INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Forklift Operator positions are at a 7% growth rate, which is as fast as average. With that said, there are currently 710,800 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 53,100 to 763,900 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Forklift Operator jobs was $37,450 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $27,070, and the highest 10% more than $57,620.
Our conclusion? The Forklift Operator job market is wide open for candidates.
Top forklift operator sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to Craft the Perfect Forklift Operator Resume Experience Section
Perfecting the experience section: Forklift operator resume checklist:
- Be careful with bullet points: use no more than 4-6 per position;
- Mention only positions that are relevant to the job you’re applying for;
- List your experience in chronological or reverse-chronological order;
- Highlight your results by using numbers – e.g. percentage increase/decrease in an important metric that’s followed by - your hard work;
- Use action words whenever possible… but more on that below.
Need examples? We looked through thousands of Forklift Operator resumes and gathered some examples of what the ideal experience section looks like. Check them out below!
- Operating a Forklift both High Reach & Counterbalance
- Pick & Packing
- Unloading & Loading Trucks and Containers
- Receiving & Despatching
- Putting away stock onto the shelves
- Working as a team to meet task completion
- Data entry/Stock inventory
- General and manual duties within the warehouse
- Adhering to heath and site safety protocols
- Forklift operations
- Loading and unloading of Trucks
- Picking and packing
- Labelling all products
- Working in dispatch ensuring all orders are correct to the customers order
- use of an RF scanner and General duties within the warehouse
- Everyday checking material every morning and afternoon
- and clean the area.
- New material check after check den go to location
- And claen all areas and issue material
- Operated stand up/reach truck forklift loading and unloading product in sub-zero freezer
- RF scan gun for put aways
- Selected orders from itemized slot picking tickets and loaded trucks with product as directed
- Pulled products from the warehouse to various locations
- Located customer orders in the warehouse and supplied them with their order in a timely and safe manner.
- Located transfer orders in between helping customers to stack onto pallets and load onto transfer trucks later.
- Operated a forklift to help get orders and load the transfer trucks.
- Maintained safe weight and loading procedures of the transfer trucks.
- Kept a clean and safe environment for me and my coworkers.
- CNC Mill operator, Haas VF6 machine
- CNC Water jet, operator Flow machine
- CAM nesting programmer for plasma tables
- CNC Plasma table operator, 400 amp Messer machine
- Minor fabrication, deburr parts, finishing/graining stainless/aluminum, use of grinders, dial calipers, tape measures, hand taps and etc
- use of Drill presses, iron workers, cold saws, rollers, press brakes and jib cranes
- Sit down Jungheinrich high reach forklift operator in 45 600m² warehouse.
- Big warehouse with very busy environment.
- Also had overtime as a picker with voice picking and picker forklift.
- Responsible for receipt and dispatch of hundreds of items in a single shift
- Performing stock take for all produce and inventory remaining in the warehouse, in particular, the freezer
- Monitoring and maintaining all stock movements to ensure complete and accurate recording of inventory
- Ensuring that stock is clearly labelled, pallets are maintained and general housekeeping is presentable
- Demonstrating my versatility by
- Maintained a 100% quality standard
- Promoted and trained for back up lead Operator
- Achieved production goals Annually above the 95th percentile
- Responsible in handling all receive goods and ensure they are in good condition.
- Handling material issues to production (e.g. inks, chemicals, plates, etc.).
- Maintaining all materials inventory and updating daily the stock report for material purchasing.
- Responsible for organizing materials arrangement in the warehouse rack for easy-access and quickly locating the materials for issuance purposes.
- Handling container loading for delivery of import materials
- Performing stock take for all produce and inventory remaining in the warehouse, in particular, the freezer.
- Extensive experience in warehouse operations including; ensuring optimal inventory levels reducing operational downtime and also maintaining accurate stock levels
- Ensuring that stock is clearly labelled, pallets are maintained and general housekeeping is presentable
- Assisting with pick and pack duties when there is a shortage of staff or as required.
- Operated forklift for daily warehouse operations.
- Worked as dispatcher for warehouse and maintained smooth and seamless operations for the warehouse.
- Provided excellent customer service to the customers while fulfilling and preparing customers' orders.
- Managed team members and production associates.
- Successfully achieved all production targets.
- Assembled goods on production line and operated forklift.
- Created orders, and prioritized deliveries.
- Accurately, and efficiently delivered multiple orders in each run.
- Unloaded furniture at destinations, and assisted customers with
instructions, and assembly.
- Kept storage areas organized, clean and secure to fully protect company assets
- Moved boxes using utility dolly and truck ramp
- Assembled orders and packed items for shipment, conveying orders to shipping personnel
- Delivering high levels of customer service and demonstrating a high standard of communication and interpersonal skill set within the work environment
- Using of problem solving skills to resolve any complications that may arise
- Efficient time management and delegation skills
- Punctual, approachable, responsible and diligent in all tasks performed
- Proficiently check stock, audit and locate stock within the warehouse
- Working effectively within a team to meet strict deadlines
- Demonstrated versatility with the use of a forklift
PRO TIP
Check the Forklift Operator job description for inspiration. Look for similarities between your employer’s values and your experience.
