Factory Worker CV Examples & UK Templates

Britain has a long and honourable history of manufacturing, with new evidence suggesting the country was industrialised over a century earlier than first thought. While the sector has seen a decline in recent years, there are still plenty of opportunities for the right candidates. 

If you’re looking to break into the manufacturing industry—or further your career within it—you’ve come to the right place. The first step in this process is winning over the discerning hiring manager. You can do that with a well-written and tailored factory worker CV. 

Yes, this short and sweet document has the power to, quite literally, open doors. In this guide, we will be taking a look at how you can perfect your CV, attract the attention of the hiring manager, and land that all-important interview for your next manufacturing role.

CV guide for a factory worker CV

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This CV guide and corresponding factory worker CV example will cover: 

• How to write a factory worker CV
• Choosing the right CV format for a factory worker
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Adding your factory worker experience
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right CV design/layout
• What the factory worker market looks like, and what salary you can expect

How to write a factory worker CV

Before you can get started writing your factory worker CV, you need to know what to include in it. Don’t simply wing it. There are some important elements that you need, as follows:

• The CV header
• The CV summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The CV skills section
• The education section

Including the above elements—in that specific order—is the standard that hiring managers expect. While you may also be submitting an application, it’s important to fill out these details. Later in this guide, we will be looking into how you can write each of these core sections. 

Before we get to that, let’s talk more generally about how you can write your factory worker CV. If it’s been some time since you last completed one of these documents, you need to make sure that you get the basics down. Here are some of the approaches to keep in mind: 

• Tailor your CV to the company. Unfortunately, using a one-size-fits-all approach simply will not cut it. When the hiring manager looks at your factory worker CV, they will spot that a mile off. Instead, you need to tailor your document to the company at hand. To do this, research the manufacturing business and align your CV accordingly.
• Lead with your unique selling proposition. As we have mentioned, the competition for factory workers is tough—especially with a decline in vacancies. For that reason, it has never been more important to set yourself apart from the crowd. You can do this by focusing on your unique selling proposition, i.e. the thing that makes you different. Think about what skills or experiences you have that others may lack.
• Include the right keywords. Many recruiters and businesses now use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). The software filters incoming CVs by how well they match the criteria of the role. The words you use in your factory worker CV could make or break your chances of success. Go back to the original job advert and look for any keywords that the hiring manager uses. You should include these in the body of your document.

Choosing the right CV format for a factory worker

Now that you have an idea of how to write your factory worker CV, let’s talk about the formatting. The main goal here is to ensure that the hiring manager can quickly read your application.

As a general rule, we suggest using the reverse chronological approach. This is the standard structure that you will have learned to write at school. It starts with your most recent experience and accolades at the top of the page, and moves backwards in time as you go down. 

However, there are exceptions to this rule. If, for example, you are changing careers or new to manufacturing, you may want to use a simple skills-based CV instead. Sometimes called a functional format, this approach emphasises your competencies over your work experience. 

Make sure you keep your CV structure straightforward. Want us to do the heavy lifting for you? Use one of our tried and tested CV templates to get the job done.

Include your contact information

Before you can start writing the bulk of your factory worker CV, you need to include your contact details. This information sits neatly within your header. 

Much like a business card, this section of your CV covers your basic details. Here is what you need to include in this part of the document: 

• Full name & title. Kick things off by including your first name, surname, and the title of the job for which you’re applying—i.e. ‘Factory worker’.
• Professional email address. Include a simple email address that you intend to check on a regular basis.
• Phone number. Next, add in a phone number, such as your mobile number. Make sure that your answer phone message is clean and simple.
• Location. You don’t need to include your entire address here. You can just add your location. That means including your town or city and the county you live in. If you are willing to relocate for work, include that in this part of your CV.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth. Letting the hiring manager know how old you are could lead to age discrimination (even if it’s not a conscious decision!).
• Personal details. You don’t need to include your marital status, passport number, NI number, etc.

Make use of a summary

Ready to hook the hiring manager’s attention? Your CV summary can help you do just that. This 2-3 sentence paragraph explains what you bring to the table. Read our tips on writing yours: 

• Keep it short and snappy. The last thing that you want to do is waste words. Make sure you get straight to the point. If you end up writing too much, edit it back.
• Omit ‘I’ openers. Don’t start sentences with “I am,” “I have,” or “I did”. You can leave these words out entirely to save yourself some space in the summary.
• Use exciting language. Your top priority is hooking the hiring manager’s attention. You can do that by using enticing action verbs that give your summary some real movement.
• Quantify your achievements. If your unique selling point is an achievement, make sure you quantify it. Add some numbers into the mix to showcase your value. For example, rather than saying that you “boosted factory floor efficiency,” you should say that you “increased factor floor efficiency by 23%”. That holds more weight with the reader.
• Sell yourself! Now is not the time to be shy about your skills and experience. Shout about your biggest accomplishments and highlight your talents. Be confident here.

You can find adaptable factory worker CV examples summary below:

Outline your factory worker work experience

When you’ve mastered the art of summary writing, the next part of your CV that you need to tackle is your work experience section. This is where you detail the prior roles that you have had over the last 15 years and, specifically, the skills that you learned in each of them.

