The Insider's Guide to Writing a Derrick Hand Resume

Oil rigs demand grit and skill, but capturing that experience on paper leaves many derrick hands stuck. Getting noticed in this competitive field takes more than just listing your rig time.

Are your applications disappearing into the hiring void? Your resume needs to showcase both your technical expertise and your proven safety record. The right presentation can move you from the application pile to the interview chair.

At Resume Target, we understand the unique demands of derrick hand positions and the oil industry's hiring process. We help you translate your hands-on experience into powerful achievements that catch recruiters' attention and demonstrate your true value.

What Does a Derrick Hand Do?

High above the drilling floor, derrick hands work at heights of up to 90 feet, orchestrating the crucial dance of drill pipes that keeps oil and gas exploration moving forward.

As a key member of the drilling crew, you'll master the art of handling massive drill pipes, monitoring vital drilling fluid properties, and managing the complex mud systems that keep wells stable and productive during drilling operations.

Whether you're starting fresh in the oil and gas industry or looking to climb the ranks from roughneck to derrick hand, this demanding role offers a clear pathway to advance into senior drilling positions while building expertise in one of energy production's most essential jobs.

Derrick Hand Salary & Compensation Guide

Let's talk about the exciting earning potential in your future career as a Derrick Hand! The oil and gas industry offers compelling compensation packages that can grow substantially as you gain experience and specialize in different areas of operations.

Derrick Hand Salary Ranges by Experience:

Figures from: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Career Advancement as a Derrick hand

Start your journey as a Derrick hand and climb to leadership positions like Driller or Rig Manager. With dedication and the right skills, you can advance from entry-level to management roles in the oil and gas industry.

Your Derrick hand Career Timeline

• Entry-level to Junior role: Roughneck/Floorhand (1-2 years)
• Mid-level role: Derrick hand (2-4 years)
• Senior role: Lead Derrick hand/Assistant Driller (4-6 years)
• Executive role: Driller (6-10 years)
• Top role: Rig Manager (10+ years)

Skills That Fast-Track Your Derrick hand Career

Beyond basic drilling operations, mastering these key skills will accelerate your advancement in the oil and gas industry.

• Advanced drilling fluid management
• Equipment maintenance and troubleshooting
• Safety protocol implementation
• Leadership and team coordination

Getting Started as a Derrick hand

Breaking into derrick hand work typically starts with entry-level positions at drilling companies, where you'll learn essential safety protocols and drilling operations while gaining hands-on experience.

Entry-Level Roles to Become a Derrick Hand

To advance in this field, you'll need to master key technical skills including flow lines, tongs, and fall protection, while building your expertise through progressive responsibilities on the drilling floor.

Essential Education and Certifications for Derrick Hand

• Commercial Driver License (CDL): This foundational certification requires passing both knowledge and skills tests to operate heavy vehicles on drilling sites. Must be renewed every 4 years and is essential for transporting equipment and materials.
• OSHA Safety Certificate: A comprehensive 40-hour training program covering crucial workplace safety standards and regulations. This permanent certification demonstrates your commitment to maintaining a safe work environment and understanding of OSHA compliance requirements.
• Operator Certification: An intensive six-day training program followed by examination that validates your ability to safely operate derrick equipment. This certification proves your technical competency in handling complex drilling machinery and equipment.

Requirements from Zippia

Where are Derrick Hand Jobs in the US?

Oil and gas regions across the southern and western US are actively hiring derrick hands, with Texas leading the pack.

Top Spots Hiring Derrick Hands

• Texas: Home to the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale, Texas employs over 6,300 derrick hands with competitive wages around $57,400 annually
• New Mexico: The booming oil fields in the southeastern region offer strong opportunities with higher average wages at $59,020
• North Dakota: Bakken Shale operations provide the highest paying positions, with annual wages reaching $67,850

Figures from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

How to Write a Derrick Hand Resume

Download This Template

Struggling to put your oilfield experience into words that will catch a hiring manager's eye? This comprehensive, section-by-section guide will show you exactly how to create a powerful derrick hand resume that highlights your rig operations expertise and safety record.

Start with a Powerful Derrick Hand Resume Summary

As a derrick hand, you know your way around complex drilling equipment and safety protocols, but condensing your hands-on expertise into a few powerful sentences can feel more challenging than handling a tough shift on the rig.

While you excel at maintaining drilling equipment, monitoring mud systems, and coordinating with the drilling team, translating these vital oilfield skills into a compelling summary that catches a hiring manager's attention requires a different kind of precision.

