A fictional person: the names, employers and numbers are invented.
Kieran Walsh
Warehouse Operative · Reach and counterbalance licensed
Northampton, UKkieran.walsh@example.comDriving licence: Full UK (B), own carShifts: Days, nights and weekends
Summary
Warehouse operative with four years in high-volume distribution, licensed on reach and counterbalance trucks. Picks well above target without trading accuracy for speed, keeps stock records right with daily cycle counts and has driven for two years without a single damage incident. Trusted to train new starters and cover for the shift lead.
Emergency First Aid at Work · St John Ambulance2025
Languages
English — Native
Three summary options
Start from the one closest to where you are now.
First warehouse job
Reliable and physically fit school leaver with a year of shelf-stacking and deliveries at a busy supermarket. Never late for a shift, comfortable with early starts and heavy lifting, and keen to work towards a counterbalance licence with the right employer.
Licensed driver
Forklift driver with six years on counterbalance, reach and VNA trucks in chilled and ambient sites. Moves 150+ pallets a shift with no damage claims, completes daily pre-use checks and holds in-date RTITB certificates for all three truck types.
Aspiring team leader
Warehouse operative with five years in e-commerce fulfilment who already covers the shift lead two days a week. Organised a 12-person picking team through peak, hitting 104% of the unit target, and wants a permanent team leader role.
Keywords to include
Use the ones that are true for you, inside real sentences.
Order picking
Packing
RF scanner
Forklift licence
Reach truck
Stock control
Health and safety
Manual handling
Warehouse management system
Inventory accuracy
What recruiters look for
Tips for this role, with the kind of numbers that count.
Lead with pick rate and accuracy
Shift managers measure you by units an hour and mistakes per thousand. Put both near the top: "165 units an hour against a target of 140, at 99.6% accuracy" tells them you are fast and careful, which is exactly what they need.
Give each licence its details
Write the truck type, the accrediting body (such as RTITB or AITT) and the year for every licence. Many sites will only let you drive with an in-date certificate, so a vague "forklift trained" line can cost you the interview.
Show a clean safety record
Safety is not a soft skill in a warehouse. "Zero damage incidents in two years", "logged 12 near misses" or a first aid or fire marshal role shows you protect people and stock, and lowers the risk of hiring you.
Name the systems you scan with
If you have used a warehouse management system such as SAP EWM or a specific handheld scanner, say so. It shortens your training and matches the exact words that agencies and online job boards search for.
Turn agency work into proof
Temporary contracts are normal in logistics. Group them under the agency name, list the sites, and add any result such as being kept on after peak or moved to a permanent contract; that is a reference in one line.
Show you can step up
Training new starters, covering the shift lead, running cycle counts or suggesting a better layout all point towards promotion. Add the number: "trained nine new starters" reads far stronger than "helped new staff".
Make this CV yours
Answer one question at a time; the assistant fills each section and never invents numbers.
Do I need a forklift licence to get a warehouse job?
No. Picking, packing and goods-in roles rarely ask for one, and many employers train staff who prove reliable. A licence does widen your options and usually your pay, so if you hold one, put it near the top of your CV with the truck type and year.
How do I explain gaps between temporary contracts?
You do not need to apologise for them. List agency work under the agency with the years, then mention any short break in a few words, such as seasonal contract ended or caring for a family member. Recruiters in logistics see this pattern every day.
Is it worth listing my shift availability?
Yes. Warehouses run days, nights, weekends and rotating patterns, and a manager filling a night rota will look for it first. One line, such as "days, nights and weekends", plus whether you drive to sites outside town, saves a phone call and shows you understand the job.
