Sample reading
Warehouse Operative
Fictional temp advert
- Pay
- £12.95 per hour
- Shifts and hours
- Monday to Friday, 6am - 2pm
Not stated: start, availability.
CV tips
- Put your email address and phone number in the body of the page, not only in a header or footer.
- Open with a one-line headline under your name that says what you do, in the words adverts use.
- Use the advert's own words for the skills, qualifications and job titles you really have.
- Give each role its start and end month.
- Send a Word file or a PDF in one column, with no tables or text boxes, unless the employer's or agency's form asks otherwise.
- State your right to work in the UK, and leave out your date of birth, a photo and your marital status.
Fictional temp advert
- Fictional advert, made for this sample: there is nowhere to apply.
Fictional advert, made for this sample: there is nowhere to apply.
About this sample
Casey Sample is not a real person. Every Pro check is open here, except those that need a CV file.
More about this sample
Our engine read this made-up CV of a warehouse operative against a made-up temp advert on 20 Oct 2026, as it reads yours.
A free reading of this CV would hide 1 skill name. See Pro plans
A sample keeps nothing about you and runs no AI.
Searchability
IMPORTANTEmployers and agencies load your CV into their systems and recruiters search it by keyword. This is how well yours reads in that process. Only the job title match counts in your score here: it earns 15 points.
Contact details
What we check and why
We look for an email address and a phone number in the body of the page. Some application systems skip page headers and footers, so contact details only there can be lost.
Tips
- Put your email address and mobile number just under your name.
- Write them as plain text on a line of their own, not in a header, footer, text box or table.
- Add your town and outward postcode, such as "Leeds LS6". A street address is not needed.
- Use an email address you will keep, not one from your current employer.
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Pass
Your email address and a UK mobile number are in the body of your CV, where application systems read them.
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Pass
Your CV names a town or area near the top, so a recruiter searching by location can find you.
Headings
What we check and why
We look for a heading over your work history (such as Experience, Employment history, Contract history, Assignments or Placements). Application systems file your roles under it.
Tips
- Use plain headings: Profile, Experience (or Employment history), Education, Skills.
- A heading such as "Where I've been" may not be read as your work history.
- Put each heading on a line of its own, as text, not inside a picture or a text box.
- Open with two or three lines on what you do, or your tickets and cards, in the advert's words where they are true.
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Pass
We found 6 standard section headings: Profile or summary, Skills, Experience, Education, Certifications, References. One of them heads your work history.
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Pass
Your CV has a profile or summary heading.
-
Pass
Your CV has headings for your qualifications (Education, Certifications).
-
Pass
Your CV has a Skills heading.
Job title match
What we check and why
We look for the advert's job title in the first line of your CV after your name and contact details, where our match rate gives 15 points for it, and anywhere in your CV, where a recruiter's search for the title would find it.
Tips
- If the advert's title fairly describes your work, use it in a one-line headline under your name.
- Use the advert's exact wording for the title where it is true, including any short form.
- Never rename a past role. If your real title differed but the work matched, say so in its first bullet.
- Put each role's title on its own line, before the employer and the dates.
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Pass
Your CV uses the advert's title, "Warehouse Operative". We could not map this title to a role in our catalogue. Your CV earns the 15 title points in the match rate because the first line of your CV after your name and contact details names the same role as the advert's title.
Education match
What we check and why
We compare the level the advert asks for with the highest level your CV names, in RQF levels (SCQF in Scotland). "Or equivalent experience" in the advert means a miss is not a fix.
When an advert names a qualification, a recruiter looks for it on your CV.
Tips
- Name each qualification in full, with the year: "BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Engineering, 2019".
- Add the level where the name does not show it, such as "HNC (Level 4)".
- Use the advert's name for a qualification when yours is the same one.
- List only what you hold. If you are still studying, say so, with the expected date.
- Where the advert says "or equivalent experience", make that experience easy to see in your roles.
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Your choice, not scored
The advert does not ask for a qualification, so there is nothing to match.