Questions to help write your Derrick hand Resume:

How would you describe your overall expertise in managing drilling equipment and your adaptability across different types of derrick operations?

Reason: This helps establish your broad operational capabilities and versatility in the field, which is crucial for a summary that needs to quickly communicate your value to different drilling operations.

What would you say sets you apart from other Derrick hands in terms of your approach to safety protocols and rig team collaboration?

Reason: Safety and teamwork are paramount in drilling operations, and highlighting your distinctive approach in these areas helps create a compelling value proposition in your summary.

How would you characterize your experience with different types of drilling equipment and your ability to handle emergency situations?

Reason: This helps frame your technical expertise and crisis management abilities, which are key differentiators that recruiters look for in a Derrick hand's summary.

Resume summary examples

• Dedicated and safety-conscious professional with 8 years of experience as a Derrick hand. Oversees drilling fluid circulation systems, pipe handling operations, and derrick equipment maintenance across 24/7 rig operations while implementing preventive maintenance protocols. Partners with drilling supervisors, mud engineers, and rig crews to optimize drilling efficiency and maintain zero safety incidents across 200+ wells.
• Methodical and results-driven professional with 12 years of experience as a Derrick hand. Manages tubular handling systems, mud pump operations, and drilling fluid monitoring for offshore drilling platforms while streamlining equipment inspection procedures. Collaborates with rig managers, safety coordinators, and maintenance teams to reduce downtime by 25% and achieve 99.8% equipment reliability ratings.

List Your Key Skills as a Derrick Hand

As a derrick hand working on drilling rigs, you need to showcase both your technical expertise in handling drilling equipment and your understanding of safety protocols and procedures.

Your resume should highlight your hands-on skills like operating the mud pumps and maintaining drilling fluid systems, while also emphasizing critical safety certifications and physical capabilities required for working at heights on the derrick.

Derrick hand resume skills examples

• Drilling Equipment Operation
• Critical Decision Making
• Hydraulic Systems Maintenance
• Pressure Monitoring
• Hoisting Equipment Operation
• Well Control Procedures
• Rig Team Coordination

How to Organize Work Experience on a Derrick Hand Resume

Showcase your oilfield expertise by organizing your experience into three powerful sections: a brief role overview highlighting your rig position, measurable achievements that demonstrate your drilling efficiency, and core responsibilities that spotlight your technical skills and safety record.

Highlight Your Impactful Derrick Hand Achievements

Many derrick hands struggle to effectively showcase their technical expertise and safety record beyond basic job duties and responsibilities. Transform your experience into compelling achievements by connecting your hands-on rig work to measurable improvements in drilling efficiency, safety compliance, and operational excellence.

How to write accomplishments for a Derrick hand resume:

• Quantify Your Achievements: Include specific numbers and metrics to demonstrate impact. Example: "Maintained 98% equipment uptime across 12-hour shifts" or "Assisted in completing 45 pipe trips averaging 15 minutes below standard time."
• Add Context: Follow the situation-action-result formula to show problem-solving abilities. Describe the challenge, your specific actions, and the positive outcome to demonstrate value to potential employers.
• Start Strong: Begin accomplishments with powerful action verbs. Use "Orchestrated derrick operations during critical well completions," "Executed safe hoisting procedures for 2000-foot drilling strings," "Monitored mud pump pressures during complex drilling operations," and "Implemented new safety protocols for high-angle drilling operations."
• Use the Right Tense: Write current job accomplishments in present tense and past positions in past tense. Keep descriptions consistent throughout the resume to maintain professional appearance.

Examples of accomplishments for a Derrick Hand resume

• Supervised and trained 4 new floor hands while maintaining zero safety incidents across 180 consecutive shifts, resulting in a 25% improvement in crew efficiency and reduced drilling time by 2.5 hours per connection
• Implemented new pipe handling procedures that reduced equipment damage by 40% and saved $75,000 in replacement costs over 6 months while maintaining continuous drilling operations on a 12,000-foot well
• Coordinated emergency response during critical well control situation, successfully securing the well and evacuating crew within 12 minutes, preventing potential environmental disaster and earning company safety excellence award

Highlight Your Responsibilities and Duties on Your Derrick Hand Resume

A strong responsibilities section demonstrates how derrick hands contribute to drilling operations beyond basic rig tasks. Your role description should help hiring managers understand both technical duties and safety protocols while showing how your work impacts overall drilling efficiency and crew safety.

