How to write a resume for warehouse and logistics jobs

Many warehouses track rates and accuracy. If you know your own figures from reports you were shown, they are useful. If you don't, describe the work and the volume of the operation instead of guessing.

What people hiring in warehouse and logistics usually look for

In general terms. Every employer is different, so read each posting closely.

• The facility type: distribution center, fulfillment, cold storage, manufacturing or retail stockroom.
• Tasks: picking, packing, receiving, shipping, put-away, cycle counts, loading and unloading.
• Equipment you are trained or certified to operate, such as forklifts or pallet jacks, with the card or training you hold.
• Systems: warehouse management systems and scanners, named as [WMS] until you fill in the real name.
• Safety and reliability, described in your own words, plus shifts you can work if the posting asks.
• Lead or trainer experience, and accuracy or rate results only if you know your own.

How to structure a warehouse resume

• Equipment and certifications near the top. Equipment you operate and the training or certification for each.
• Experience with facility and tasks. Open each job with the facility type and your main tasks.
• Systems. WMS, scanners and any inventory software you used.
• Shifts (optional). If the posting stresses shifts, one line on availability can help.

Three layouts cover most situations, each in one column with standard headings:

• Warehouse Associate: Associates with warehouse or fulfillment experience. Order: Summary, Equipment and Certifications, Warehouse Experience, Skills and Systems.
• Equipment Operator and Lead: Forklift operators, leads and trainers whose equipment and leadership lead. Order: Summary, Equipment and Certifications, Warehouse Experience, Skills and Systems, Availability.
• Entry Level: First warehouse jobs and career changers, where skills and availability lead. Order: Summary, Skills and Systems, Availability, Warehouse Experience, Equipment and Certifications.

Example bullet structures

These are structures, not real results. Replace every [placeholder] with your own facts, and leave out any number you can't back up.

• Picked and packed [number] orders per shift in a [facility type] using [scanner or WMS].
• Operated [forklift type or pallet jack] to load, unload and put away [freight type], with [certification or training].
• Received inbound shipments, checked them against [paperwork or system] and reported [damages or shortages].
• Completed cycle counts for [area or SKU count] and helped fix inventory differences in [WMS].
• Loaded [trailers or containers] by [route or customer] and prepared [shipping documents].

Action verbs for this field

Summary structures

• Warehouse associate with [number] years in [facility type], experienced in [picking, receiving or shipping]. Trained on [equipment]; comfortable with [WMS].
• Certified [equipment] operator with [number] years moving [freight type] safely in [facility type].

More structures by situation (career change, returning after a layoff, new graduate) are on our resume summary examples page.

Common mistakes

• Leaving equipment and certifications off, or listing equipment you aren't trained on.
• Quoting pick rates or accuracy figures you don't actually know.
• Not naming the type of facility, which tells the reader a lot about your experience.
• Long gaps with no explanation; short temporary assignments can be grouped under the staffing agency.
• Skipping safety; describe your habits and any training you completed.

Do it yourself, or have it done

Questions

Other resume guides: hospitality and food service, government and federal, nursing and healthcare, and the career services page. Got laid off? See what to do after being laid off.

General information, not career, legal or employment advice. We are not career counselors, and nothing here promises interviews, offers or a particular result.