: resume tips. The don’ts list is what recruiters hate seeing.
| Section | Weak | Strong |
|---|---|---|
| Match the posting | One resume for every construction ad | Mitigation, estimating, or reconstruction called out; city or travel named |
| Summary | Hard-working professional seeking growth | Role + loss mix + credential + market in two lines |
| Achievements | Responsible for overseeing projects | The job: water/fire/storm, your seat, file or crew size, result you can explain |
| What you leave off | Every class, hobby, and unrelated retail job | Recent relevant work; IICRC you still use; software from last year |
| Template | Text boxes, photos, and two columns that break | One column, clear headings, a file name with your name and target title |
If the ad is restoration estimator, lead with Xactimate and scopes you have written. If it is mitigation lead, lead with water and fire, IICRC, and on-call honesty. A reconstruction PM resume should say rebuild after a loss, not only commercial construction years.
You do not need a new document for every application. You need the top third to match the seat. That is what a recruiter reads first.
Employers in this industry want to know what you ran. Improve skillset is not an achievement. Closed water losses in Houston with photo documentation and daily homeowner updates is. If you led a crew, say how many. If you sat with adjusters, say so.
Minimal type, real headings, no graphics that hide your IICRC in a sidebar an ATS cannot read. Save as Lastname-Firstname-Role-Resume.pdf. Then send it with a two-line note: the seat, the market, one proof line.
One page if you can. Two if the jobs are real and recent. Length is not a strategy. Specificity is.
List what you used last year and would sit down in on day one. A laundry list of tools you clicked once reads as padding.
Send it to OPS at no cost — contact or (888) 482-6019. It stays confidential until you say a company can see it.
Updated September 2026 by the OPS Staffing recruiting team. Employee-owned. Based in Pasadena, TX. Placing restoration and construction talent nationwide since December 2015.