2025-11-12
What German logistics hiring managers scan first on a CV
When a recruiter for a Berlin distribution centre opens fifty applications before lunch, they rarely read every paragraph. They look for proof that you have worked with the same constraints they face: shift patterns, safety rules, seasonal peaks, and concrete systems.
Put licence and certification facts near the top if the posting asks for them. Forklift classes, ADR familiarity, or a named WMS matter more than soft adjectives. If you supervised a pick-pack team of twelve across two shifts, say that with numbers rather than calling yourself a natural leader.
Job titles travel poorly across borders. A 'coordinator' in one country may read as administrative in Germany when the work was dispatcher-level. Align the title line with the posting language, then keep the duty bullets honest about what you actually did.
Cover letters still help when they explain a gap, a relocation, or a move from retail operations into freight. Keep them short. One concrete example of handling a delayed inbound delivery often lands better than a page of enthusiasm.
Before you submit, print the posting and highlight every noun that names a tool, site type, or shift expectation. Your CV should echo those nouns where they are true for you. That echo is what gets a dossier into the interview pile.