Top 12 Warehouse Laborer Skills to Put on Your Resume
Standing out as a warehouse laborer takes more than muscle. Precision matters. Speed with care, accuracy without drama, and a calm grip on constant change. Build your resume around skills that shout reliability, safety, and throughput. Show you can move product, data, and time in the right direction.
Warehouse Laborer Skills
- Forklift Operation
- Pallet Jacks
- Inventory Management
- RF Scanners
- Order Picking
- Shipping Procedures
- Receiving Protocols
- Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
- Safety Compliance
- Quality Control
- Packaging Techniques
- Material Handling Equipment
1. Forklift Operation
Operating a forklift means moving, lifting, stacking, and placing materials with a powered industrial truck while following strict safety rules, traffic patterns, and load-handling practices.
Why It's Important
Forklifts move heavy goods quickly and safely, cut down manual strain, tighten storage density, and keep orders flowing.
How to Improve Forklift Operation Skills
Certified Training: Complete and maintain training that meets regulatory requirements; refresh after incidents, equipment changes, or observed unsafe behavior.
Pre-Shift Checks: Inspect forks, chains, hydraulics, brakes, horn, lights, tires, and attachments before use. Tag out anything questionable.
Load Discipline: Know load centers and capacity plates, tilt back, keep mast stable, and never exceed limits. Slow down on turns; no riders.
Traffic Control: Mark aisles, one-way lanes, and intersections. Use horns, mirrors, floor markings, and speed limits. Pedestrians always win.
Housekeeping: Clear debris and shrink wrap tails. Clean floors mean fewer skids and fewer surprises.
Energy Safety: Handle propane swaps and battery charging with ventilation, proper PPE, and spill/acid controls.
Continuous Coaching: Ride-alongs, spot checks, and practical refreshers reinforce good habits.
How to Display Forklift Operation Skills on Your Resume
2. Pallet Jacks
Pallet jacks—manual or electric—lift and roll palletized loads across short distances with minimal effort.
Why It's Important
They’re fast, simple, and perfect for tight aisles and quick moves, easing strain and boosting throughput.
How to Improve Pallet Jacks Skills
Right Technique: Push when possible, keep heels clear, and watch pinch points. On ramps, face uphill and control speed.
Pre-Use Checks: Verify forks, wheels, handle return, brake (if powered), and battery charge. Fix squeaks early.
Load Setup: Center weight, keep loads stable and wrapped, and avoid stacking too high to preserve sightlines.
Aisle Awareness: Hug corners carefully, pause at intersections, and make eye contact with pedestrians.
Floor Care: Remove straps and film, repair wheel-eating divots, and keep dock plates aligned.
Fit for the Task: Match jack capacity and fork length to the load. For heavy or frequent moves, use powered models.
How to Display Pallet Jacks Skills on Your Resume
3. Inventory Management
Tracking what’s on hand, where it lives, and when it moves—so orders get filled accurately and stock stays healthy.
Why It's Important
Right item, right spot, right time. Less searching, fewer stockouts, cleaner counts, faster picks.
How to Improve Inventory Management Skills
Cycle Counting: Run routine counts (ABC frequency) to catch errors early without stopping operations.
Barcode/RFID Discipline: Scan everything in and out. No scan, no move.
Location Logic: Use clear labels, standardized slotting, and “golden zone” placement for fast movers.
Methods That Stick: Apply FIFO or FEFO, especially for perishables and regulated goods.
Reorder Signals: Set min/max or safety stock rules and watch exceptions like negative balances.
Damage and Returns: Quarantine immediately, record reasons, and resolve root causes so counts don’t drift.
How to Display Inventory Management Skills on Your Resume
4. RF Scanners
Handheld or wearable devices that read barcodes or RFID tags and send data wirelessly to the warehouse system.
Why It's Important
Fewer keystrokes, fewer mistakes. Real-time visibility, faster picks, cleaner transactions.
How to Improve RF Scanners Skills
Network Strength: Ensure full Wi‑Fi coverage, roaming tuned for aisles and docks, and dead zones eliminated.
Ergonomics: Use lightweight, glove or ring scanners where appropriate. Reduce hand fatigue, keep both hands free.
Battery Readiness: Hot-swap spares, set charging routines, and rotate batteries to extend life.
Smart Configs: Enable the symbologies you actually use, set good aiming/feedback, and trim excess prompts.
Training: Short, focused practice on scan flows, error recovery, and device care pays off quickly.
How to Display RF Scanners Skills on Your Resume
5. Order Picking
Selecting items to match orders, then handing them off for packing or shipping without misses or delays.
Why It's Important
It’s the heartbeat of fulfillment. Accuracy and speed here decide customer smiles or headaches.
How to Improve Order Picking Skills
Slotting Strategy: Place high-frequency SKUs close to pack-out; keep pairs and kits near each other.
Pick Methods: Use zone, batch, or wave picking depending on order mix and volumes.
Guidance Tech: Pick-to-light, voice direction, or wearable prompts trim travel and reduce errors.
Clean Paths: Clear aisles, well-marked locations, and readable labels keep momentum.
Metrics That Matter: Track units per hour, pick accuracy, and rework rates; fix the bottlenecks you find.
Rehearse the Basics: Confirm item, quantity, and location every time. No assumptions.
How to Display Order Picking Skills on Your Resume
6. Shipping Procedures
Preparing, packing, labeling, documenting, and loading outbound orders while keeping records tight and carriers on time.
Why It's Important
On-time, in-full shipments protect customer trust, control costs, and stop chargebacks and reships.
How to Improve Shipping Procedures Skills
Standard Pack-Out: Right-size boxes, use proper dunnage, verify counts, and seal securely. Dim weight is real—pack smart.