Dates
What we check and why
We check that the date ranges in your work history use one format (for example "Mar 2021 - Present" throughout), so a system reads each role's dates the same way.
Tips
- Choose one style and use it for every role, such as "Mar 2021 - Jun 2024".
- Give a month and a year for every start and end date.
- Write "Present" for the role you are in now.
- Keep the dates beside each role, not in a separate column or table.
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Pass
Your 4 date ranges use one format (like "03/2024").
Acronyms
What we check and why
We check that a term the advert uses in full or as a short form appears on your CV both ways at least once (for example "Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS)"), so a search for either finds you.
Tips
- Write the full term once with its short form in brackets: "Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)".
- After that, the short form on its own is fine.
- Follow the advert's own form of each term, for the skills you really have.
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Pass
None of the advert's skills on your CV has a common short form, so there is nothing to pair.
Text we could read
What we check and why
We check that we could read the text of your file. A scanned page or a picture of text can come back empty to an application system too.
Tips
- Save your CV from a word processor as a Word file or a PDF, never as a scan or a photo.
- Keep every word as real text: none inside images, logos or graphics.
- Use one column and plain lines; tables, text boxes and sidebars can come out in the wrong order.
- Use a common font and plain round bullets; unusual symbols can turn into stray characters.
- Keep your name and contact details out of the page header and footer.
- If a PDF reads badly here, save it again from the original file.
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Pass
We read 358 words from your CV.
Hard skills
UP TO +9 POINTSThe skills this advert asks for, and how often your CV names them. They carry most of your match rate. Each gain is our scorer re-run on your CV with that one change. Skills are 70 of your match rate's 100 points.
Tip: Counterbalance truck moves your match rate most: +4 points if your CV shows it, only if you have it.
| Skill | This CV | The advert |
|---|---|---|
| Forklift (FLT) licence | Missing | 1 |
| +5 points if this CV shows it · only if you have it · counted under Credentials | ||
| Counterbalance truck | Missing | 1 |
| +4 points if this CV shows it · only if you have it | ||
| Warehouse operative work | 3 | 3 |
| Picking and packing | 2 | 1 |
| RF and handheld scanning | 3 | 1 |
| Goods in (receiving) | 3 | 1 |
| Put-away and replenishment | 3 | 2 |
| Despatch (goods out) | 3 | 1 |
| Loading and unloading | 1 | 1 |
| Pallet building and wrapping | 1 | 1 |
| Stock rotation (FIFO) | 2 | 1 |
Add a skill only if you really have it.
All of them together: 91% to 100%. Gains overlap: the skills share the 70 skill points, so they do not simply add up.
Forklift (FLT) licence, Counterbalance truck, Warehouse operative work, Picking and packing, RF and handheld scanning, Goods in (receiving), Put-away and replenishment, Despatch (goods out), Loading and unloading, Pallet building and wrapping, Stock rotation (FIFO). Add a skill to your CV only if you have it.
Credentials
IMPORTANTThe licences, cards, registrations and clearances the advert names or the role usually asks for, and whether your CV says them. Credentials the advert names count in your match rate.
Tip: Start with "Forklift (FLT) licence": +5 points if your CV shows it, only if you hold it.
Asked in the advert
What we check and why
These are named in the advert. The ones that are also among its skills count in your match rate.
A licence, card or registration the advert names is something a recruiter looks for by name.
Tips
- Write each one by its full name with its level, such as "CSCS Gold Card (Supervisory)".
- Give them a heading of their own near the top, such as "Tickets and cards" or "Registrations".
- Use each one's official name, as its issuer writes it.
- List only what you hold now. Add an expiry date where it has one, and say if a renewal is booked.
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Needs a fix
The advert asks for Forklift (FLT) licence; your CV does not say you hold it. If you hold it, put it near the top: 'Forklift licence (<counterbalance / reach / VNA / bendi>), <accrediting body>, valid to <month year>'. Only if you hold it. See it in the advert
+5 points if this CV shows it · only if you have it
Soft skills
NOT SCOREDThe soft skills this advert names, and whether your CV shows them. Does not change your match rate.
