As a material handler, articulating your diverse skill set in handling various materials and inventory systems can be a significant challenge on your resume. Our guide provides detailed tips on how to effectively showcase your expertise and tailor your resume to stand out to potential employers.
- Get inspired from our material handler resume samples with industry-leading skills, certifications, and more.
- Show how you can impact the organization with your resume summary and experience.
- Introducing your unique material handler expertise with a focus on tangible results and achievements.
If the material handler resume isn't the right one for you, take a look at other related guides we have:
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Formatting the layout of your material handler resume: design, length, and more
When it comes to the format of your material handler resume , you've plenty of opportunities to get creative. But, as a general rule of thumb, there are four simple steps you could integrate into your resume layout.
- If you have plenty of experience, you'd like to showcase, invest in the reverse-chronological resume format . This format focuses on your latest experience items and skills you've learned during your relevant (and recent) jobs.
- Don't go over the two-page limit, when creating your professional material handler resume. Curate within it mainly experience and skills that are relevant to the job.
- Make sure your material handler resume header includes all of your valid contact information. You could also opt to display your professional portfolio or LinkedIn profile.
- Submit or send out your material handler resume as a PDF, so you won't lose its layout and design.
Remember, resume layouts can vary by country – for example, a Canadian resume format could look different.
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PRO TIP
If you're in the process of obtaining your certificate or degree, list the expected date you're supposed to graduate or be certified.
The six in-demand sections for your material handler resume:
- Top one-third should be filled with a header, listing your contact details, and with a summary or objective, briefly highlighting your professional accolades
- Experience section, detailing how particular jobs have helped your professional growth
- Notable achievements that tie in your hard or soft skills with tangible outcomes
- Popular industry certificates to further highlight your technical knowledge or people capabilities
- Education to showcase your academic background in the field
What recruiters want to see on your resume:
- Familiarity with warehouse operations, including inventory management, and order picking and packing procedures
- Proficiency in operating material handling equipment such as forklifts, pallet jacks, and hand trucks
- Strong physical stamina and the ability to lift heavy objects, along with adherence to safety protocols
- Experience with warehouse management systems (WMS) and barcode scanners to efficiently track inventory
- Good organizational skills for managing multiple tasks and maintaining a clean and safe work environment
The material handler resume experience section: a roadmap to your expertise
The resume experience section provides you with an opportunity to tell your professional narrative.
Recruiters, reading between the lines of your resume, use the experience section to better understand your unique skill set, accomplishments, and what unique value you bring about.
Discover five quick steps on how to write your experience section:
- Curate only relevant experience items to the role and include the company, description, and dates; all followed by up to six bullets per experience item;
- Each experience item should feature tangible results of your actions - if you can include a number or percent, this will further highlight your aptitude;
- If you've received any managerial or customer feedback, use short excerpts of it as further social proof of your technical or people skills;
- Make sure you're using the appropriate verb tense when listing your responsibilities;
- Within the description for each role, you could summarize your most noteworthy and relevant achievements.
Now, take note of how a real-world material handler professional received opportunities at industry leaders with these resume experience sections:
- Operated high-reach forklifts and order pickers to move stock in a 200,000 square-foot warehouse, maintaining an inventory accuracy rate over 98.5%.
- Collaborated with the purchasing department to optimize supply levels, reducing material shortages by 25% for critical production lines.
- Implemented a Kanban system for fast-moving items, which streamlined material flow and decreased retrieval times by 15%.
- Managed a team of 20+ material handlers, ensuring the accurate and timely processing of over 10,000 SKUs in a distribution environment.
- Led a cross-functional project to integrate RFID tracking, enhancing real-time inventory visibility and reducing lost items by 40%.
- Conducted quarterly training sessions on safety and proper handling techniques, resulting in a 30% decrease in workplace accidents.
- Coordinated the daily activity of receiving and dispatching goods in a JIT manufacturing setting, supporting the assembly of 500+ vehicles per day.
- Developed vendor scorecards that enhanced supplier performance by 22%, based on delivery timeliness and quality standards.
- Optimized warehouse layout, leading to a 10% improvement in overall operational efficiency through reduced handling time.
- Utilized proprietary WMS to manage inventory, achieving a record-low misplacement rate of less than 0.1% annually.
- Coordinated with transportation partners to schedule and expedite shipments, improving on-time delivery rates by 18% year-over-year.
- Played a key role in the planning and execution of a warehouse expansion project which increased storage capacity by 35% without compromising efficiency.
- Performed accurate picking and packing of over 200 orders daily, maintaining a customer satisfaction rate of 99.7%.
- Assisted in the implementation of a barcode scanning system that cut order processing time by 25%.
- Identified inefficiency in the storage system and reorganized the facility layout, resulting in a 20% faster stock retrieval time.
