Warehouse Worker Skills for a Resume
Warehouses hire workers who are fast, accurate and safe. Show your pick rate and accuracy, the equipment and systems you use, and your attendance and safety record.
Updated
13 skills at a glance
Hard skills
What the work takes, how a hiring manager judges each skill, and a bullet point that shows it.
Order picking and packing
Give your pick rate and accuracy against the target.
Example bullet pointPicked 180 items an hour against a target of 150, with 99.8% accuracy.
Forklift and pallet jack operation
Name the equipment and your certification.
Example bullet pointOperated sit-down and reach forklifts with a current certification and no incidents.
RF scanners
Show accurate scanning that kept the inventory right.
Example bullet pointUsed RF scanners for picking, put-away and cycle counts.
Warehouse management systems
Name the system and the tasks you do in it.
Example bullet pointProcessed receiving and put-away in Manhattan WMS during peak season.
Receiving and shipping
Give the trucks or orders you receive and ship in a day, and your accuracy.
Example bullet pointChecked in up to 20 inbound trucks a day against purchase orders.
Inventory counts
Show your count accuracy and the problems you found.
Example bullet pointRan weekly cycle counts and found misplaced stock that had been showing as missing.
Loading and unloading
Show your volume and how you kept freight safe.
Example bullet pointLoaded trailers to use every inch of space while keeping fragile freight undamaged.
Safety procedures
Show your safety record and training.
Example bullet pointFollowed lifting and forklift safety rules with no injuries over three years.
Soft skills
Shown through what you did, never claimed as adjectives.
Reliability
Show your attendance and willingness to cover shifts.
Example bullet pointKept perfect attendance through peak season and covered extra shifts when needed.
Speed with accuracy
Show rates above target with few errors.
Example bullet pointStayed in the top 10% for pick rate with one of the lowest error rates.
Teamwork
Show how you helped other areas or trained others.
Example bullet pointTrained new hires on scanners and picking routes during peak hiring.
Physical stamina
Show long, demanding shifts handled well.
Example bullet pointWorked ten-hour shifts lifting up to 50 pounds while keeping up my rate.
Following instructions
Show that you follow procedures and special instructions exactly.
Example bullet pointFollowed special handling instructions for temperature-sensitive and high-value orders.
Licenses and certifications
Give them a section of their own, with who issued each one and the year or expiry date.
- Forklift operator certification
- OSHA 10-Hour General Industry
- First aid and CPR
Keywords from warehouse worker job postings
Use the ones that are true for you, in your bullet points as well as your skills list.
- pick
- accuracy
- forklifts
- RF scanners
- pallets
- safety
- shipments
- cycle counts
- orders
Each posting has its own words. Our guide to tailoring your resume to a job description shows how to find them and where to put them.
Where to put your skills
- In a skills section: a short list of the hard skills the posting names, in its words.
- In your bullet points: every skill that matters should show up in something you did, with a result. That is where a hiring manager believes it.
- In your summary: two or three of the skills the job asks for most.
More on choosing them in how to choose and prove the skills on your resume.
Questions
What skills should a warehouse worker put on a resume?
Picking and packing, forklifts and pallet jacks, RF scanners, warehouse management systems, receiving and shipping, inventory counts, loading and safety, plus reliability and speed with accuracy.
Should I list my forklift certification?
Yes, with the type of truck and the date. Many warehouses require it.
Which numbers matter most?
Pick rate, accuracy, attendance and your safety record.
Put them to work
Start from a warehouse worker resume that already uses these skills, for an invented person, and make it yours in the builder.