Teamwork
What we check and why
We look for the soft skills on a plain list we maintain, word by word, in the advert and your CV. A recruiter's search rarely uses these words; an interviewer asks for examples. They do not change your match rate.
Tips
- Show the skill through something you did: "Trained 6 new starters" says more than "good communicator".
- Where you have the skill, use the advert's word for it once, in a line that shows it.
- Keep a fuller example ready for the interview.
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Pass
The advert names teamwork once; your CV shows it once. View where
- Line 6Reliable warehouse operative (in the advert and this CV) with four years in busy distribution centres. I pick and pack (in the advert and this CV) to target, use RF scanners (in the advert and this CV) and work on goods in (in the advert and this CV), put-away (in the advert and this CV) and despatch (in the advert and this CV). I am careful with paperwork, I work well in a team (a soft skill the advert names) and I am happy to work early, late or weekend shifts. I hold a full UK driving licence (clearance or eligibility the advert names) and can get to sites across South Yorkshire.
Attention to detail
What we check and why
We look for the soft skills on a plain list we maintain, word by word, in the advert and your CV. A recruiter's search rarely uses these words; an interviewer asks for examples. They do not change your match rate.
Tips
- Show the skill through something you did: "Trained 6 new starters" says more than "good communicator".
- Where you have the skill, use the advert's word for it once, in a line that shows it.
- Keep a fuller example ready for the interview.
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Pass
The advert names attention to detail once; your CV shows it once. View where
- Line 18- Kept a 99.8% picking accuracy (a soft skill the advert names) score for the last 12 months.
Recruiter tips
IMPORTANTWhat a recruiter notices when they open your CV: results, length, wording and a few UK conventions. Does not change your match rate.
Tip: Start with "Line openers".
Measurable results
What we check and why
We count lines that show a result with a number, a percentage or a £ figure (dates, phone numbers and versions left out); 3 or more pass.
Numbers show what changed because of you, which a list of duties cannot.
Tips
- Aim for at least 3 lines with a number in them.
- Lead with the result, then how: "Cut invoice errors by 30% by rebuilding the checks".
- Use real figures you can back up; "about" or a range is fine when the exact number is not known.
- Round sensibly: £1.2m, not £1,198,374.
Examples, by kind of result
- Money: "Cut overtime costs by £18,000 in a year"
- People: "Supervised 14 care assistants across two shifts"
- Volume: "Processed around 400 invoices a week"
- Time: "Brought month-end close down from 8 days to 5"
- Quality: "Kept a 99% on-time delivery rate for 12 months"
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Pass
7 lines in your CV show a measurable result (a number, % or £ figure).
- Line 14- Picked and packed 180 orders a shift using an RF scanner (in the advert and this CV), above the 150 target.
- Line 17- Trained 5 new starters on the picking system and the site safety rules.
- Line 18- Kept a 99.8% picking accuracy (a soft skill the advert names) score for the last 12 months.
Show all 7 lines
- Line 22- Loaded and unloaded up to 12 vehicles a shift and wrapped pallets for despatch (in the advert and this CV).
- Line 24- Took part in weekly stock counts with the stock control team and found 40 mis-located pallets.
- Line 32- Sorted up to 1,500 parcels a shift by postcode for the morning delivery routes.
- Line 43Food hygiene level 2, 2022
Paragraph length
What we check and why
We look for blocks of text over 40 words in your work history that are not bullets. Bullets are the UK norm.
Tips
- Break any block of more than 40 words into bullets.
- Keep each bullet to one point, on one or two lines.
- Give recent roles more bullets than older ones.
- A short paragraph is fine for your profile; it is the work history that reads best as bullets.
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Pass
No paragraph in your work history runs past 40 words.
Tone
What we check and why
We look for blame and excuse phrases from a plain list we maintain, such as "unfortunately" or "was forced to", line by line.
