How to write a logistics CV that gets you shortlisted

Put the specifics up top

Open with four or five lines: your job title, the type of freight or operation you work in, the systems you use and the qualifications you hold. That's what a hiring manager is scanning for, so don't bury it under a paragraph about being a hard-working team player.

If you work at a port, say which one. If you handle customs entries, say under which procedures. Specifics are credibility.

Quantify the operation, not just the job title

"Transport planner" tells us almost nothing. "Planned 18 vehicles on multi-drop across East Anglia, 60–80 drops a day" tells us everything. Numbers give the reader a size and shape they can compare with their own operation.

• ▸Vehicles, drivers or pickers you planned, ran or supervised
• ▸Volumes: containers, consignments, pallets, order lines, customs entries per week
• ▸Modes and lanes: deep sea, short sea, air, groupage, UK trunking, EU
• ▸Systems by name — the TMS, WMS, forwarding or customs platform you actually used
• ▸Anything you improved, with the before and after if you know it

List tickets, licences and training plainly

Give the qualification, the level and the expiry where one applies. For drivers that means licence categories, Driver CPC status and card expiry, digi card, and any ADR or Moffett tickets. For warehouse roles, counterbalance or reach with the accrediting body and date.

If a ticket has lapsed, say so rather than leaving it off. Plenty of employers will fund a refresher for someone who is otherwise right.

Explain gaps and short stints in one line each

Agency runs, contract ends, site closures, family reasons — a short factual note stops a reader assuming the worst. Unexplained gaps are what get CVs put down, not the gaps themselves.

Format so it survives being skimmed

• ▸Two pages maximum; one is fine early in your career
• ▸Reverse chronological order, with month and year — not just years
• ▸Plain headings, no columns, no tables, no logos, no photo
• ▸Send as a PDF unless the advert asks otherwise
• ▸Name the file properly: firstname-lastname-cv.pdf
• ▸Include a mobile number and an email address you check daily

Tailor lightly, but do tailor

You don't need a fresh CV for every application. You do need the top five lines to match the advert's language, and any directly relevant experience moved up so it's visible without scrolling.