Action verbs for your forklift operator resume
Recommended reads:
Impressing recruiters with a top forklift operator resume skills section
Checklist for an impressive Forklift Operator resume skills section:
- List both hard and technical skills that are important for the role;
- Check what the job description says and add some keywords based on that;
- Focus only on relevant skills;
- Try not to list things such as “communication”; rather, highlight your soft skills in other sections of your Forklift Operator resume.
Top skills for your forklift operator resume
Expert in packing
Warehousing
Forklift Driving License
Boom Loader Driving License
Autodesk Inventor
Communication
Attention to details
Caution
Organisation
Punctuality
PRO TIP
Add a Talent Section to your resume, where you can pick your top 3 soft skills and describe how you used them to complete a project or balance departmental communication.
Recommended Reads:
Forklift operator resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your forklift operator resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have non-discrimination policies about what kind of information can be included on your Forklift Operator resume. This might include a photo (which is often included in a resume header and might be on personal web pages you link to). You can always email the company’s HR department to ask about their policies before you apply.
Crafting a strong summary for your forklift operator resume
Checklist: The perfect Forklift Operator resume summary section
- Add a couple of keywords from the job description;
- Mention some of your most valuable skills and characteristics;
- Highlight your top achievements (and add numbers!);
- Use no more than 3-5 sentences to guarantee readability and keep - the hiring manager interested.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Your summary should act as an elevator speech, briefly promoting how you will benefit the employer if hired. Pitch your strengths in the summary and expand on them in your Forklift Operator experience section. Give examples like how your work benefited each employer.
Recommended reads:
An impressive education section: Forklift operator resume
Forklift operator resume: Education section checklist
- Highlight your highest education degree;
- Include the degree subject, year of graduation, and institution name;
- Mention some of the awards you’ve received during your studies;
- List your certifications (incl. the body that’s issued them);
- Entry-level positions: Give preference to courses that are relevant to the position.
Top certifications for your forklift operator resume
Truck Dispatcher - Working with owner operators
Work and earn
Trucking - How to Become an Independent Owner Operator
Trucking Business Success - Understanding The Business Of Trucking And Developing The Knowledge And Skills To Succeed!
How to Get Your DOT/MC Authority In Trucking & Logistics
FULL COURSE- How to Obtain MC/DOT in Logistics Industries (Step by Step for Owner Operator or Truck Dispatcher)
Truck Dispatcher - Working with Owner Operators and Brokers
Step by Step Freight Dispatcher Training with option request live Lesson by Me
RxJS Operators
Master RxJS Operators from Buffer to Zip and Confidently Build Web Applications!
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PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Forklift Operator. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
The right format for your forklift operator resume
When it comes to formatting your Forklift Operator resume, there are certain things you need to keep in mind. These include your level of expertise, your total years of experience, and the position and company you’re applying for, to name a few.
You can choose between three basic resume formats:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
The reverse-chronological format is just that – all your experience listed in a reverse-chronological way. It’s great for experienced professionals who have been in the industry for many years and have no career gaps.
The functional skills-based resume, on the other hand, focuses on skills, education, and personality traits, rather than experience. This makes it great for graduates, people with less experience, or bigger career gaps. The idea is to show you’re the perfect match without putting too much emphasis on your lack of relevant experience.
If none of these sound suitable, go for a hybrid (or combination) resume. It’s a mix of experience, skills, and personality traits. It’s also considered modern and innovative because of its non-traditional structure and sections. Here, you can add details about what your typical day looks like or what your life philosophy is. In short, the hybrid resume format shows who you are, both as a professional and as an individual.
More tips on perfecting your resume style and layout:
- Choose a traditional 12p font;
- Make sure your resume margins are no bigger than an inch;
- Go for a one-page template. If you have broad experience and can’t fit your resume on one page, choose a two-page resume template
- Save your resume as PDF to avoid formatting issues and unauthorized editing.
Read this: Ways to make your Forklift Operator resume stand out
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Sometimes you’ll want to go after a job which requires more experience than you have. Instead of using a typical Forklift Operator resume layout, you can use a creative layout. Getting noticed is the most important challenge and a creative resume layout might help you get invited for an interview as most of other accountants have boring resume designs.
More sections worth adding to your Forklift Operator resume
If the industry, company, and position you’re applying for allow for that, you could include other sections in your Forklift Operator resume. By doing this, you’ll show the recruiter that you’re a real human and not a robot.
Here are some ideas:
The right kind of creativity for your forklift operator resume
Several years ago, everyone preferred keeping a safe distance from creative resumes. Today, adding creativity to your CV is considered cool, innovative, and one of the best ways to stand out.
You can add a creative section that describes your typical day or even go for a colorful creative template. No matter what you choose, make sure to keep the position, company, and industry in mind. Otherwise, you risk looking silly.
What makes a great forklift operator resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