Blame or excuses colour how a reader remembers you.
Tips
- Say what happened plainly: "Contract ended when the project closed."
- Leave out why an employer or a colleague was at fault.
- Turn a setback into what you did next.
- Cut words like "unfortunately" that add nothing.
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Pass
We found none of the phrases on our list of blame and excuse phrases, a plain list we maintain.
Overused words
What we check and why
We count phrases from our overused-phrase list, a plain list we maintain. 3 or more, at 0.5 or more per 100 words, need a fix.
Phrases that appear on CV after CV tell a reader nothing about you.
Tips
- Swap each one for a fact: instead of "results-driven", say which result, for whom.
- Let numbers and examples do the praising.
- Cut self-praise such as "passionate" or "exceptional" unless a fact sits beside it.
- Keep the advert's own words where they describe skills you really have.
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Pass
We found none of the phrases on our overused-phrase list, a plain list we maintain.
Repeated phrases
What we check and why
We look for four-word phrases used 3 times or more.
The same phrase again and again makes different roles read alike.
Tips
- Reword the repeats so each role reads as its own job.
- Vary the verbs: led, built, ran, fixed, trained.
- Keep a repeated term where it is the correct name for something.
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Pass
No four-word phrase appears three times or more in your CV.
Weak openers
What we check and why
We count lines that start with a phrase from our weak-opener list, a plain list we maintain, such as "responsible for"; 2 or more need a fix.
The first words of a line are the ones a reader skimming the page sees.
Tips
- Start each line with an action: managed, delivered, installed, reduced.
- Replace "Responsible for" with what you actually did.
- Follow the action with its result where you have one.
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Needs a fix
3 lines start with phrases from our weak-opener list, a plain list we maintain, such as "worked on", "took part in", "helped". Start each line with what you did, for example "Led", "Delivered", "Cut" or "Trained", then the result. View where
- Line 15- Worked on goods in (in the advert and this CV): checked deliveries against paperwork and put stock away.
- Line 24- Took part in weekly stock counts with the stock control team and found 40 mis-located pallets.
- Line 28- Helped customers and worked on the tills when the store was busy.
Word count
What we check and why
We check your CV runs to 350 to 1,300 words.
Too few words leave out your evidence; too many bury it.
Tips
- Aim for 350 to 1,300 words.
- If you are under, add results and the skills you used in each role.
- If you are over, trim older roles and repeated duties first.
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Pass
Your CV runs to 358 words, inside the 350 to 1,300 range we check for.
UK conventions
What we check and why
We look for details a UK CV does not need (date of birth, age, marital status, nationality, a National Insurance number, a photo) from a plain list we maintain, and for US and UK spelling mixed.
A UK CV leaves out personal details an employer should not use, and keeps to UK spelling.
Tips
- Leave out your date of birth, age, marital status, nationality and a photo.
- Never put your National Insurance number on a CV.
- If it is true, one line such as "Full right to work in the UK" can save a question.
- Use UK spelling throughout: organise, colour, programme.
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Pass
Your CV leaves out date of birth, age, marital status, nationality and a National Insurance number, as UK CVs do, and does not mix US and UK spelling (we look for 3 or more of each).
Web presence
What we check and why
We look for a LinkedIn profile, a portfolio or a personal website near the top. Whether a link is useful comes from the advert's discipline, from a plain list we maintain; a missing link is never a fix.
A link lets a recruiter see your work, or more about you, for themselves.
Tips
- Add your LinkedIn profile link under your contact details, in its short custom form.
- Where your field shows its work, link one portfolio or set of samples.
- Check every link works and shows only what you are happy to share.
- No link is fine where your field does not use them.
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Your choice, not scored
No LinkedIn link. Driving, warehouse and production roles are screened on licences, tickets and availability, so a LinkedIn profile is your choice. It is not scored.
Job level
What we check and why
We read the level words in the advert's title and in your CV's role titles (assistant, officer, senior, lead, head and so on) from a plain list we maintain. We never read age or years of service.