Label Accuracy: Validate addresses, apply scannable labels in consistent positions, and follow carrier rules.
Load Planning: Stage by route or carrier, build stable pallets, and load in stop sequence when possible.
Quality Checks: Final scan and photo where needed; confirm order completeness before the truck door closes.
Hazmat and Special Handling: Follow packaging, documentation, and segregation rules when applicable.
Cutoff Discipline: Know carrier pickup times and clear docks ahead of arrivals.
How to Display Shipping Procedures Skills on Your Resume
7. Receiving Protocols
Taking in deliveries the right way—appointments, checks, counts, documentation, and clean putaway.
Why It's Important
Strong receiving prevents inventory errors, protects product quality, and speeds goods to pick locations.
How to Improve Receiving Protocols Skills
Appointments and ASNs: Schedule docks, review advance notices, and prep space and staff for what’s coming.
Inspection First: Check seals, look for damage, verify counts, and note exceptions on the spot with photos.
Document Fast: Capture item, lot/serial, expiration, and condition details as you receive.
Quarantine Rules: Isolate problem goods, label clearly, and escalate quickly to avoid contamination or mispicks.
Directed Putaway: Use location rules (size, weight, temperature, velocity) so items land in the right slot the first time.
Feedback Loop: Track vendor errors and packaging issues and share trends so upstream fixes stick.
How to Display Receiving Protocols Skills on Your Resume
8. Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
Software that coordinates inventory, tasks, and locations—turning scans into clean data and clean data into fast work.
Why It's Important
WMS reduces manual errors, assigns the next best task, and gives real-time visibility so labor can flow where it matters.
How to Improve Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) Skills
End-User Mastery: Learn the mobile screens you use daily—receiving, putaway, picks, moves, counts—inside out.
Simple, Consistent Scans: Standardize barcodes, label formats, and scan steps so transactions feel effortless.
Tight Integrations: Ensure WMS syncs with purchasing, ordering, and shipping systems to cut keying and delays.
Task Optimization: Use directed picking/putaway, batch logic, and task interleaving to curb travel time.
Data You Can Trust: Clear exception queues, fix bad labels, and resolve discrepancies quickly to keep accuracy high.
Kaizen Mindset: Share ideas from the floor—small tweaks to screens and flows can save miles of walking.
How to Display Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) Skills on Your Resume
9. Safety Compliance
Following health and safety rules, using PPE, and keeping hazards in check so everyone goes home in one piece.
Why It's Important
It prevents injuries, fines, and downtime. Safety isn’t extra—it's production without pain.
How to Improve Safety Compliance Skills
Training That Sticks: Frequent, practical sessions on equipment, lifting, chemical handling, and emergency actions.
PPE First: Wear the right gear for the task—high‑vis, gloves, safety shoes, eye and hearing protection.
Traffic Separation: Mark pedestrian lanes, add mirrors and warning lights, and enforce right-of-way rules.
Inspections and Audits: Walk the floor, fix hazards fast, and track near-misses to prevent repeats.
Emergency Readiness: Clear exits, working extinguishers, spill kits, first-aid supplies, and drilled responses.
Speak Up Culture: Make it easy to report concerns—no blame, quick action.
How to Display Safety Compliance Skills on Your Resume
10. Quality Control
Checking goods for defects, correctness, and condition while keeping records straight and processes tight.
Why It's Important
Fewer defects and mispicks mean fewer returns, happier customers, and smoother operations.
How to Improve Quality Control Skills
Clear Standards: Know acceptance criteria, tolerances, and what triggers hold or rework.
Checklists and Sampling: Use simple, repeatable checks at receiving, picking, and packing.
Traceability: Capture lots, serials, and expiration dates when required—no guesswork later.
Root Cause: When errors happen, document, sort by defect type, and fix the source—not just the symptom.
Feedback Fast: Close the loop with vendors, pack stations, and pickers so improvements stick.
How to Display Quality Control Skills on Your Resume
11. Packaging Techniques
Choosing the right materials, preparing products, and sealing shipments so they arrive intact without wasted space.
Why It's Important
Good packing prevents damage, reduces freight costs, and keeps pack stations flying.
How to Improve Packaging Techniques Skills
Right-Size Every Time: Match carton to product; excess void means cost and crush risk.
Smart Dunnage: Use paper, foam, or air pillows appropriately; brace heavy items and protect edges.
Strong Foundations: Choose cartons with suitable edge crush ratings; don’t skimp on tape width or pattern.
Repeatable Pack-Outs: Standardize methods for common SKUs or kits with simple visual guides.
Label Clarity: Apply shipping and compliance labels flat and scannable; avoid seams and corners.
Sustainability: Reduce materials, reuse clean fillers, and recycle where possible without compromising protection.
How to Display Packaging Techniques Skills on Your Resume
12. Material Handling Equipment
Tools that move and protect goods—forklifts, pallet jacks, conveyors, carts, stackers, and more—used safely and efficiently.
Why It's Important
Right equipment shrinks travel time, cuts injuries, and keeps product damage near zero.
How to Improve Material Handling Equipment Skills
Preventive Maintenance: Follow PM schedules, document fixes, and swap worn parts before failures.
Operator Know-How: Train on controls, load limits, attachments, and signals. Practice matters.
Ergonomics: Choose adjustable handles, low push forces, and smooth-rolling wheels to reduce strain.
Energy Care: Charge batteries safely, water lead-acid units correctly, and handle lithium systems per guidelines.
Floor and Rack Health: Keep floors flat and clean; inspect racking and guards so MHE and storage play nicely together.
Flow Design: Match equipment to aisle widths, turns, and payloads; separate AMR/AGV routes from pedestrians where possible.
How to Display Material Handling Equipment Skills on Your Resume
