Material Handler Resumes & Writing Guide

If you are a Material Handler on the lookout for a new position, you will need a stellar resume to give yourself the best chance of landing interviews. Luckily, you have come to the right place.

Before writing your resume, take a look through a few of our Material Handler resume samples to give yourself an idea of how best to structure your information.

This guide will take you through the fundamentals of creating the perfect Material Handler resume by providing you with tips, tricks, examples, advice, and various formats that really highlight your impressive information.

Furthermore, we will help you distinguish between what information is relevant, what is irrelevant, and what information is a must-have. So what are you waiting for? Dive in and explore our guide…

21 Material Handler Resume Examples

(Free resume sample downloads are at the bottom of this page)

Material Handler Resume Writing Guide

Resume Sections

  1. Contact information
  2. Profile Summary
  3. Work History
  4. Achievements
  5. Education
  6. Skill Section
  7. Certification & Licensing
  8. Extras: Languages/Awards/Publications/Volunteering/hobbies
  9. > Professional information

1. Contact information

  • First Name and Last Name
  • Email
  • Physical Address
  • Telephone number
  • LinkedIn Profile

What to Highlight in a Material Handler Resume

When a hiring manager or potential employer reads through an applicant’s resume, there are a number of specific pieces of information that they must see to gauge your competency and decide whether you are likely to be a good fit for their company or not. Below we have outlined these key areas:

Firstly, you need to provide information about the type of companies you have worked for in the past. This entails explaining the company's scale in terms of physical size and financial turnover, the company working hours (24h or 12h), and the typical orders you are required to distribute or handle.

Secondly, hiring managers expect you to elaborate on the type of industry or sector you have previously worked in. For example, if you have worked in a public, private, or government business. Below we have listed typical institutions Material Handlers are found in:

  • academic institutions
  • specialist warehousing
  • central and local government departments
  • construction
  • armed forces
  • freight forwarders
  • major supermarket
  • retail (including online retail)
  • wholesale companies
  • haulage contractors
  • manufacturing firms
  • distribution firms

To find the specific industry categories you need to mention in your resume, log onto the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website to find the SIC codes.

Thirdly, you must not forget to mention the all-important physical aspect that comes with being a Material Handler. Typically, you will be required to transport stock raw materials around the warehouse and from various cargo depots. This requires physical stamina, strength, and accuracy, skills, and qualities you need to highlight. Again, see the bellow examples to aid you:

  1. Accomplish work in various positions such as standing, sitting, or walking for long periods.
  2. The ability to communicate efficiently by use of speech, vision, and hearing.
  3. Exercise dexterity and small motor skills of hands for simple grasping and manipulations.
  4. The ability to deal with the physical demands of continuous squatting, bending, crawling, reaching, and climbing.
  5. Strong enough to lift 80 pounds of weight and carry, pull, or push this weight.
  6. The ability to deal with tasks that involve being near moving machinery, being in contact with extremen temperature and humidity changes, and contact with gases, fumes, and dust.

Lastly, the way you format your information can significantly change the hiring manager's perspective of you. Take note, people are more likely to remember something that sparked their interest. See the below examples to guide you:

  • Wherever possible, use the reverse chronological format to list your experience and qualifications. This will allow the most recent and most impressive information to be view first.
  • Choose a font type that is easy to read and looks pleasing to the eye. Furthermore, change your font sizes for headings and paragraphs.
  • Save your resume as a PDF document. PDF documents are more universal and are more likely to keep your format as you want it. However, make sure to read the job description. Sometimes employers want applicants to submit resumes in a specific format.

Resume Summary & Objective

Hiring managers are very busy people who do not have hours and hours to comb through every applicant’s resume to find the information they are looking for. Therefore, if the required information is not easy to find, your resume will be tossed aside. The best way to ensure this does not happen to you is by writing a well-written resume summary/objective paragraph.

Essentially, a summary or also called resume profile, is a short introductory paragraph between 4-6 lines in length that allows you to sum up your experience, your skills and qualities, and your qualifications. This paragraph should be situated at the very top of your resume as it allows the reader to develop an idea of who you are and what you have to offer without having to read through the whole document.

When writing your resume summary or objective paragraph, you need to remember that it is only an introduction and that you need to be concise, only including the most relevant information.

Begin with a power verb to describe yourself and follow this with your job title and your years of experience.

Next, mention how you can use your unique skills and qualities to maximize efficiency and lead others effectively.

Lastly, mention one or two of your highest qualifications.

The last thing to do is to choose between a summary and an objective paragraph. Luckily for you, there is a simple way to decide.

  1. If you have more than two years of experience, choose a resume summary to highlight your experience.
  2. If you have less than two years of experience and are just starting out, choose the objective paragraph. Instead of highlighting your experience, it allows you to outline your career goals and aspirations.