A recruiter compares the level of your recent roles with the level of the job.
Tips
- Show your level through scope: the team you led, the budget you held, what you signed off.
- Use your real job titles. If your duties were above your title, show them in the bullets.
- Going for a step up? Lead with the work you have already done at that level.
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Your choice, not scored
The role titles on your CV use no level words from our list, a plain list we maintain (such as junior, senior, lead or manager), so we did not compare levels. The advert states the shifts and hours as Monday to Friday, 6am - 2pm.
Chronology
What we check and why
We read the start and end of each dated role; at least 2 dated roles are needed. Years without months, or a work history with no dates at all, are worth a look. Short roles and overlaps are normal in contract and temp work, and we never look at gaps.
A recruiter reads your history as a timeline, so it should be easy to follow.
Tips
- List roles newest first, each with a start and end month.
- Short contracts or temp assignments can sit under one heading, each with its own dates.
- Give every role its real dates, even where roles overlap; never stretch dates to close a gap.
- A gap needs no excuse. A short line such as "Career break: caring" is enough if you want one.
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Pass
All 4 dated roles show months, not just years. Short roles and overlaps are normal in contract and temp work, and we never look at gaps.
References
What we check and why
References are optional on a UK CV; employers and agencies take them at offer. We look for referees' names with a phone number or email in the 6 lines after a References heading: those are other people's details.
Tips
- Leave referees' names and numbers off; give them when an offer is close.
- You do not need to write "References available on request".
- Ask your referees first, and tell them about the role.
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Your choice, not scored
Your CV mentions references. That is optional in the UK: employers and agencies take references at offer, so the line can go if you need the space.
- Line 45References
Tense in dated roles
What we check and why
We compare line-opening verbs from a plain list we maintain within dated work roles. Present or Current dates mean ongoing duties; completed achievements can still use the past tense. Undated roles and unrecognised verbs are not judged.
Mixed tenses blur what you do now and what you did before.
Tips
- Use the present tense for duties in the role you are in now: "manage", "lead".
- Use the past tense for past roles and finished achievements: "managed", "delivered".
- In a role you have left, keep every line in the past tense.
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Pass
No issue found by this check.
First-person line openings
What we check and why
We look for I, we, my, our and contractions at the start of a line, after any bullet, from a plain list we maintain. First person is a style choice; starting with the action can make a CV easier to scan.
Tips
- Start with the action: "Led a team of 5" rather than "I led a team of 5".
- In your profile, open with what you do: "Site manager running housing projects" rather than "I am a site manager".
- Where a result was shared, give your part: "Led the team of 4 that cut waiting times by a third".
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Pass
No issue found by this check.
Repeated words
What we check and why
We look for the same whole word twice in succession on one line, separated only by spaces. Punctuation breaks the pair. Remove accidental duplication and keep deliberate repetition.
A doubled word reads as a typing slip.
Tips
- Read each flagged line aloud to catch the slip.
- A word repeated across a line break is not flagged here, so read those joins too.
- Run your word processor's spelling and grammar check before you send.
-
Pass
No issue found by this check.
Spaces and punctuation
What we check and why
We look for two or more spaces inside a line and a space before punctuation. Indentation and blank lines are ignored; extraction from a file can introduce spacing too.
Stray spaces are small, but they make a CV look less cared for.
Tips
- Use one space between words and none before a full stop or comma.
- Use find and replace in your word processor to swap double spaces for single ones.
- Turning a PDF into text can add spaces; check the original before you change anything.
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Pass
No issue found by this check.
Skill names
What we check and why
The existing skill extractor groups known names for the same skill. We flag more than one written form for review, without changing the score. A full name and its abbreviation together can be useful.
Writing a skill one way makes it easier to find and easier to read.
Tips
- Choose one name for each skill and use it throughout.
- Use the advert's form of the name for the skills you have.
- Give a full name with its short form in brackets once, then keep to one of them.
-
Pass
No issue found by this check.
Formatting
How the file itself is laid out: columns, fonts, images and page setup. Does not change your match rate.
