Paragraph by paragraph
Please consider me for the Shift Team Leader role at Royal Mail's distribution centre in Daventry. I have worked in warehouses since 2020, first for DHL Supply Chain and since April 2022 at Amazon in Coventry, where I pick, pack and dispatch orders and drive both counterbalance and reach trucks.
The site and the trucks he drives
He names the site, gives his two employers in order, and says which trucks he drives. A warehouse manager can tell from the first paragraph what work he can do on day one.
On a normal shift I handle more than 350 items, around 15% over our target, and my picking accuracy has stayed at 99.8% on a six month rolling average.
Volume and accuracy, together
Fast picking only helps if the orders are right, so he gives his accuracy alongside his speed. The rolling average shows the accuracy figure holds up over time.
I have trained more than 20 new starters on our procedures, safety rules and scanners. Quite a few of them speak Polish, like me, and it helps when someone can explain a safety rule in the language they think in.
Training people, with a real detail
Training 20 new starters is the best evidence he has for leading a shift. The detail about explaining safety rules in Polish is the kind of thing that happens in many warehouses, and it shows he thinks about how people actually learn.
At DHL I checked in more than 500 pallets a week from retail and grocery clients, and my cycle counts helped cut stock discrepancies by 12%. I had no accidents in two years there, and I want any shift I lead to have the same record.
Stock control and safety
Inbound work and cycle counts show he understands more than picking. The safety record is linked to the job he is applying for, so it reads as something he would bring to a team.
I hold forklift training certificates for counterbalance and reach trucks. I can work nights and weekends, and I have my own car for the drive to Daventry. I'm happy to come in for an interview or a practical assessment on the trucks.
His forklift certificates and his car
He calls his forklift training what it is, a certificate. Shifts and travel come last because large distribution centres are often out of town and run around the clock, so managers need to know you can get there for a 6am start.
Forklift training: a certificate, not a licence
Many job adverts and CVs mention a "forklift licence", but the Health and Safety Executive says there is no such thing. What you have is training to the standards in HSE's Approved Code of Practice for rider operated lift trucks, known as L117, usually with a certificate from a trainer accredited by one of the industry bodies such as RTITB, AITT, ITSSAR or NPORS.
In your letter, give the details an employer will want to check:
- The truck types, such as counterbalance, reach or very narrow aisle.
- When you trained, and when you last had refresher training or an assessment.
- Who accredited the training, if you know.
- How much you drive now, because recent experience matters as much as the certificate.
Employers still have to authorise you to drive on their own site, so expect a practical assessment even with a certificate.
If you are applying through an agency
Most warehouse agencies want your shifts, your trucks and your numbers before anything else, and this version puts those first.
Warehouse numbers worth including
| Number | How to write it |
|---|---|
| Pick or pack rate | Items or units per shift or hour, and how that compares with target. |
| Accuracy | Picking accuracy as a percentage, over a period such as six months. |
| Inbound volume | Pallets or deliveries checked in per week. |
| Stock control | Discrepancies reduced, cycle counts completed. |
| Safety | Accident free period, near misses reported, safety roles you hold. |
| Training | New starters you trained and what you trained them on. |
Use the measures your current site uses, and say what they are if another company might call them something different.
If you want a different warehouse job
Your first warehouse job
Show you are reliable, can do physical work and are happy with shifts. Any job where you were on your feet and on time counts.
I have worked early shifts at a bakery for two years without missing one, and I am happy to start on nights.
Forklift driver
Lead with your truck types, how recently you drove them and your safety record.
I have driven reach and counterbalance trucks every day for four years, most recently in a site of 200,000 square feet, without an accident.
Peak season or temporary
Give the dates you can work and your flexibility on hours, since peak hiring is about cover.
I am available from the start of November until mid January and can work any shift pattern, including weekends and overtime.
Stock control or inventory
Focus on accuracy, counts and the systems you use to record stock.
Most of my last two years has been spent on cycle counts and stock checks, and I helped bring our discrepancies down by 12%.
Warehouse supervisor or manager
Give the size of the team, the site’s numbers and one improvement you led.
I supervise a night shift of 35 in a grocery distribution centre, and this year we met our dispatch deadline on every night of the Christmas peak.
Shifts, travel and right to work
Warehouse managers plan around shifts and transport, and they have legal checks to do before you start. A line on each saves time.
- Shifts: days, nights, weekends, and whether you can do rotating patterns or overtime at peak.
- Travel: many distribution centres are outside towns with little public transport at shift change, so say if you drive or how you will get there.
- Right to work: every UK employer has to check it before you start. If you have status under a scheme such as the EU Settlement Scheme, you can prove it online and give the employer a share code. You don't need to explain your status in the letter unless the advert asks.
What to leave out of a warehouse letter
Saying "hardworking and reliable"
Every warehouse application says this, and a manager can’t check it from the words.
Give a pick rate, an accuracy figure or an attendance record instead.
Writing "forklift licence"
It’s a common phrase, but there is no such licence, and some managers notice.
Say you hold forklift training certificates and name the truck types.
Speed without accuracy or safety
A high pick rate alone can suggest you cut corners.
Give speed, accuracy and your safety record together.
No shifts or travel
Shift managers need your hours and how you will get to the site before anything else.
Add a line on shifts and transport.
Too long
Warehouse managers and agencies read a lot of applications quickly.
Aim for around 200 words in short paragraphs.
Plain language and phone calls
- Length: under a page. Tomasz fits everything into about 210 words.
- Who it goes to: the manager named in the advert, often the shift or operations manager. For agency roles, the recruiter.
- Language: plain and direct. If English is your second language, short, simple sentences are perfectly fine and easy to read.
- Phone: a number you answer, because warehouse and agency recruiters usually ring.
The main points from this page
- 1Give volume, accuracy and safety together.
- 2Write "forklift training certificate" with the truck types, never "licence".
- 3Show training of new starters if you want to lead.
- 4List your shifts and how you will get to the site.
- 5Keep it short and plain.
Frequently asked questions
What should a warehouse operative cover letter include?
The role and site, your warehouse experience, your pick rate and accuracy, your safety record, any equipment you are trained on, and the shifts you can work.
Is there a forklift licence in the UK?
No. The Health and Safety Executive says there is no such thing. Operators are trained to the standards in its L117 code of practice and usually hold a certificate from an accredited trainer.
How do I write a warehouse cover letter with no experience?
Show you are reliable and fit for physical work, using any job where you worked shifts or on your feet, and say which shifts you can do.
Should I mention my right to work?
Not in detail. Employers will check it before you start, and you can usually prove it online with a share code if you have status under a scheme like the EU Settlement Scheme.
How long should a warehouse cover letter be?
About 200 to 250 words. Agencies and online forms often want a few lines only.