Examples

Material Handler Summary 1

Efficient Material Handler with three years of experience. Skilled in kitting and Lean principles, looking to deliver materials excellence at FedEx. At Arretto Group, prepared 2,700 production kits with no faults in two years. Created a mistake-proof device for kitting that was adopted by management and spread to 33 other materials handlers, slashing kitting errors to zero.

Material Handler Summary 2

Highly motivated Material Handler with 5+ years of experience whose primary function is the loading and unloading of bulk Material and completing assigned paperwork. Compliance with all DOT and company safety policies, procedures, and practices shall be adhered to at all times.

Material Handler Summary 3

Experienced warehouse material handler looking for a new position to leverage talent for transporting materials products and merchandise. Adept at using tools of the trade and proficient with smart devices as well as heavy equipment. Available to work flexible hours and shifts to help keep production running smoothly.

Material Handler Summary 4

Highly dedicated and skilled material handler candidate seeking a position that will necessitate handling of imported products, a clean driving record, and the ability to travel efficiently to meet tight deadlines.

Employment

When listing your employment history, whether you have years of experience or none at all, there are specific ways to get the most out of your information to impact the reader.

  1. Firstly, you will want to list your experience in reverse chronological order to ensure the reader views your most recent experience first.
  2. Next, state the job title you held, the name of the company or organization you worked for, and your employment dates.
  3. Add 4-5 bullet points that highlight your accomplishments and responsibilities so that the reader can ascertain your role. Remember to add quantification to make your statements relevant.
  4. Use verbs and keywords found in the job advertisement so that you come across as the perfect candidate.

*Pro Tip: Engage their interest with resume power words such as “filled, developed, or unloaded.” And instead of saying what you handled, rather say how well you handled it.

Material Handler at Amazon

(January 2018 – August 2022)

Shipped industrial goods, including hazardous materials, to sites across the region. Drove delivery trucks, loaded and unloaded freight, and ensured proper handling of materials at all times. Key outcomes include:

  • Responsible for overseeing all outgoing and incoming shipments that were loaded and freighted between trains and airlines.
  • Verified orders and arranged delivery materials to the loading platform in the warehouse.
  • Maintained stocked produced formulations,shelves outlines, and audited transportation documents.
  • Tasked with the examination of national and international inbound and outbound transportation freight.

Material Handler at Anglo American

(Feb 2015 – Dec 2018)

Provided loading services for a shipping and receiving company that distributed a wide variety of industrial products. Handled fragile and hazardous materials as needed.

  • Processed all transportation-related documents.
  • Verified orders arranged them for delivery to the client.
  • Verified all goods that came through our company and organized travel routes.
  • Completed all personal property outbound transport documents.

Material Handler Job Description

Material Handlers can be found working in a wide range of sectors. For this reason, we have provided a list of fairly generic job duties and responsibilities to give you some idea of where to begin.

Examples

A Material Handler may:
  • Load and unload facility shipments for delivery throughout the VA system and warehouse storage.
  • Ship and receive supplies and equipment utilizing UPS World Ship and field-specific software.
  • Control, inspect, maintain, and organize the warehouse regularly.
  • Safely and efficiently operate the forklift, electrical, and manual loading equipment.
  • Fill and deliver equipment and supply orders to VA facilities throughout northern Indiana.
  • Drive and maintain 27 ft. box trucks to deliver supplies and equipment.
  • Pick up and received various products to fill orders for shipping.
  • Resolve inbound product discrepancies.
  • Train new employees to complete various functions.
  • Oversee associates in assigned areas.
  • Build and break down pallets for shipping.
  • Operate and maintain safety on various forms of heavy equipment, including forklifts and pallet jacks.
  • Proficient in using Microsoft Windows and Logistical Computer systems to track orders.
  • Verify orders to ensure items are correctly packed, and quality has been maintained.
  • Process materials and arrange materials for delivery at their correct loading zones.
  • Prepare orders and locate and gather the correct number of items.
  • Expedite crucial operations on the rush line to minimize downtime and maximize efficiency and customer service satisfaction.
  • Ensure that production areas are fully stocked and have the products they need to fulfill orders timeously.
  • Move stock, freight, and other materials to and from storage or production areas, delivery vehicles.
  • Attach identifying tags to containers or mark them with identification information.
  • Attach hooks, slings, or other devices to lift cargo and guide loads.
  • Install protective devices, such as padding, bracing, or strapping to prevent shifting or damage of items while they are en-route.

Accomplishments

Your accomplishments section is a crucial part of your resume. It allows hiring managers to gauge whether you are an employee who puts in extra effort to maximize efficiency through your awards, ratings, or promotions.