The following content includes information from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data represents the top responsibilities present on the task lists for material handler professionals.
Top Responsibilities for Material Handler:
- Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.
- Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.
- Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment.
- Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.
- Erect, install, or repair guardrails, road shoulders, berms, highway markers, warning signals, and highway lighting, using hand tools and power tools.
- Clean and clear debris from culverts, catch basins, drop inlets, ditches, and other drain structures.
- Drive heavy equipment and vehicles with adjustable attachments to sweep debris from paved surfaces, mow grass and weeds, remove snow and ice, and spread salt and sand.
- Haul and spread sand, gravel, and clay to fill washouts and repair road shoulders.
- Inspect, clean, and repair drainage systems, bridges, tunnels, and other structures.
- Remove litter and debris from roadways, including debris from rock and mud slides.
Quantifying impact on your resume
- Include the total volume of materials you've handled daily or weekly to demonstrate your ability to manage large quantities efficiently.
- State the number of warehouse inventory checks you've conducted, showcasing your attention to detail and accuracy in inventory management.
- Specify the percentage reduction in material waste you achieved through improved handling procedures or recycling initiatives.
- List the number of safety incidents you've helped to reduce or eliminate by adhering to and promoting safe handling practices.
- Mention the number of shipping and receiving tasks completed per day to highlight your proficiency in fast-paced environments.
- Describe any increases in efficiency or productivity by quantifying the improvements in time or resources saved.
- Outline the number of forklift or machinery operations you have performed if certified, signifying your technical abilities.
- Include the metrics of team leadership, such as the number of material handlers you've supervised or trained.
Action verbs for your material handler resume
What if you don't have any experience?
There are two very common scenarios about candidates with less experience. They are either:
- Fresh out of college in search of a material handler role
- Transferring over from a completely different field
Both of these types of candidates still have a shot at landing their first job in the industry.
All they need to do about the experience section of their material handler resume is:
- Consider their strengths - would the outcomes of their previous roles or niche skill sets impress recruiters? Feature those towards the top of your resume
- Exclude any and all irrelevant experience items - remember that at the end of the day, you're telling a story that aims to align with the ideal candidate for the material handler job
- Win recruiters over with personality - perhaps your ambition, dreams, and diligence would make you the perfect fit for the material handler role. Dedicate resume space to detail your personality traits by showcasing how they've helped you succeed in past roles
- Tailor your experience to specific job requirements - ensure your material handler resume answers the advert in the best way possible.
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PRO TIP
Highlight any significant extracurricular activities that demonstrate valuable skills or leadership.
Defining your unique material handler skill set with hard skills and soft skills
In any job advertisement, a blend of specific technologies and interpersonal communication skills is typically sought after. Hard skills represent your technical expertise and indicate your job performance capacity. Soft skills, on the other hand, demonstrate how well you would integrate within the company culture.
Incorporating a balanced mix of both skill types in your material handler resume is crucial. Here's how you can do it:
- In your resume summary or objective, incorporate up to three hard and/or soft skills. Make sure to quantify these skills with relevant or impressive achievements; less
- The skills section should list your technical know-how.
- The strengths section is an ideal place to quantify your competencies by focusing on the achievements facilitated by these skills.
Top skills for your material handler resume:
Forklift Operation
Inventory Management Systems
Pallet Jack Operation
RFID Scanning Technology
Material Handling Equipment Maintenance
Warehouse Management Software
Basic Computer Skills
Shipping and Receiving Procedures
Safety Protocols and Regulations
Load Securement Techniques
Attention to Detail
Time Management
Communication Skills
Team Collaboration
Problem-Solving
Adaptability
Physical Stamina
Organizational Skills
Customer Service Orientation
Dependability
Next, you will find information on the top technologies for material handler professonals from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Top technologies for Material Handler’s resume:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
PRO TIP
The more trusted the organization you've attained your certificate (or degree) from, the more credible your skill set would be.
The importance of your certifications and education on your material handler resume
Pay attention to the resume education section . It can offer clues about your skills and experiences that align with the job.
- List only tertiary education details, including the institution and dates.
- Mention your expected graduation date if you're currently studying.
- Exclude degrees unrelated to the job or field.
- Describe your education if it allows you to highlight your achievements further.
Your professional qualifications: certificates and education play a crucial role in your material handler application. They showcase your dedication to gaining the best expertise and know-how in the field. Include any diplomas and certificates that are:
- Listed within the job requirements or could make your application stand out
- Niche to your industry and require plenty of effort to obtain
- Helping you prepare for professional growth with forward-facing know-how
- Relevant to the material handler job - make sure to include the name of the certificate, institution you've obtained it at, and dates
Both your certificates and education section need to add further value to your application. That's why we've dedicated this next list just for you - check out some of the most popular material handler certificates to include on your resume:
The top 5 certifications for your material handler resume:
- Certified Material Handling Professional (CMHP) - International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA)
- Associate in Material Management (AMM) - American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS)
- Certified Forklift Operator (CFO) - Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- Certified Logistics Technician (CLT) - Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC)
- Certified Hazardous Materials Handler (CHMH) - Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM)
The content below includes information from "O*NET OnLine" by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data represents the top associations for material handler professionals.
