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Cutters and Trimmers, Hand

Under the title Cutters and Trimmers, Hand, workers use hand tools or hand-held power tools to cut and trim a variety of manufactured items, such as carpet, fabric, stone, glass, or rubber. O*NET rates it as some preparation, which usually means a few months to a year of learning on the job. It leans on time management, speaking, and active listening. A regular part of the work is to mark or discard items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes. Its interest code is RCA. Realistic leads at 6.2 out of 7, so expect hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world, with Conventional next at 3.8. People who want hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world usually fit better here than those who need leading, persuading and making business decisions.

What they do

Use hand tools or hand-held power tools to cut and trim a variety of manufactured items, such as carpet, fabric, stone, glass, or rubber.

Main tasks

  • Mark or discard items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes.
  • Trim excess material or cut threads off finished products, such as cutting loose ends of plastic off a manufactured toy for a smoother finish.
  • Cut, shape, and trim materials, such as textiles, food, glass, stone, and metal, using knives, scissors, and other hand tools, portable power tools, or bench-mounted tools.
  • Position templates or measure materials to locate specified points of cuts or to obtain maximum yields, using rules, scales, or patterns.
  • Read work orders to determine dimensions, cutting locations, and quantities to cut.
  • Mark cutting lines around patterns or templates, or follow layout points, using squares, rules, and straightedges, and chalk, pencils, or scribes.

Skills

  • Time Management
  • Speaking
  • Active Listening
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Monitoring

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You want to start work after a short stretch of training.
  • You are comfortable relying on time management and speaking.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather stay away from physical, hands-on tasks.
  • You want to lead people or run the business side. Enterprising rates 1.0 out of 7 here.
  • You want a career built on years of advanced study.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code RCA takes the three highest, and Realistic comes first here.

Preparation

Some preparation. Most people start with a high school diploma, then learn from experienced coworkers over a few months to a year.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Less than a High School Diploma. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Cloth Cutter
  • Denim Cutter
  • Fabric Cutter
  • Finisher
  • Glass Cutter

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.