Accomplishment statements are made in three steps:

  1. Feature: What are the jobs or services you have completed that allow you to stand out? What are you the proudest of?
  2. Benefit: How did your contributions add value to the company?
  3. Proof: You must add quantification to your statements to prove that what you are saying is the truth and to allow the reader to measure you against other applicants.
Examples without quantification
  • Filled multiple kits for the shop floor, error-free.
  • Worked straight days without a sick day.
  • Developed a mistake-proof device to avoid kitting errors. As a result, management adopted the device business-wide, saving hours every week.
  • Dispatch all Halliburton and third-party trucking to many gas/oil wells in the Northeast Region.
Examples with metrics
  • Filled 3,200 kits for the shop floor, error-free for over three years.
  • Worked for 310 days straight without a sick day.
  • Developed a mistake-proof device to avoid kitting errors. As a result, management adopted the device business-wide, saving an estimated 105 hours every week.
  • Dispatch all Halliburton and third-party trucking to over 33 gas/oil wells in the Northeast Region.

Material Handler Education Section

Before you fly through your education section, because you think it is one of the less important sections, let us stop you and change your thinking. Your education section is very important as it allows the reader to gauge your foundational knowledge and competency. If your information is incorrectly listed, hiring managers will not be impressed. Below are a few points to remember:

  • It is only necessary to list your high school information if you have not been to college or a tertiary educational institution
  • Add in all academic honors
  • Always list appropriate licenses, certifications, and/ or professional development courses
  • If you are in the process of completing any qualifications, mention them as well.

When listing your qualification, keep it simple:

  • For degrees and diplomas, mention your commencement and completion dates. For courses and certifications, simply list the completion date.
  • Next, you need to correctly state the name of the qualification you obtained and the institution where you completed this qualification.
  • Lastly, you need to state where the institution is located by mentioning the City’s name and the abbreviated state name.  

Example of a Material Handler Resume's education:

2020 – Certified Forklift Operator; PMMA Heavy Equipment Training Center, New York, NY.

2019 – CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional), APICS, Chicago, IL.

2018 – Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM), APICS, Chicago, IL.

2014 – 2017 – Associates Degree in Business Administration, Jefferson Community, and Technical College, Louisville, KY.
Course Topics: Business operations, shipping and receiving processes, inventory management, employee training and development, leadership, safety regulations, interpersonal communication, and supplier and customer relations.

2012 – Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification, American Association for Quality (ASQ), Milwaukee, WI.

Material Handler Resume Skills

Material Handlers need a good mixture of both technical and soft skills to complete their daily duties successfully. In your skill section, you have the opportunity to show off your vast technical knowledge, your impressive ability to lead others, and how you use the skills and qualities to maximize efficiency.

When trying to decide which of your countless skills to list, take a moment to read through the job description to outline the specific skills and qualities the employer is looking for. This will allow you to tweak your selection to so that you appear as the perfect candidate.

*Pro tip: You only have a limited amount of space in your resume, and bullet point takes up unnecessary precious space. Rather, make use of a skills matrix table to list your skills, as seen below:

Technical skills

PickingLean principlesUsing barcode scanners
KittingKanbanInventory management
Operating pallet jacksFIFORecord keeping
Reading ordersVerifying itemsPackaging

Soft Skills

Active listeningInterpersonal skillsTeamwork
Physical staminaWritten and verbal communicationOrganization
StrengthEfficiencyDetail-oriented
AccuracyTime managementMotivation

Qualifications/Certifications associated with Material Handlers

APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional Certification (CSCP)Diploma in Supply Chain ManagementAPICS Certified Logistics, Transportation and Distribution (CLTD)
APICS Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR-P) EndorsementDiploma in Clearing and ForwardingDiploma in Warehouse Management
NCMA Certified Professional Contract Manager (CPCM)ISM Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM)APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM)

Extra Sections for Material Handler Resumes

Congratulations, you have reached the end of your resume, but what if you still have the information you wish to include? Do not stress. The optional extras section is here to save you. The optional extras section allows you to include any final pieces of information you may not have been able to include in previous sections that you feel will really allow you to secure your interview.

Examples of topics you might wish to include are:

  • Extracurricular Activities
  • Volunteering Experience
  • Freelance Work
  • Supervisor Compliments
  • Awards/honors
  • Sport Pastimes
  • Additional Languages
  • Certifications

Professional information of Material Handlers

Sectors: Various
Career Type: Warehouse Process Logistics Transport, Supply Chain, Distribution, Storage
Person type:  Handler, Mover, Controller, Worker
Education levels: Post School Diplomas andCertificates
Salary indication: Average $29 028 per annum (ZipRecruiter)
Labor market: Growth expectation of 3% between 2019 – 2029 (BLS)
Organizations: SME, NPO, Public, Private, Government

Download Material Handler Templates in PDF