Warehouse cover letter for Norway: licences, shifts, four sentences

A warehouse cover letter in Norway — the *søknad* — should be short: which forklift classes you hold, which shifts you can work, what kind of warehouse you have worked in and when you can start. Many warehouse jobs in Norway go through staffing agencies (*bemanningsbyrå*), and there you usually register a CV and a profile with no letter at all. When you apply directly to a warehouse, four or five sentences are what actually get read.

How to set up the CV itself is in the warehouse CV guide.

Staffing agencies: your CV is the application

At the large agencies, signing up means filling in a profile and uploading a CV — that is the process Adecco and Manpower describe on their own pages. The CV and the form answers do the work. Spend your effort there:

put your forklift classes in the form, not only in the CV
tick every shift you can genuinely work
answer the phone when the agency calls — that call is often where the job is decided

If an agency ad does ask for a short message, use the example further down.

Forklift licence: be precise

To drive a forklift with a fixed operator position in Norway, you need safety training from a certified training provider, after which you receive a certificate of competence — usually called a *truckførerbevis* (Arbeidstilsynet, the Labour Inspection Authority). It is divided into classes, such as T4 for counterbalance trucks and T2 for reach trucks. Write the classes, not "forklift experience".

A licence from abroad cannot be used as-is. With qualifications from an EEA country or Switzerland, you must either notify Arbeidstilsynet of temporary work or apply for recognition before you drive. Qualifications from outside the EEA, Switzerland and the UK are not recognised, and a foreign certificate cannot be converted into a Norwegian one (Arbeidstilsynet, foreign certificates). In that case a Norwegian forklift course is the route.

The honest thing in your letter is to state your status: "Forklift licence from Lithuania, recognition application sent to Arbeidstilsynet" or "No Norwegian forklift licence yet; happy to take the course."

Shifts and pace

Warehouses plan in shifts. Say exactly what you can do: days, evenings, nights, weekends. If you have worked nights before, say so. If you have a picking rate you can explain and stand behind, it can go in — but only if it is true.

Constructed example

This example is invented. The name, numbers and details only show the shape — do not copy the content.

*Hello,*

*I am applying for the evening-shift warehouse operative position. I hold a Norwegian forklift licence for T1 and T4, and for two years I have done picking and goods receiving with a handheld scanner at a grocery distribution warehouse. I can work evenings and nights, and weekends every third week. I can start on two weeks' notice, and my former shift leader is happy to give a reference.*

*Kind regards,* *Andrii Kovalenko, 900 00 000*

Four sentences: licence classes, warehouse type, shifts, start date and reference. That is enough for the warehouse manager to slot you into the rota in their head. If the ad is in Norwegian, write the same in simple Norwegian.

With no warehouse experience

Build the letter on what transfers: physical work, turning up on time, accuracy. "I have not worked in a warehouse, but I have two years of delivery work and can take any shift. I am happy to take a forklift course." Never say you have driven forklifts if you have no certificate — it gets checked.

Common mistakes

"Forklift experience" with no classes. The manager needs the classes and whether the licence is Norwegian.
No shifts listed. Without availability you are hard to place.
A long letter to an agency. The agency reads your profile and CV. Fill in the form thoroughly instead.
Presenting a foreign licence as valid. Say what you hold and where recognition stands.
No reference. A former shift leader is often the one who gets called.

Frequently asked questions

Do staffing agencies want a cover letter? Usually not — you register a profile and CV. If an ad asks for a message, four sentences are enough.

Who pays for the forklift course? It varies. Some employers offer the course to new hires. Ask in the interview, and say in your letter that you are willing to take it.

Should the letter be in Norwegian? If the ad is in Norwegian, write simple Norwegian if you can. See how to write a søknad.

Next step

Write the short version and run a free CV check against the ad. Read the warehouse CV guide and warehouse interview questions too.