Top US associations for a Material Handler professional
- American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters
- International Union of Operating Engineers
PRO TIP
If you failed to obtain one of the certificates, as listed in the requirements, but decide to include it on your resume, make sure to include a note somewhere that you have the "relevant training, but are planning to re-take the exams". Support this statement with the actual date you're planning to be re-examined. Always be honest on your resume.
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Which one to use: a resume summary or a resume objective?
The material handler resume summary or objective serves as a good introduction to your experience for recruiters.
Have you ever wondered which one (the summary or objective) will be more appropriate for your material handler resume?
- If you are a less experienced professional, write a resume objective statement. The objective is about three sentences long and provides recruiters with information about your career goals, strengths, and achievements . It should basically denote how you see yourself in this particular role, and what is your relevant experience and/or know-how;
- If you happen to have plenty of relevant experience, select your most impressive achievements for your resume summary. The summary is no longer than five sentences and serves as a storytelling instrument - highlighting your greatest career wins . Don't forget to align your summary with the job requirements to ensure your resume stays relevant to the role.
Read on for more information and examples of resume summaries and objectives from real world professionals.
Resume summaries for a material handler job
- With over 10 years of experience in high-volume warehousing and distribution environments, I have honed my skills in material handling, inventory management, and logistics coordination. Adept at operating a range of warehouse machinery, I efficiently led a team to reduce pick time by 15%, earning recognition as Employee of the Year for my proactive improvements to the supply chain process.
- As a former retail manager transitioning into material handling, I bring 8 years of expertise in stock management and customer service. My strong organizational abilities and proven track record of successfully managing a multimillion-dollar inventory will seamlessly translate to handling materials efficiently while ensuring accuracy and safety in high-stress situations.
- Transitioning from the fast-paced world of culinary arts to material handling, I'm equipped with 7 years of experience in time-sensitive environments, rigorous attention to detail, and outstanding team collaboration. My commitment to maintaining quality standards under pressure will fuel my dedication to oversee and streamline warehouse operations for improved productivity.
- With a history of 6 years in material handling and forklift operation within the automotive sector, I have developed a keen eye for process optimization, leading to a 20% increase in workflow efficiency. Mastery of inventory software systems and an unwavering commitment to safety standards underpin my solid background in facilitating seamless material flow.
- Desiring to embark on a career in material handling, I am eager to apply my quick learning abilities and robust physical dexterity to swiftly adapt to warehouse operations. My objective is to leverage my disciplined work ethic and passion for mechanical systems to contribute to supply chain efficiency and become a valued team member.
- As a recent trade school graduate specialising in logistics and supply chain management, my objective is to leverage my knowledge of warehousing procedures and inventory control systems. I am driven to put my theoretical training into practice, ensuring accuracy and organization in every aspect of material handling, even though I am new to the field.
Average salary info by state in the US for material handler professionals
Local salary info for Material Handler.” Source: My Next Move, National Center for O*NET Development. Accessed 10/15/2024
| State | Average Salary (in USD) |
|---|---|
| US National Average | $47,360 |
| California (CA) | $55,520 |
| Texas (TX) | $38,390 |
| Florida (FL) | $37,080 |
| New York (NY) | $50,020 |
| Pennsylvania (PA) | $47,770 |
| Illinois (IL) | $60,450 |
| Ohio (OH) | $46,100 |
| Georgia (GA) | $35,890 |
| North Carolina (NC) | $44,080 |
| Michigan (MI) | $50,190 |
Four more sections for your material handler resume
Your material handler resume can be supplemented with other sections to highlight both your personality and efforts in the industry. Use the ones you deem most relevant to your experience (and the role):
- Awards - to celebrate your success;
- Interests - to detail what you're passionate about outside of work (e.g. music, literature, etc.);
- Publications - to show your footprint in the wider community;
- Projects - to pinpoint noteworthy achievements, potentially even outside of work.
Key takeaways
- Ensure your material handler resume uses a simple, easy-to-read format that reflects upon your experience and aligns with the role;
- Be specific within the top one-third of your resume (header and summary or objective) to pinpoint what makes you the ideal candidate for the material handler role;
- Curate information that is tailored to the job by detailing skills, achievements, and actual outcomes of your efforts;
- List your certifications and technical capabilities to demonstrate your aptitude with specific software and technologies;
- The sections you decide on including on your material handler should pinpoint your professional expertise and personality.
