Logistics and foreign trade CV example built on Incoterms and customs

Put the rule, the place and the edition in each trade line

An importer reading “handled export shipments” learns nothing. “Shipped 35 containers a month to Rotterdam, FOB Mersin (Incoterms 2020)” tells them the mode, the volume, who paid main carriage and where risk passed. ICC describes the rules as eleven three-letter trade terms that set out the tasks, costs and risks of delivering goods from seller to buyer, so the three letters carry a lot of meaning in a short line.

The US International Trade Administration splits the eleven rules by transport mode. Use the split to check that your line is consistent: an air shipment written as FOB contradicts it.

The same page notes what the rules leave out: they do not cover every condition of sale, when ownership passes, or the method and timing of payment. Keep letters of credit, payment terms and title on separate lines rather than folding them into an Incoterms claim.

What Incoterms 2020 changed, and why a reader notices

ICC says Incoterms 2020 entered into force on 1 January 2020. Four changes are visible on a CV:

• DAT (Delivered at Terminal) became DPU, Delivered at Place Unloaded. Under DAP the seller does not unload; under DPU it does. A CV that lists DAT describes work under the 2010 rules, so date it.
• CIP now requires cover in line with Institute Cargo Clauses (A), while CIF keeps clauses (C) as the default. If you arranged cargo insurance, say which.
• FCA lets the parties agree that the buyer instructs the carrier to issue an on-board bill of lading to the seller, a point that matters to sea exporters working with banks.
• Security-related duties are set out more clearly in articles A4 and A7 of each rule.

Customs work in Türkiye: trainee, assistant and broker

Customs Law 4458 sets three levels, and each allows different work. Assistants and brokers hold a permit issued by the customs administration, so write the level you actually hold and the year of the permit.

Trainee (stajyer)

Article 226 says trainees may not follow business at customs offices. A trainee’s CV lines should describe preparation and document work, for example “prepared 60 export declarations a month for the broker’s review”.

Assistant customs broker (gümrük müşavir yardımcısı)

Article 227 asks for a bachelor’s in law, economics, public finance, business, accounting, banking, public administration, political science or industrial engineering; or a master’s in one of those after another degree; or a two-year customs, foreign trade or EU programme. On top come one year of training with a customs broker and an exam on customs law and related economic, commercial and financial subjects. The permit is issued within 60 days of a complete application, and only then may the holder practise. Assistants work for a broker and may follow business at customs offices on that broker’s behalf.

Customs broker (gümrük müşaviri)

Article 228 adds two years as an assistant and a second exam. It leaves out the alternative education route of article 227(1)(f)(ii), so the master’s-after-another-degree and two-year routes do not lead on to the broker permit. Brokers may follow every kind of customs procedure through to completion, and article 226 makes them financially liable for what their assistants and trainees do.

What UK and US job profiles ask for

United Kingdom

The National Careers Service profile for import-export clerks lists tasks that make good CV lines: managing freight bookings, checking that shipment documents meet tax and customs rules, arranging deliveries between ports, airports and warehouses, preparing invoices and certificates of origin, and updating clients on delays. It names training through the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Export and International Trade, and an International Freight Forwarding Level 3 apprenticeship.

United States

BLS says logisticians typically need a bachelor’s degree and that certification is not required but shows competence. O*NET’s software list for logisticians names SAP, Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, Microsoft Dynamics, a warehouse management system (WMS) and RFID inventory software.

Worked example: an export operations specialist

Example only. Burcu Demirtaş is invented, and the company and numbers are illustrative. She runs exports for a textile manufacturer in Denizli and is applying to a freight forwarder’s sea export desk.

Header

• Burcu Demirtaş · Denizli · burcu.demirtas@example.com
• BA International Trade and Logistics, [University], 2021
• English C1; German B1

Experience

• Export Operations Specialist, [Textile manufacturer], Denizli · 2021 to present
• Organised about 420 export shipments a year to 18 countries: road to the EU on FCA Denizli, sea to the US on FOB Izmir (Incoterms 2020)
• Arranged cargo insurance on CIP shipments at Institute Cargo Clauses (A) cover, as Incoterms 2020 requires
• Prepared commercial invoices, packing lists and certificates of origin; sent declarations to the customs broker for filing
• Handled documents for 22 letters of credit a year with the bank’s trade finance team; no discrepancy charges in 2025
• Systems: SAP SD (deliveries, billing), Excel; carrier booking portals

Each trade line carries a rule, a named place and the edition. Payment work sits on its own line, because Incoterms do not cover payment. Burcu does not claim customs filing, which the broker does.

Sources, read 13 October 2026

• What Incoterms are and the 2020 changes (DPU, CIP cover, FCA bill of lading, security duties, entry into force): ICC, Incoterms 2020 page.
• The 11 rules by mode and what they do not cover: International Trade Administration, Know Your Incoterms.
• Trainees, assistants, brokers, education routes, training year, exams, 60-day permit and liability: Customs Law 4458, articles 226 to 228.
• UK tasks and qualifications: National Careers Service, import-export clerk.
• Education and certification: BLS logisticians, last modified 27 August 2026; software: O*NET 13-1081.00.

Customs law is amended from time to time; check the current text on mevzuat.gov.tr before relying on a condition.

Who should look elsewhere

• Truck drivers: the guide to driver CVs for Germany covers licences and driving records.
• Warehouse operatives, whose CVs turn on forklift certificates and picking rates.
• Purchasing and procurement roles, which read for supplier negotiation more than shipment execution.

Applying abroad and next steps

There is no logistics-specific country guide on this site yet. For layout and personal details, use the German, Dutch or UK CV format guides, and the guide to CVs for jobs abroad for the photo question by country.

CitedCV can turn your shipment records into English, Turkish or German CV lines from the facts you give it. It does not check Incoterms usage, so match each rule to the mode yourself.

1. List the rules you actually used, with the named place and edition.
2. Count shipments, countries, containers or declarations from your records.
3. Keep payment, insurance and customs work on separate lines.
4. Write any customs permit with its Turkish title and year.

Questions people ask

Sources

1. ICC, Incoterms 2020iccwbo.org/business-solutions/incoterms-rules/incoterms-2020/
2. International Trade Administration, Know Your Incotermswww.trade.gov/know-your-incoterms
3. Gümrük Kanunu (Law 4458)www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuatmetin/1.5.4458.pdf
4. National Careers Service, Import-export clerknationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/import-export-clerk
5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Logisticianswww.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/logisticians.htm
6. O*NET OnLine, 13-1081.00 Logisticianswww.onetonline.org/link/summary/13-1081.00