Freight Forwarder Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Freight Forwarder resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Freight forwarding is an integral part of international trade. It’s an industry that’s been around for centuries, moving cargo from one country to another. Freight forwarders are responsible for finding the best rates and routes to ship goods and managing all the paperwork involved in international shipments.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in this fast-paced field, you’ll need a stellar resume to help you secure the job. Follow these tips and resume example to write a freight forwarder resume that hiring managers will love.
How to Write a Freight Forwarder Resume
Here’s how to write a freight forwarder resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most important part of your resume because they’re the first thing recruiters and hiring managers will read. And they’re the best way to showcase your experience and qualifications.
But many job seekers make the mistake of using generic bullet points that don’t really tell a story or provide any context about their experience.
Instead, you should use your bullet points to tell a story about your experience. And that story should be as specific as possible. For example, rather than saying you “managed inventory,” you could say you “reduced inventory by 15% by negotiating with vendors to lower prices and implementing new inventory management software.”
The second bullet point provides more detail about what exactly you did and the results of your work. And it also provides a specific number to demonstrate your impact.
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a freight forwarder job, your resume is likely to go through an applicant tracking system (ATS). This software scans your resume for specific keywords related to the job opening. If your resume doesn’t include enough of the right terms, your application might not make it past the initial screening process.
One way to make sure you have the right keywords on your resume is to read through the job posting and take note of the terms and phrases that are used most frequently. Then, use those same terms throughout your resume in relevant places like the skills section, work experience, and summary. Here are some of the most commonly used freight forwarding keywords:
- Shipping
- Freight
- Forwarding
- International Logistics
- International Shipping
- Customs
- Transportation
- Shipping & Receiving
- Warehouse Operations
- Inventory Management
- Shipping Operations
- Warehouse Management Systems
- Negotiation
- Purchasing
- International Freight Forwarding
- Third-Party Logistics (3PL)
- Shipping & Transit Insurance
- Operations Management
- SAP Products
- Trade
- Customer Service
- LTL Shipping
- Project Logistics Management
- Air Freight
- Truckload Shipping
- 5S
- Lean Manufacturing
- Microsoft Access
- Team Leadership
- Management
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a freight forwarder, you rely on a variety of software programs and systems to get the job done. It’s important to list your proficiency in these programs and systems on your resume. Some of the most commonly used programs are FedEx Ship Manager, UPS WorldShip, and DHL Web Ship. Additionally, freight forwarders need to be familiar with customs regulations and how to process customs paperwork.