Resume template · Updated October 2026
Resume template for GED holders
Short answer
Catalyst works well for a GED holder with a solid work record. It prints no summary and opens on your most recent job, so years of experience come first and the high school equivalency credential sits in education as one factual line. The fictional sample is a facilities maintenance lead who earned a GED at 19 and later picked up safety and refrigerant certifications.
Download the GED sample
Darnell is a fictional facilities maintenance lead. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why Catalyst suits a GED resume
Catalyst skips the summary and starts with work experience, so a property manager reads nine years of building maintenance before anything else, and the headline under the large left-aligned name names the trade. Education prints after skills, where a one-line GED belongs on an experienced worker's page.
Second choice: Leslie. Leslie also puts jobs ahead of skills and education but keeps a summary, useful if you are changing trades and need two lines to explain the move.
What goes in each section, in Catalyst's order
Catalyst prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Work Experience. Catalyst has no summary, so the first job does the introducing. Open it with scope (crew size, number of units, type of building), then results a manager can picture: a backlog cleared, inspections passed, turnovers done on schedule.
- Skills. Group trade skills by system (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, life safety) and keep tools to the ones a supervisor would ask about. Catalyst prints labelled rows, so the Technical row should read like a list of what you can fix.
- Education. Write the credential the way your state names it, plus "GED" and the year. The adult education center where you prepared is optional; why you left school does not belong anywhere on the page.
- Certifications. Safety cards and trade certifications print at the very end. If one is required for the job, such as refrigerant handling for HVAC work, repeat it in the headline so it is seen straight away.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Darnell Hughes
Facilities Maintenance Lead, EPA 608 Type II, OSHA 10
Toledo, OH | darnell.hughes@example.com | (419) 555-0177
Experience
Maintenance Lead, Maple Harbor Senior Living, Toledo, OH (03/2022 to Present)
- Lead a three-person maintenance team covering a 140-unit residential building and its commercial kitchen.
- Cut the open work order backlog from about 60 tickets to under 15 with a daily triage routine.
- Run the monthly generator test, fire door checks and emergency lighting log ahead of state inspections.
- Diagnose basic HVAC faults and replace fixtures, outlets and faucets before calling outside contractors.
Maintenance Technician, Westgate Lane Property Group, Toledo, OH (06/2017 to 02/2022)
- Turned over 80 to 100 apartments a year between tenants: patching, painting and appliance swaps.
- Covered after-hours emergency calls one week a month, including burst pipes and heating failures.
- Kept the parts room stocked against a minimum and maximum list, cutting emergency supply runs.
Education
High School Equivalency Diploma (GED), Maumee River Adult Learning Center (06/2016). Credential issued by the State of Ohio
Certifications
- EPA Section 608 Technician Certification, Type II, EPA-approved certifying organization (2023)
- OSHA 10-Hour General Industry, OSHA Outreach Training Program (2021)
Skills
Preventive maintenance, Basic electrical repair, Plumbing repair, HVAC troubleshooting, Life safety inspections, Work order software, Multimeter, Drain auger, Refrigerant gauges, Leading small crews, Clear handover notes
How to make the sample yours
Copy the credential name from your diploma
The state issues the diploma when you pass, and the wording differs from state to state. Use the name printed on yours and keep "GED" in brackets so every reader recognises it.
Let the headline do a summary's job
With no summary paragraph on Catalyst, the line under your name carries your trade and best credential. "Facilities Maintenance Lead, EPA 608 Type II" says more than a list of adjectives.
List learning that came after the GED
Community college classes, an apprenticeship or a trade certificate show you kept going. Give each its own line with dates; they also become the newest items in education.
Mention College Ready scores only for school applications
If your GED scores reached the College Ready range and you are applying to a training program or a college-linked job, a short note in the detail line is fair. A job application needs only the credential.
Shorten the jobs from before your trade
Fast food or day labor from your teens can be cut, or kept as one line, once two maintenance jobs with results fill the page.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- GED
- high school equivalency
- preventive maintenance
- work orders
- HVAC troubleshooting
- electrical repair
- plumbing repair
- life safety inspections
- apartment turnover
- OSHA 10
- EPA 608
- maintenance lead
- emergency calls
Mistakes to avoid
- Explaining why you left high school. The resume states the credential you hold; the backstory costs a line and invites questions.
- Writing "High school (did not graduate)" when you have a GED. Name the equivalency credential, because that is what you earned.
- Listing all four GED subject scores on a job resume. Nobody hiring a technician needs the numbers.
- Leaving the credential off entirely. A posting that requires a diploma or equivalent needs to see it somewhere.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 4 of 4 | 7 of 7 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 4 of 4 | 7 of 7 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 4 of 4 | 7 of 7 |
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a GED on a resume?
Use the credential name your state gives it, add "GED" and the year, for example "High School Equivalency Diploma (GED), 2016". Naming the state or the adult education program is optional.
Does a GED meet a "high school diploma or equivalent" requirement?
Passing the GED earns a high school equivalency credential, which is the "equivalent" in that phrase. If an application asks about a diploma only, ask the employer rather than guess.
Should I put my GED scores on my resume?
Usually not. Passing takes at least 145 on each of the four subject tests, and 165 or more on a subject counts as College Ready. That note can help a college or training application; job resumes rarely need it.
Do I still list my GED if I have a college degree?
Once you hold a degree, the GED can come off, because the degree implies it. With a trade certificate or some college credits, keep both, newest first.
Where should the GED go on the page?
In education, near the end. Catalyst prints education after skills and projects, which suits a worker whose jobs carry the application.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Catalyst PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 4 section headings and all 7 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
Guides and templates for this resume
Sources, checked 29 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- GED Testing Service: Test Scores (Passing score of 145 on each test subject; 145 or higher on all four subjects for the high school equivalency; 165 and above College Ready, 175 and above College Ready + Credit.)
- GED Testing Service: Understanding GED Scores (The four subject areas: Mathematical Reasoning, Reasoning Through Language Arts, Social Studies and Science.)
- GED Testing Service: Life After GED (The diploma is the certificate issued by your state on completing the GED; states differ in whether they send electronic or paper copies.)
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