Start off by outlining the basics of the role: the company, its location, your position, and the dates you were employed. It doesn’t end there. Below that, you can add some bullet points that flesh out the role you played and the impact that it had on the business. 

Wherever possible, you need to quantify your points. This approach shows that you had a real impact on the company. Here’s an example of what not to write: 

• “Oversaw a team of workers”

While this shows that you have leadership experience, it doesn’t cover any of the details. Give the hiring manager more to go on by including the following information: 

• “Oversaw a team of 15 floor workers for two years”

Adding in these specific flourishes can make a major difference to the hiring manager and how they perceive your factory worker CV. Take a look at our employment history sample below:

How to write a factory worker CV with no experience

Are you new to the manufacturing sector? If you have no experience but still want to land the job, we’ve got you covered. Let’s take a look at how you can still create an engaging CV:

• Highlight your transferable skills. Regardless of your work history, chances are that you still have a broad selection of key skills. Make sure that you show these off. Think about how the talents you already have align with the demands of the job.
• Focus on similar roles. Have you held a similar role before now? You may have had either a voluntary or part-time position that crosses over into manufacturing. If that is the case, you should place the spotlight firmly on this experience on your CV.
• Show some enthusiasm. Why is it that you want to work in this factory? What do you know about the business? How does your long-term plan align with it?

Including the above elements gives you the best chance of success. Remember that everyone has to start somewhere—and you are no different!

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great factory worker

Your skills section showcases the talents that you have. Of course, it goes without saying that factory workers need a balanced selection of hard and soft skills. 

Hard skills are directly applicable to the role and are often technical. For example, they may include ‘operating machinery’ or ‘forklift driving’. Put simply, these are the competencies that mean you can fulfil the main duties of the role, and do so safely. 

But since you won’t be working in isolation, you also need soft skills. These are the characteristics that allow you to organise yourself and work well with others. They may include things like ‘excellent communication’ and ‘ interpersonal skills’. 

Tailor your CV to the job advert. Look at the skills that the hiring manager lists there, and make sure that you include the ones that you have in the skills section of your CV.  

If you’re looking for a senior position in a busy factory environment, you should also include leadership skills on your CV. These are the competencies that show how you can manage a team. You need to let the hiring manager know that you have what it takes to oversee things. 

Detail your education & relevant factory worker certifications

The education section of your factory worker CV is where you detail your certificates. While you don’t necessarily need a degree to gain a manufacturing role, you will need to have GCSEs (or an equivalent). Let’s take a look at some of the feats you should mention here: 

• GCSEs (or similar). First things first, you need to cover your high school education. If you went to college afterwards and completed a qualification, you should also list it here.
• Degrees. If you do have a degree, you should—of course—include it on your factory worker CV. However, know that this is not necessary for most factory worker roles.
• Occupational training. If you have been working in factories for a matter of years, you may have undertaken job-specific training. Include these certificates along with the dates that you completed them and the institute or training body.
• Health and safety training. Having workplace safety certificates is a huge benefit and essential in some environments. You may have completed the following courses:
  • NEBOSH General Certificate 
  • IOSH Working Safely Certificate
• Forklift training. Do you have an RTITB-recognised certificate of forklift training? If you have had training on this, you should include it as part of your education section.

If in doubt, you should check out the job description and see that you have the certificates required for the role. Take a quick look at our education section CV example below: 

Pick the right CV layout and design for a factory worker CV

When the hiring manager first looks at your CV, they will be judging the layout and design. You need to keep both of these things simple. There’s no room for flashy graphics or over-the-top colour schemes. Instead, you just want to make sure that the document is easy to read. 

Be sure to pick a plain font that is highly legible. That way, the hiring manager will be able to get the information that they need fast. You should also include a wealth of white space between your CV section. That makes it simple for the reader to take in and digest the information. 

The truth is that designing your own factory worker CV can be overwhelming. If you want some help along the way, use one of our CV templates. We have a selection of ready-to-go designs that will work for your upcoming application.  

Factory worker text-only CV example

Factory worker job market and outlook

Recent years have seen a decline in factory worker vacancies in the UK. However, there are still thousands of jobs in this market. If you are looking for steady work in these industries, now is the perfect time to spruce up your CV and land your next role. 

What type of salary you can expect as a factory worker

Let’s talk about how much money you can make. Factory workers can expect to get an average of £21,447 per year, with the average hourly rate being £11.43. 

However, factory workers' salaries tend to vary depending on the sector. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the annual salary brackets for factory workers in different fields:

• Production worker: £17,000 to £24,000
• Food factory worker: £14,000 to £27,000
• Meat process worker: £17,000 to £25,000
• Electricity generation worker: £19,000 to £35,000
• Electricity distribution worker: £21,000 to £35,000

Before you apply for a role, do your research. Look up the average salary for that specific factory worker vacancy and make sure that the numbers add up.

Key takeaways for building a factory worker CV

If you’re looking to supercharge your manufacturing career, you need to write a compelling  factory worker CV. Make sure you showcase your diverse range of talents, expertise, and any job-specific training that you have. Delivering this information in the most succinct and manageable way will give you the best chance of nailing this part of the application process. 

If you want to give yourself a competitive edge, use our CV builder now. We help you perfect every part of your application while creating a document that will turn the hiring manager’s head.