What does a Freight Forwarder do?

Research rates, routings, or modes of transport for shipment of products. Day to day that includes work like negotiate shipping rates with freight carriers and Arrange for special transport of sensitive cargoes, such as livestock, food, or medical supplies.

What skills should a Freight Forwarder put on a resume?

O*NET rates Coordination, Reading Comprehension, Monitoring, Active Listening, and Critical Thinking 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 Freight Forwarder list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes AESDirect, Arcline ArcFreight, CargoWise ediEnterprise, CEDAS Gateway, and Email software. 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 Freight Forwarder work?

O*NET records 31 titles for this occupation, including Air Export Agent, Air Export Coordinator, GSA Coordinator, and Export Coordinator. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Freight Forwarder need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 44% 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 Freight Forwarder 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.

Freight Forwarder resume example

A resume for a Freight Forwarder needs to show the work itself: research rates, routings, or modes of transport for shipment of products. Day to day that means work like this: negotiate shipping rates with freight carriers; arrange for special transport of sensitive cargoes, such as livestock, food, or medical supplies. 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 Agent
Air Export Coordinator
GSA Coordinator
Export Coordinator
Import Agent
Ocean Export Specialist
Relocation Coordinator
Route Specialist
Transportation Tech
Air Cargo Agent
Air Export Clerk
Air Freight Forwarder
Cargo Agent
Domestic Freight Forwarder
Export Clerk
Export Freight Clerk
Export Freight Forwarder
Export Freight Manager

O*NET records 31 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 shipping rates with freight carriers.
Arrange for special transport of sensitive cargoes, such as livestock, food, or medical supplies.
Arrange for applicable duties, taxes, or paperwork for customs clearance.
Inform clients of factors such as shipping options, timelines, transfers, or regulations affecting shipments.
Prepare shipping documentation, such as bills of lading, packing lists, dock receipts, or certificates of origin.
Complete customs paperwork.
Prepare invoices or cost quotations for freight transportation.
Select shipment routes, based on nature of goods shipped, transit times, or security needs.
Calculate weight, volume, or cost of goods to be moved.
Arrange delivery or storage of goods at destinations.
Arrange for transport, using a variety of modes, such as rail, short sea shipping, air, or roadways, to minimize carbon emissions or other environmental impacts.
Determine efficient and cost-effective methods of moving goods from one location to another.

31 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 shipping rates with freight carriers, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Arrange for special transport of sensitive cargoes, such as livestock, food, or medical supplies, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Arrange for applicable duties, taxes, or paperwork for customs clearance, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Inform clients of factors such as shipping options, timelines, transfers, or regulations affecting shipments, 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.

AESDirect
Arcline ArcFreight
CargoWise ediEnterprise
CEDAS Gateway
Email software
IES Ecellerate
Kewill Global Trade and Logistics
Manufacturing resource planning MRP software
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Word
Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne

25 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.

Desktop computers
Laptop computers
Laser facsimile machines
Multi-line telephone systems
Personal computers

What this job rates as most important

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

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

Knowledge areas

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

Transportation
Administrative
Customer and Personal Service
Administration and Management
English Language
Computers and Electronics
Public Safety and Security
Geography

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.

44%Bachelor's Degree
25%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
16%Associate's Degree

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 Freight Forwarder do?: Research rates, routings, or modes of transport for shipment of products. Day to day that includes work like negotiate shipping rates with freight carriers and Arrange for special transport of sensitive cargoes, such as livestock, food, or medical supplies.
What skills should a Freight Forwarder put on a resume?: O*NET rates Coordination, Reading Comprehension, Monitoring, Active Listening, and Critical Thinking 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 Freight Forwarder list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes AESDirect, Arcline ArcFreight, CargoWise ediEnterprise, CEDAS Gateway, and Email software. 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 Freight Forwarder work?: O*NET records 31 titles for this occupation, including Air Export Agent, Air Export Coordinator, GSA Coordinator, and Export Coordinator. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Freight Forwarder need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 44% 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 Freight Forwarder 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.