Top 12 Material Handler Skills to Put on Your Resume
In the competitive field of material handling, a sharp resume that calls out the right strengths makes hiring managers pause. This guide breaks down the 12 skills that matter most for material handlers today, so your resume reads focused, current, and ready to work.
Material Handler Skills
- Forklift Operation
- Inventory Management
- Pallet Jack
- RF Scanners
- Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
- Order Picking
- Shipping & Receiving
- Hazardous Materials Handling
- Quality Control
- Supply Chain Management
- Packaging Machinery
- Lean Manufacturing
1. Forklift Operation
Forklift operation, in the context of a Material Handler, means safely moving, loading, unloading, staging, and stacking materials throughout warehouses, distribution centers, and similar sites.
Why It's Important
Forklift proficiency keeps goods flowing without drama. Fewer injuries, faster turns, tighter accuracy. The right moves save time and backs.
How to Improve Forklift Operation Skills
- Get certified and stay current: Complete formal training and refreshers regularly; follow site rules and posted load charts.
- Pre-shift inspections: Check forks, chains, hydraulics, brakes, horn, lights, and tires before rolling. Tag out anything suspect.
- Load control: Center the weight, keep the mast tilted back when traveling, and keep loads low. Never exceed rated capacity.
- Safe travel habits: Drive at posted speeds, watch corners, sound the horn at intersections, and keep clear sightlines (use a spotter when visibility drops).
- Clean lanes, clear signage: Good housekeeping and marked pedestrian zones cut risk and boost pace.
How to Display Forklift Operation Skills on Your Resume
2. Inventory Management
Inventory management for a Material Handler means organizing, counting, rotating, and moving stock so the right items are ready when needed—with minimal waste or delay.
Why It's Important
It trims costs, steadies supply, and keeps production humming. Accurate counts prevent scrambles and stockouts.
How to Improve Inventory Management Skills
- Use real-time tracking: Barcodes or RFID help keep movements visible and errors down.
- Run cycle counts: Frequent small counts beat rare big ones. Reconcile variances quickly.
- Standardize locations: Clear bin labels, logical slotting, and FIFO or FEFO rules reduce hunting and shrink.
- Tighten receiving: Verify quantities, lot/serial data, and condition on arrival to stop problems at the door.
- Clean data, clean process: Resolve duplicates and wrong units of measure; keep SOPs short and followed.
- Feedback loop: Share gaps you see on the floor; small tweaks often save hours downstream.
How to Display Inventory Management Skills on Your Resume
3. Pallet Jack
A pallet jack—manual or powered—lets material handlers lift and move palletized loads across short distances with control and less strain.
Why It's Important
It speeds everyday moves without tying up a forklift. Fewer lifted loads by hand, fewer injuries, smoother flow.
How to Improve Pallet Jack Skills
- Right tool for the load: Match capacity and fork length to your pallets. Powered jacks for heavier hauls or longer runs.
- Grip and posture: Ergonomic handles, steady stance, and push rather than pull where possible.
- Check wheels and forks: Keep wheels clean, bearings greased, and forks true. Fix leaks and sticking hydraulics early.
- Safe handling: Don’t ride the jack, mind slopes and dock plates, and use chocks when needed.
- Tidy aisles: Clear travel paths prevent hang-ups and costly bumps.
How to Display Pallet Jack Skills on Your Resume
4. RF Scanners
RF scanners—handheld or wearable—capture barcodes or RFID tags to record picks, receipts, transfers, and counts right where the work happens.
Why It's Important
They slice errors, accelerate picking, and update inventory in the moment. Less paper, more truth.
How to Improve RF Scanners Skills
- Streamlined screens: Simple prompts, large buttons, and clear error messages keep pace high.
- Solid integration: Make sure scans post instantly to the WMS or ERP; no double entry.
- Battery discipline: Hot-swappable batteries, charging stations, and spare packs prevent downtime.
- Label quality: High-contrast labels placed where hands can actually scan them; retire damaged codes fast.
- Care and maintenance: Protective cases, regular updates, and quick repairs extend device life.
How to Display RF Scanners Skills on Your Resume
5. Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
WMS software coordinates the heartbeat of a warehouse: receiving, putaway, slotting, picking, packing, shipping, and inventory accuracy—with data to guide every move.
Why It's Important
It boosts accuracy, speeds fulfillment, and makes space work harder. Fewer touches, more traceability.
How to Improve Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) Skills
- Automate where it counts: Use system-directed putaway, replenishment, and picking to cut guesswork.
- Leverage real-time data: Dashboards, exceptions, and alerts keep priorities visible and work balanced.
- Train by workflow: Teach tasks in the order they happen on the floor, with short job aids and periodic refreshers.
- Mobility first: Pair WMS with handhelds, wearables, or voice for hands-free speed and fewer mis-scans.
- Iterate with feedback: Capture user pain points, adjust slotting rules, tidy master data, and improve pick paths.
How to Display Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) Skills on Your Resume
6. Order Picking
Order picking is the precise selection of items and quantities from storage to match customer orders—fast, clean, and correct.
Why It's Important
It directly shapes delivery speed and accuracy. Misses here ripple everywhere.
How to Improve Order Picking Skills
- Smarter layout: Place high-velocity items near pack-out; keep families of items together.
- Right picking method: Batch, zone, or wave pick depending on order profiles to trim travel.
- Guided tech: Barcode, RFID, or voice-directed picks minimize errors and rework.