AI review
Your own reading adds an AI review.
The sample CV (Casey Sample, fictional)
, ShowHide
- Line 1Casey Sample
- Line 2Warehouse Operative (in the advert and the CV)
- Line 3casey.sample@example.com | 07700 900527 | Doncaster DN4
- Line 4
- Line 5Profile
- Line 6Reliable warehouse operative (in the advert and the CV) with four years in busy distribution centres. I pick and pack (in the advert and the CV) to target, use RF scanners (in the advert and the CV) and work on goods in (in the advert and the CV), put-away (in the advert and the CV) and despatch (in the advert and the CV). I am careful with paperwork, I work well in a team (a soft skill the advert names) and I am happy to work early, late or weekend shifts. I hold a full UK driving licence (clearance or eligibility the advert names) and can get to sites across South Yorkshire.
- Line 7
- Line 8Skills
- Line 9Picking and packing (in the advert and the CV), RF scanning (in the advert and the CV), goods in (in the advert and the CV), put-away (in the advert and the CV) and replenishment (in the advert and the CV), despatch (in the advert and the CV), loading and unloading (in the advert and the CV), stock rotation (in the advert and the CV), pallet wrapping (in the advert and the CV), manual handling, health and safety
- Line 10
- Line 11Experience
- Line 12
- Line 13Warehouse Operative (in the advert and the CV) (temp to perm), an online retailer's distribution centre, 03/2024 - 09/2026
- Line 14- Picked and packed 180 orders a shift using an RF scanner (in the advert and the CV), above the 150 target.
- Line 15- Worked on goods in (in the advert and the CV): checked deliveries against paperwork and put stock away.
- Line 16- Replenished pick faces from reserve stock during peak weeks.
- Line 17- Trained 5 new starters on the picking system and the site safety rules.
- Line 18- Kept a 99.8% picking accuracy (a soft skill the advert names) score for the last 12 months.
- Line 19
- Line 20Warehouse Picker (temp), a food wholesaler, 06/2022 - 02/2024
- Line 21- Picked chilled and ambient orders in a fast-paced warehouse.
- Line 22- Loaded and unloaded up to 12 vehicles a shift and wrapped pallets for despatch (in the advert and the CV).
- Line 23- Kept to stock rotation (in the advert and the CV) (FIFO) for chilled lines and recorded short-dated stock.
- Line 24- Took part in weekly stock counts with the stock control team and found 40 mis-located pallets.
- Line 25
- Line 26Retail Assistant (part time), a supermarket, 09/2021 - 05/2022
- Line 27- Filled shelves and rotated stock on the night shift.
- Line 28- Helped customers and worked on the tills when the store was busy.
- Line 29- Kept the chiller and freezer logs up to date for the duty manager.
- Line 30
- Line 31Warehouse Assistant (Christmas temp), a parcel carrier, 11/2020 - 01/2021
- Line 32- Sorted up to 1,500 parcels a shift by postcode for the morning delivery routes.
- Line 33- Unloaded trailers and cages safely using a pump truck.
- Line 34- Scanned damaged parcels and reported them to the shift supervisor.
- Line 35- Finished every shift of the peak season with no lost-time accidents.
- Line 36
- Line 37Education
- Line 38GCSEs in English and Maths, 2021
- Line 39
- Line 40Training
- Line 41Manual handling, 2024
- Line 42Fire marshal, 2023
- Line 43Food hygiene level 2, 2022
- Line 44
- Line 45References
- Line 46Available on request.
Fictional advert Fictional advert, made for this sample: there is nowhere to apply.
The advert, as we read it
Select a marked skill to see if this CV shows it.
Guide me
1 of 3
-
A fix
The advert asks for Forklift (FLT) licence
+5 points if this CV shows it · only if you have it -
A skill the advert asks for
Counterbalance truck
+4 points if this CV shows it · only if you have it -
A fix
3 lines start with a weak opener
Arrow keys step through the fixes; Esc closes.