How to write a Derrick Hand responsibilities section:

• Keep It Short and Sweet: Each responsibility should be clear and direct, focusing on specific drilling tasks or safety procedures. Keep descriptions to 2-3 lines maximum to maintain reader interest.
• Stick to the Point: Focus each bullet point on one key responsibility, such as managing drilling fluid systems or maintaining derrick equipment. Avoid combining multiple duties into a single point.
• Start Strong: Begin each bullet with powerful action verbs like "operated," "maintained," "monitored," "inspected," or "coordinated." These verbs immediately show your hands-on role in drilling operations and equipment handling.

Examples of Derrick Hand responsibilities:

• Equipment Management: Operate and maintain derrick equipment including mud pumps, shale shakers, and mixing tanks to ensure optimal drilling fluid circulation and system efficiency
• Safety Oversight: Monitor drilling operations from elevated derrick platform while maintaining strict adherence to safety protocols and emergency response procedures
• Fluid Control: Measure, mix, and pump drilling fluids according to specified requirements to maintain proper mud weight and viscosity for successful well operations
• Team Coordination: Direct pipe handling operations and communicate with ground crew using standardized hand signals to ensure smooth tripping operations and prevent accidents

List Your Education and Certifications

As a Derrick hand, your technical certifications and safety training are crucial for demonstrating your competency in rig operations. Focus on highlighting your IADC RigPass certification, well control credentials, and any specialized training in derrick operations and fall protection that you've completed.

• IADC WellSharp Surface Stack Certification | International Association of Drilling Contractors | Valid through 2024
• OSHA Fall Protection and Working at Heights Certification | Safety Training Institute | Renewed Annually

Customizing Your Derrick Hand Resume for Job Descriptions

Now that you've built a strong foundation using Resume Target's proven resume writing guidelines, you're ready to transform your basic resume into a powerful tool for landing derrick hand positions.

While many oil and gas workers make the mistake of using the same resume for every application, successful derrick hands know that personalizing their resume for each position is crucial for standing out in this competitive field.

By carefully matching your resume's language and skills to each job posting, you'll not only get past automated ATS screenings but also show hiring managers that you understand their specific rig operations and safety requirements.

Ready to climb higher in your career? Let's turn your resume into your ticket to the best derrick hand positions by tailoring it to exactly what employers are looking for!

How to customize your Derrick Hand resume to fit your target job

• 1. Read the Job Description Carefully: Focus on the responsibilities and qualifications sections where key requirements are listed. Look for repeated terms like "safety protocols," "equipment maintenance," or "rig operations." Pay special attention to specific certifications and physical requirements that are crucial for derrick hand positions.
• 2. Highlight the Skills in Your Core Competencies: Include essential derrick hand skills in your core competencies section, such as: - Drilling equipment operation - Fall protection and safety procedures - Physical stamina and strength - Equipment maintenance and inspection - OSHA safety compliance - Radio communication protocols
• 3. Reflect Skills in Your Responsibilities Section: Use bullet points to describe your hands-on experience. For example: "Maintained drilling fluid systems and monitored mud weights during critical drilling operations" or "Conducted regular safety inspections of derrick equipment and fall protection gear before each shift."
• 4. Include Accomplishments that Demonstrate these Skills: Highlight specific achievements with measurable results, such as: - "Achieved 365 days accident-free while working on high-risk derrick operations" - "Reduced equipment downtime by 30% through implementation of preventive maintenance schedule" - "Successfully completed 50+ well operations without safety incidents"
• 5. Use Keywords from the Job Description: Incorporate industry-specific terms throughout your resume like "mud pumps," "drilling fluid systems," "fall protection," and "rig safety." This ensures your resume passes through ATS systems and demonstrates your familiarity with industry terminology to hiring managers.

Partner with the Experts in Derrick Hand Resume Writing

Let's face it - putting your rig experience down on paper isn't exactly as straightforward as working the derrick floor, especially when you need to explain complex drilling operations to hiring managers who might never have set foot on a rig.

At Resume Target, we speak the language of Oil and Gas, and we've helped countless derrick hands showcase their technical expertise and safety records in ways that catch recruiters' attention.

With drilling activity ramping up across multiple basins, now's the perfect time to make sure your resume reflects your true capabilities - let's connect today to craft a resume that puts you in prime position for your next role.

Related Oil & Gas Resume Samples

• Oil Engineering
• Operations Management
• Directional Drilling
• QA Inspector
• Production Operations

Work with a Professional Oil & Gas Resume Writer

Impress any hiring manager with our Oil & gas resume writing service. We work with all career levels and types of Oil & gas professionals.