How to write a job-winning resume as a professional driver
Professional drivers can fulfill many roles in our society, from taxi drivers to private chauffeurs. No matter what kind of driving career you wish to pursue, it is essential to have a resume that encapsulates your experience, skills, and good reputation.
In this guide, we will cover 5 key elements to writing a job-winning resume as a professional driver. Keep reading to learn all about:
- Which resume format is best for a professional driver
- Hw to write a resume summary as a professional driver
- What key skills a professional driver should include on a resume
- How to describe work experience on a resume as a driver
- Where to list education and certifications on a resume as a driver
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1. Which resume format is best for a professional driver
The first big decision to make when writing a resume as a professional driver is which format to use.
In general, drivers should use a resume format that focuses on their work experience, as employers will typically care the most about how much driving experience an applicant has.
The format that is best for this purpose is the reverse-chronological resume. This format focuses almost entirely on work experience, listing your most recent position first and working backward from there.
However, if you are new to the industry and lack an extensive work history, you may need to consider one of the following alternative formats:
- Functional Resumes: Functional resumes focus on education, skills, and unpaid experience rather than work experience. This format is well-suited for current students or recent graduates who have extensive academic experience but lack formal work experience.
- Hybrid Resumes: Hybrid resumes eliminate the emphasis on one section in particular, instead spreading the focus of the document out between all sections. This format works well for applicants changing career paths or returning from large gaps or breaks in their careers.
2. How to write a resume summary as a professional driver
A resume summary is a short, one-to-three sentence statement at the beginning of a resume.
In this summary, you should aim to grab the attention of employers with compelling details about your professional experience and accomplishments. For drivers, this may include awards, notable accomplishments, and high customer ratings.
To help demonstrate how to make your resume summary pop, below is a weak example of a resume summary, followed by a correction and explanation.
Incorrect professional driver resume summary example
Experienced Driver with several years of experience serving as a private chauffeur for celebrities. Excellent relationship-building skills, with a high customer rating. Winner of a major award sponsored by BMW.
Why is this Incorrect?
In this example, the applicant is on the right track with the information they have included but needs to provide more specificity and context. This summary could be improved by including the exact number of years of experience they have and the name of the award they won.
Corrected professional driver resume summary
Professional Private Driver with 7+ years of experience serving as a family chauffeur for A-list celebrities. Received a consistent 5-star rating from 60+ clients over a 5-year period. Winner of the 2021 Professional Driver of the Year Award, presented by the QSI Awards and BMW.
Why is this Correct?
In this corrected example, the applicant is incredibly specific with the details they include. They list the number of years of experience they have, as well as specifying that they served as a family chauffeur. Additionally, they include the name of the award they received and contextualize their customer rating with the number of clients they’ve had and the time period in which they have received those ratings.
3. What key skills a professional driver should include on a resume
Becoming a professional driver requires you to have both the technical ability to safely operate a vehicle as well as the interpersonal ability to build and maintain client relationships.
As such, it is crucial to include both hard and soft skills on a resume to show your full range of abilities.
Hard skills are your technical abilities gained through education and training, while soft skills are your interpersonal abilities that can be both inherent and learned. Both of these types of skills matter, as they govern how well you can both provide service to and communicate with your clients.
Keeping this in mind, let’s look at 10 examples of both hard and soft skills for professional drivers:
The best professional driver hard skills for your CV
- Knowledge of local areas (neighborhoods, restaurants, etc.)
- Navigational skills & tools
- Routine vehicle maintenance (cleanliness, oil changes, etc.)
- Vehicle safety standards
- Proper roadway etiquette
- Traffic safety laws
- Knowledge of car mechanics
- Hands-free devices (car gps systems, bluetooth calling, etc.)
- Defensive driving
- Creating liability contracts
Effective soft skills to put on your professional driver resume
- Friendly demeanor
- Timeliness & time management
- Verbal communication
- Empathy & patience
- Organization
- Attentive driving
- Reliability
- Leadership
- Punctuality
- Self-confidence
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4. How to describe work experience on a resume as a driver
Your work experience section is arguably one of the most important sections of your resume as a professional driver. In this section, you will describe your past work experience including key skills, responsibilities, and accomplishments.
When describing your work experience, make sure to keep your entries concise with one-to-two line bullet points. Generally, you should aim to keep each bullet point one sentence in length.
Here is an example of a work experience entry from a driver resume
Miller Driving Associates, Boston, MA
Private Driver
January 2017 to March 2021
- Provided exceptional punctuality to all clients, picking up and dropping off passengers in adherence to a strict schedule.
- Performed routine car maintenance including regular oil changes, wheel rotations, and tune-ups.
- Received a 5-star rating from more than 100 clients over the duration of this position.
5. Where to list education and certifications on a resume as a driver
To become a professional driver, the minimum credentials will vary from state to state but will generally include a license with a “For-Hire” endorsement. However, having some level of education, training, or certification is essential for making yourself a more competitive candidate.
As for where to list these credentials on a resume, you will generally want to create an “Education & Licensing” section on your resume. This section can also include any certifications you hold as well.
If you have many certifications, you may even want to split your licenses and certifications off into a separate section.
Here is an example of a well-crafted education section on a driver resume
Watauga County High School, Boone, NC
High School Diploma
Licenses & Certificaitons
- Class D License with F, State of Tennessee, Expires 10/10/24
- Professional Driver Education Program, American Rental Association
- NSC Defensive Driving Safety Certificate, National Safety Council