Forklift Truck Driver

To land a job as a Fork Lift Truck Driver you will need to have excellent driving skills, be organised and have great communication skills.

Our free CV template is tailored to help you write the best CV that will allow you to stand out from the crowd.

Name: Jack Hooper 
Tel No: 0000 0000 00
Email: JackHooper@email.com
Address: 62 Sloe Lane
London
SE39 5YU

Personal Profile

In the personal profile, you should professionally introduce yourself, in three or four sentences, with relation to the job you’re applying to.

Try to include: your current work situation, what type of work you are searching for (such as part-time, flexible hours, or full-time employment starting immediately) some key skills and/or traits that will show the potential employer that you are a good candidate for the advertised job.

If you have you're a qualified FLT driver with experience of working in various environments, ( e.g. warehouse, factories, sotrage yards) mention this here. If you don’t  yet have your forklift truck driving licence, that’s okay. Just write that you are looking for your first role that will provide you with the training. You could highlight that you have a car driving licence in this section too.

EXAMPLE:

I am a hard-working and professional qualified reach FLT driver, with three years of experience in this role. I am looking for a full-time job that will continue to improve skills. I am self-motivated but also enjoy working with others in a team.

Work History

The work history section is to show the potential employer what jobs or work experience you’ve done. Try to include your work history for the last five years. If you haven’t been working for that long, that is okay. It will be explained by the education history. If you have recently moved to the country, it’s okay to include employment in other countries. 

This is your  first chance for you to highlight the skills and experience each one has given you, and this is turn should show why you are a good fit for the job you’re applying for. You don’t need to list all your duties or accomplishments, just pick the best parts and the ones that are relevant to the role you're applying for. You can always write down and save your examples or other relevant skills for the interview.

• Job title, name of employer, location, month and year started – present (or month and year that you left)
  • Briefly list the duties you had, and skills you learned while working here. Choose skills or qualities that the employer has listed in their job description.

EXAMPLE:

• Reach FLT driver, Adelie Foods, London, March 2017 – present
  • Responsible for assisting with loading/unloading food goods from lorries and vans, and safely moving and stacking tall loads into the correct sections and aisles
  • I have learned how warehouses are organised, the importance of working together to meet targets and cope in the busiest times, as well as how to maintain and look after my forklift truck

What jobs should you include?

• If you’re applying for your first role as a FLT Driver, it’s still important to include your work history. Use it to highlight relevant skills that the employer is looking for, such as organisation, team work and good communication. 
• Include details of any jobs that have involved driving, even if it’s the organisation’s car – this still shows you are responsible and a driver than a potential employer can trust. 
• There is more advice on work and education history in our top tips online article.

Education History

In education history, this is a chance to show any relevant training you have completed, what skills you have learned from your courses, as well as general education subjects you’ve done. As you get more work experience, this section will become shorter, as your work history becomes more relevant and more recent.

You cannot legally operate a reach FLT without a licence.  So before handing in your CV make sure you have the correct licence for the job you're applying for. Licences are not transferable so you will have needed to go through training for each type of forklift. 

To find out more about getting your counterbalance or reach forklift truck drivers licence, click here.

• Name of course or qualification, name of training centre or education centre, dates you were in attendance or you completed the course
  • Explain briefly the training certificate relevant to the job you are applying to. What did you learn that is relevant to the job?

EXAMPLE:

• First Aid, Yorkshire Driver Training, October 2016
  • Completed a one-day course in emergency first aid at work, level 2

If you have completed courses or gained certificates relating to work, include that information here, as well as details of your car driving licence

Skills

Here is your chance to highlight the best skills you have in relation to the job you’re applying for. Hint: these will be the skills listed in the job advert, but only highlight the skills you have. Misleading information on your CV is likely to trip you up in an interview and is unprofessional; you don’t have to show you have every last skill listed in the job advert to be successful.

EXAMPLE:

• Driving and concentration – ‘From taking on longer routes I have improved my practical van driving skills and ability to stay focused on the road for long periods of time. I always take the most direct and safest route, and am confident in any road situation.’
• Communication and team skills – ‘From liaising with customers about deliveries, and my manager, I have improved my listening and communication skills. I can now easily discuss problems with colleagues and customers, and work as a team towards finding a solution.’

References

First and last name
Job title and relation to you in the work place (if it isn’t obvious from the job title), name of work place, work contact number (or main company phone number which they can be reached through) and work email address

EXAMPLE:

Sam Crowe
Supervisor, Adelie Foods, London
0000 0000 00
alexsmith@email.com

Who should you include as a reference?

• Your first reference should ideally be from your current or most recent manager or supervisor. The second reference can be from a current colleague, or line manager or supervisor from a previous job. It’s best practice to ask someone if they will be a reference for you before they are contacted. Be aware that not all employers actually contact references, but it’s important to have them available if needed.
• It’s important to remember that while you are in your current job, consider that you may not want your reference (eg. your current head chef/boss) to be contacted until you have had an interview for a new possible job, or are actually offered it. This is because, for instance, if you weren’t offered the new job, and end up staying in your current job then you might not want your manager having been contacted as a reference. It can cause tension or awkward conversations about why you were trying to leave. A good way to get around this is to simply write ‘References available on request’. This shows the new employer that they can ask you for them as needed, but also means you can ask them to only contact them if you are offered the job, and then have time to ask the reference if it’s okay for them to be contacted. Most potential employers will be happy to wait to do this after offering you the job.
• If you have only had one previous job, or have been studying, it is okay to include a tutor as a reference, or someone else as a character reference (who is not related to you).