Labourer CV Example

Format and length

One or two pages, reverse-chronological unless you have no paid labouring history (in which case use a skills-first layout). Contact details at the top, followed by a short personal statement, then a dedicated Tickets & Certifications section before your work history. For labourers, tickets do more work than a school-grades block, so put them where a site manager will see them first.

Personal statement

Two to three sentences covering the labouring sectors you can work (construction, warehouse, groundwork, demolition, landscaping), the key tickets you hold (CSCS card colour and type, FLT, IPAF), and your reliability (attendance record, willingness to do early starts and overtime, own transport). Lead with breadth if you have it, a labourer who reads as cross-sector signals immediate deployability.

Tickets & Certifications

A scannable bullet list separate from Education. Include CSCS card (colour, type, expiry), manual handling, forklift/FLT, IPAF/PASMA, first aid, asbestos awareness (UKATA), abrasive wheels, CPCS plant tickets. Many site managers scan for the CSCS card first, so list it at the top with the expiry date visible.

Experience

Most recent role first. For each position, include 3-4 achievement bullets that show impact, not just duties. Reframe at least one bullet per role around outcomes: kept a site running to schedule, maintained a clean accident-free area, unloaded X deliveries per shift, or trained new starters. Name the specific tools and machinery you used (telehandler, dumper, breaker, cement mixer, pallet truck, FLT) so a site manager can judge what you can be handed on day one.

If you have worked multiple agency placements, group them under one heading (e.g. "Warehouse & Construction Labourer, various sites via [Agency]") with the sites and tasks beneath. This frames a churny history as breadth of experience rather than instability.

Skills

A short list of hard skills: manual handling, specific plant and tools (telehandler, FLT, dumper, breaker, angle grinder), health and safety (RAMS, COSHH, PPE discipline), and any sector-specific skills (picking and packing, stock rotation, concrete finishing). Pull keywords straight from the job advert if applying through an agency portal, warehouse hirers screen on exact terms like "loading and unloading" and "goods-in" before a human reads it.

Education

Brief. GCSEs or equivalent, any construction or warehouse training. Labourers accumulate tickets rather than degrees, so keep this section short and let the certifications block do the heavy lifting.

Additional information

State your full UK driving licence and own transport (critical for getting to varied sites), availability for early starts and overtime, physical fitness in concrete terms ("fit and able to carry out heavy manual handling across a 10-hour shift"), and any relevant interests (gym, DIY, outdoor work). For labouring, "turns up every day, on time, ready to graft" is a genuine selling point hirers struggle to verify from a CV, so make reliability explicit.

Show impact, not just duties

Labourer CVs often list only tasks ("carried materials, cleared site, operated machinery") with no outcomes. Employers cannot tell a reliable grafter from a coaster when every CV says the same chores. Reframe at least one bullet per role around the result: kept a site running to schedule, maintained a clean accident-free area, unloaded X deliveries per shift, or trained new starters.

Action verbs for labourers

Operated, moved, cleared, loaded, unloaded, assisted, supported, maintained, completed, delivered, followed (RAMS/method statements), contributed to, ensured, trained.

Before and after examples

Before: Helped with groundwork and site clearance.

After: Supported 9 residential builds handling groundwork, material movement and site clearance while maintaining zero lost-time accidents.

Before: Used forklift to move stock in warehouse.

After: Operated reach and counterbalance forklifts safely across multiple warehouse sites with no incidents, moving average 45 pallets per 8-hour shift.

Before: Worked on demolition projects.

After: Worked on 5 demolition projects using breaker, angle grinder and hand tools to strip interiors and clear rubble to skips, meeting programme deadlines.

Tickets & Certifications (the section that matters most)

For labourers, tickets gate site access and prove capability. Create a dedicated Tickets & Certifications section separate from Education, and list it high on the CV (right after your personal statement or skills). Include:

• CSCS card (colour and type, e.g. "CSCS Green Labourer Card" or "CSCS Blue Skilled Worker Card") with expiry date. Many site managers scan for this first. "Available on request" is not enough for a credential that controls site access.
• Manual handling certificate (most agencies require it).
• Forklift/FLT licence (state counterbalance, reach, or both; include the awarding body like RTITB or ITSSAR).
• IPAF or PASMA (for working at height on mobile platforms or scaffolding).
• CPCS plant tickets (telehandler, dumper, roller, excavator, state Red Trained Operator or Blue Competent Operator).
• First aid (Emergency First Aid at Work or full 3-day First Aid at Work).
• Asbestos awareness (UKATA) (required for most refurbishment and demolition work).
• Abrasive wheels (for angle grinders and disc cutters).
• Banksman/slinger signaller (if you coordinate plant and lifting).

List the ticket name, the issuing body, and the expiry date if it has one. Keep it scannable, a site manager should be able to check your tickets in 10 seconds.

Education

Brief. GCSEs (mention Maths and English if you have them), any Level 1 or 2 Diplomas in Construction Skills, or NVQs. If you have no formal qualifications, that is not a blocker for labouring, it is a genuine no-degree entry route. Lead with your tickets and work history instead, and keep the Education section to one or two lines.