How To Become A Grinder: What It Is and Career Path

What is a grinder and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

A grinder is a specialized worker who operates grinding machines to assemble products and parts in order to create products or aid construction projects. They inspect products as they come out of the machines, remove defective pieces, and examine the products to ensure they conform with established standards. They also keep the equipment running by doing inspections and maintenance such as lubrication, cleaning, and repairs.

A grinder reports to a supervisor. They typically work in the manufacturing and construction industries. A successful grinder should have profound knowledge and experience in mechanical works, manual dexterity, and physical stamina. They should also have analytical skills, attention to detail, collaborative skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, interpersonal skills, and time management skills.

Grinders work in a factory setting. They usually work 40 hours a week Monday to Friday from 9 to 5. They also work in extreme conditions and should be in good physical condition.

ScoreGrinderUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $33,001

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.8

Growth Rate 1%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 6.33%

Black or African American 3.99%

Hispanic or Latino 14.72%

Unknown 3.73%

White 70.72%

Gender

female 8.73%

male 91.27%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress Level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.3

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.7

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a grinder

Explore grinder education requirements

Most common grinder degrees

High School Diploma

58.2 %

Diploma

15.6 %

Associate

12.3 %

Start to develop specific grinder skills

Skills	Percentages
Grinders	20.18%
Hand Tools	12.44%
Calipers	8.27%
Grinding Machines	6.93%
Grinding Wheels	6.52%

Complete relevant grinder training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New grinders learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a grinder based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real grinder resumes.

Research grinder duties and responsibilities

Machine carbide, harden tool steel, harden stainless steel, and ceramic.
Verify dimensional compliance using micrometers, calipers, ultrasonic testing and similar types of dimensional inspection devices.
Set up and run O.D.
Support for lathes and EDM (i.e.

Prepare your grinder resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your grinder resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a grinder resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Grinder Resume templates

Build a professional Grinder resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Grinder resume.

Apply for grinder jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a grinder job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do grinders rate their job?

4/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Grinder reviews

4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

Keeping tolerances close and exact accordingly to paperwork as close as 0.0005

Cons

People not helping are giving wrong way to approach a problem