- Clear labeling: Shelf labels, facing standards, and tote IDs cut confusion.
- Measure and adjust: Track pick rate, accuracy, and dwell time—then fix the slowdowns.
How to Display Order Picking Skills on Your Resume
7. Shipping & Receiving
Shipping prepares, stages, loads, and dispatches goods outbound. Receiving verifies, inspects, and books inbound materials into the right locations.
Why It's Important
It guards accuracy at the two biggest handoffs. Done right, it prevents claims, delays, and inventory chaos.
How to Improve Shipping & Receiving Skills
- Standardize documents: Match POs, BOLs, packing slips, and labels—no guesswork at the dock.
- Schedule and stage: Appointment windows, clear lanes, and pre-staged loads keep doors turning.
- Dimensional checks: Weigh and measure where needed to avoid carrier surprises.
- Quality gates: Quick visual and count checks on arrival; quarantine damage and log evidence.
- Safety first: Chocks, dock plates, trailer stands, and clear signals prevent ugly moments.
- Close the loop: Post receipts and shipments immediately so inventory and tracking stay honest.
How to Display Shipping & Receiving Skills on Your Resume
8. Hazardous Materials Handling
Handling hazardous materials means storing, moving, labeling, and disposing of substances that pose health, safety, or environmental risks—by the book and with the right gear.
Why It's Important
It protects people, property, and the environment. One sloppy step can become a serious incident.
How to Improve Hazardous Materials Handling Skills
- Know the materials: Review SDS for each substance; understand exposure routes and first aid.
- Wear proper PPE: Gloves, goggles, respirators, and protective clothing matched to the hazard.
- Label and segregate: Follow GHS labels, keep incompatibles apart, and maintain secondary containment.
- Tight procedures: Use dedicated tools, grounded equipment where needed, and approved containers only.
- Emergency readiness: Spill kits stocked, eyewash and showers accessible, drills practiced.
- Document and report: Keep logs, track lots, and escalate any incident immediately.
How to Display Hazardous Materials Handling Skills on Your Resume
9. Quality Control
Quality control for a Material Handler means checking materials and finished goods against standards—before they move on or ship out.
Why It's Important
It prevents defects from traveling, reduces scrap, and keeps customers happy. Catch it early, fix it cheaply.
How to Improve Quality Control Skills
- Clear acceptance criteria: Define what “good” looks like with samples, photos, or checklists.
- Incoming checks: Verify counts, condition, lot/serials, and expiration dates at receipt.
- In-process verifications: Spot-check during kitting, staging, and packing to avoid rework.
- Calibrated tools: Maintain scales, scanners, gauges, and printers so results can be trusted.
- Fast feedback: Flag defects, record trends, and loop in suppliers or upstream teams quickly.
How to Display Quality Control Skills on Your Resume
10. Supply Chain Management
Supply Chain Management coordinates the flow of materials, information, and funds from source to customer. For Material Handlers, it shows up in on-time moves, accurate records, and smooth handoffs across each step.
Why It's Important
It reduces cost, stabilizes inventory, and tightens delivery performance. Better flow, fewer surprises.
How to Improve Supply Chain Management Skills
- Boost visibility: Real-time tracking of receipts, picks, and shipments shortens reaction time.
- Lean inventory: Right-size stock with reorder points, safety stock rules, and quick turns.
- Stronger supplier links: Share forecasts, give feedback on defects and on-time performance, and align packaging standards.
- Measure what matters: Track fill rate, on-time ship, inventory accuracy, dock-to-stock, and damage rate.
- Standard work: Clear SOPs for each flow step make performance repeatable—and improvable.
How to Display Supply Chain Management Skills on Your Resume
11. Packaging Machinery
Packaging machinery encloses, seals, wraps, weighs, fills, or labels products. Material handlers set up, feed, change over, and keep it running safely.
Why It's Important
Consistent packaging protects product, speeds throughput, and lowers manual effort. Less downtime, stronger presentation.
How to Improve Packaging Machinery Skills
- Preventive maintenance: Clean, lubricate, inspect belts and sensors, and replace wear parts on schedule.
- Quick changeovers: Standardize change parts, use checklists, and stage materials to cut setup time.
- Operator training: Teach start-up, shutdown, jam clears, and first-level troubleshooting.
- Ergonomics: Adjust infeed height, use lifts or conveyors, and reduce awkward reaches.
- Material fit: Match film, cartons, and labels to machine specs to avoid jams and defects.
- Waste reduction: Track scrap sources and tweak tensions, temps, and timings to tighten yield.
How to Display Packaging Machinery Skills on Your Resume
12. Lean Manufacturing
Lean Manufacturing trims waste and boosts flow. For Material Handlers, that means the right parts, at the right time, in the right place—without extra motion or inventory bloat.
Why It's Important
Lean reduces delays, prevents pileups, and keeps teams safe and productive. Less wandering, more doing.
How to Improve Lean Manufacturing Skills
- 5S the workspace: Sort, set in order, shine, standardize, sustain—so tools and parts are always where they should be.
- JIT deliveries: Time replenishment to consumption; smaller, more frequent drops beat giant batches.
- Kanban signals: Simple visual triggers prompt refills right when they’re needed.
- Cross-train: Build range so handlers can flex across tasks and cover peaks cleanly.
- Map the value stream: Spot bottlenecks, handoff delays, and excess motion—then cut them out.
How to Display Lean Manufacturing Skills on Your Resume
