What does a Cargo and Freight Agent do?

Expedite and route movement of incoming and outgoing cargo and freight shipments in airline, train, and trucking terminals and shipping docks. Day to day that includes work like negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies and Determine method of shipment and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents.

What skills should a Cargo and Freight Agent put on a resume?

O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, and Negotiation among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Cargo and Freight Agent list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Brokerage software, Corel WordPerfect Office Suite, Database software, Email software, and Microsoft Excel. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Cargo and Freight Agent work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Air Export Specialist, Drop Shipment Clerk, Logistics Coordinator, and Logistics Service Representative. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Cargo and Freight Agent need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 31% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Cargo and Freight Agent role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Cargo and Freight Agent resume example

A resume for a Cargo and Freight Agent needs to show the work itself: expedite and route movement of incoming and outgoing cargo and freight shipments in airline, train, and trucking terminals and shipping docks. Day to day that means work like this: negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies; determine method of shipment and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Air Export Specialist
Drop Shipment Clerk
Logistics Coordinator
Logistics Service Representative
Freight Broker
Intermodal Dispatcher
International Coordinator
Load Planner
Ship Broker
Traffic and Documentation Clerk
Air Export Coordinator
Cargo Agent
Cargo Router
Container Coordinator
Export Coordinator
Export Specialist
Freight Agent
Freight Booker

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies.
Determine method of shipment and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents.
Track delivery progress of shipments.
Advise clients on transportation and payment methods.
Estimate freight or postal rates and record shipment costs and weights.
Keep records of all goods shipped, received, and stored.
Notify consignees, passengers, or customers of freight or baggage arrival and arrange for delivery.
Retrieve stored items and trace lost shipments as necessary.
Enter shipping information into a computer by hand or by a hand-held scanner that reads bar codes on goods.
Prepare manifests showing numbers of airplane passengers and baggage, mail, and freight weights, transmitting data to destinations.
Arrange insurance coverage for goods.
Install straps, braces, and padding to loads to prevent shifting or damage during shipment.

24 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Determine method of shipment and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Track delivery progress of shipments, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Advise clients on transportation and payment methods, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Brokerage software
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
Database software
Email software
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Word
Operating system software
Posting software
SAP software
Spreadsheet software

19 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Crow bars
Desktop computers
Electrical power unit
Forklifts
Hammers
Hand trucks
Laser facsimile machines
Laser printers
Mobile air-conditioning units
Radio frequency identification RFID scanners
Staple guns
Steel cutters

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Transportation management system TMS

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Speaking
02Active Listening
03Critical Thinking
04Reading Comprehension
05Negotiation
06Time Management
07Complex Problem Solving
08Coordination
09Monitoring
10Service Orientation

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Transportation
Geography
Public Safety and Security
English Language
Administration and Management
Education and Training
Law and Government
Telecommunications

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

31%Bachelor's Degree
19%Some College Courses
18%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Some Preparation Needed”. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Common questions

What does a Cargo and Freight Agent do?: Expedite and route movement of incoming and outgoing cargo and freight shipments in airline, train, and trucking terminals and shipping docks. Day to day that includes work like negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies and Determine method of shipment and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents.
What skills should a Cargo and Freight Agent put on a resume?: O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, and Negotiation among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Cargo and Freight Agent list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Brokerage software, Corel WordPerfect Office Suite, Database software, Email software, and Microsoft Excel. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Cargo and Freight Agent work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Air Export Specialist, Drop Shipment Clerk, Logistics Coordinator, and Logistics Service Representative. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Cargo and Freight Agent need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 31% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Cargo and Freight Agent role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.