Shunter CV: Example and Template
Here's how to document your licences, fitness for duty and shunting experience so that rail and cargo companies invite you straight to interview.
Currently 23 open Shunter positions in Switzerland, across 5 cantons, 5 of them from the last 7 days. Mandarin Oriental advertises the most.
CV example — two-page template
This template is editable straight away — or upload your existing CV and it is carried into this layout automatically.
What training and licences should a shunter's CV show?
The key elements are the Locomotive Driver's Licence Category A40 or the passed operations examination under FDV A2020, together with valid fitness for duty under VTE.
The classic route is via the Federal Certificate of Proficiency (EFZ) as a Logistics Specialist, specialising in Transport; however, many shunters are career-changers from construction, trades or agriculture who have completed in-house training culminating in the operations examination. State both clearly: your basic training or previous occupation in the Education section, and the rail-specific qualification separately under Certificates. If you hold a Federal Professional Certificate such as Public Transport Specialist or Logistics Specialist, this should appear near the top.
Include the date for every safety-relevant licence: the category of your Locomotive Driver's Licence (A40 for shunting movements, B100 for train movements), the date of your last periodic examination, the expiry of your medical and psychological fitness for duty under VTE, and your annual dangerous goods instruction under RID/SDR Chapter 1.3. This lets staff planners see immediately whether you are ready for deployment without an additional module or whether refresher training is needed.
Add any secondary qualifications that save the company money: radio remote control, safety guard or safety officer on construction sites, forklift licence under EKAS Directive 6518, crane or reach stacker operation in combined transport, basic first aid and first aid certification. Anyone who has worked in hump yard operations, on sidings and at combined transport terminals should mention this explicitly - these three environments call for different routines.
How do I describe my shunting experience convincingly?
For each position, describe the facility, your function and your volumes in figures instead of simply listing tasks.
Add two lines of context under each position: the type of facility (shunting yard with hump, industrial siding, combined transport terminal), the shift model, team size and traffic volume. A sentence such as "8 classification track groups, around 900 wagons per day, round-the-clock operation, team of 9 people" says more about your level than three bullet points of general tasks.
Then quantify your results: shunting movements and brake tests per shift, trains prepared per night, number of dangerous goods wagons inspected, departure punctuality in percent, time saved in train formation in minutes, the reduction in reportable incidents, and damage costs saved in CHF. Safety figures carry more weight in this industry than revenue figures, because incidents trigger reports to the regulator and operational disruptions.
Make your level of seniority visible. The distinction between shunting worker, shunter, shunting leader and team leader is central to staff planning. State which movements you were permitted to direct independently, whether you signed off brake calculations, whether you instructed new employees, and how many you successfully guided through to their examination.
How long should the CV be, and does it need a photo?
Two pages are enough; a professional photo is still customary in Switzerland, but not mandatory.
Keep to two A4 pages with a profile, an at-a-glance block, three to four positions, licences, languages and education. Summarise older positions in a single line. A plain portrait photo in work clothes or a shirt is common practice at rail and cargo companies; however, you are not obliged to include one, and you will not be disadvantaged without a photo.
For shift work, practical details are worth their weight in gold: place of residence with a realistic commuting time to the facility, willingness to work nights, weekends and public holidays, on-call duty, a category B driving licence and your own vehicle for early shifts without public transport connections. Also mention your citizenship or your residence permit (C, B, cross-border commuter G), since safety-relevant functions often require a criminal record extract and a personal security clearance.
Tailor your profile to the job posting: for a chemical siding, put dangerous goods and tank wagons front and centre; for a combined transport terminal, highlight transhipment, crane operation and connecting trains; for a private railway, emphasise versatility including train preparation and customer contact. Only submit copies of your licences if requested, but list them in your CV with their validity date - this makes the situation immediately clear for staff planning.
Where Shunter are hired in Switzerland
How the 23 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Genf | 4 |
| Zürich | 4 |
| Luzern | 1 |
| Zug | 1 |
| Bern | 1 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 21 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| English | 16 (13) |
| French | 12 (11) |
| German | 10 (10) |
| Italian | 2 (1) |
Who hires Shunter in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| Mandarin Oriental | 3 |
| Hospitaliti | 3 |
| Baur au Lac | 2 |
| The Living Circle | 2 |
| MGallery Hotel Collection | 1 |
| Four Seasons | 1 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 19 |
| Temporär | 4 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Marco Brunner
Shunter / Shunting Leader, Logistics Specialist EFZ specialising in Transport, Locomotive Driver's Licence Cat. A40
Shunter with 11 years of experience in the round-the-clock operation of shunting yards and combined transport terminals in north-western Switzerland. I lead shunting movements as Shunting Leader, carry out brake tests and brake calculations in accordance with FDV A2020, and am responsible for the train preparation of an average of 42 freight trains per shift. Over the past three years I have reduced the number of reportable shunting incidents in my team by 35 percent and mentored 12 new employees through to their operations examination.
What sets me apart
Shunting Leader with radio remote control: I direct shunting movements both as ground-based Shunting Leader and independently using radio remote control of the shunting locomotive (Licence Cat. A40) - this allows deliveries to sidings to be carried out with two people instead of three.
Brake calculations without queries: I am fully confident with brake weight, brake type R/G, minimum brake ratio and gradient tables; my brake sheets have passed 6 internal audits without any findings.
Dangerous goods experience under RID/SDR: Inspection of tank wagons, placarding, shunting prohibition notices and mixed-loading restrictions: in Muttenz I handled around 1'900 dangerous goods wagons per year without a single rejection by the loading facility.
Bilingual deployment: Operational radio communication and handovers in German and French (B2) - deployable at shunting facilities along the language border and for handovers to French partner railways.
Key achievements
Shunting incidents reduced by 35 percent. With a 15-minute safety briefing before every night shift and a checklist for hump yard operations, reportable incidents in the team fell from 17 to 11 per year; damage costs to wagons dropped by around CHF 140'000.
Train formation 8 minutes faster. A new track occupancy sequence for the evening peak reduced train formation time per departure from 46 to 38 minutes - departure punctuality rose from 88 to 96 percent across 42 trains per shift.
12 employees guided through to the operations examination. As practical trainer I supervised 12 career-changers over 6 months each; 11 passed the operations examination under FDV A2020 on their first attempt.
Experience
Shunting Leader / Team Leader Shunting Operations — Rheinport Cargo AG, Muttenz, since 03/2020
Shunting yard with hump, 8 classification track groups, round-the-clock operation, around 900 wagons per day; team of 9 people working shifts.
- Directed an average of 55 shunting movements per shift including brake tests; 96 percent departure punctuality across 42 trains
- Reduced reportable shunting incidents from 17 to 11 per year (-35 percent), cutting damage costs by CHF 140'000
- Handled around 1'900 RID dangerous goods wagons per year without rejection; passed 4 unannounced BAV-relevant inspections without any deficiencies
- Instructed 12 new employees over 6 months each, with 11 passing the operations examination on their first attempt
Shunter / Train Preparation Officer — Terminal Mittelland AG, Härkingen, 08/2016 - 02/2020
Combined transport with 3 gantry cranes, deliveries to 14 sidings, night trains to Basel and Chiasso.
- Technical wagon inspection and train preparation of around 6'800 wagons per year to UIC specifications, error rate below 0.4 percent
- Brake calculation and brake sheets for 18 departures per night; reduced brake test time from 22 to 15 minutes
- Took over shunting movements using radio remote control, freeing up 1.5 staff positions per shift for transhipment
- Introduced digital wagon damage reporting: reduced processing time per damage case from 3 days to 8 hours
Shunting Worker — Nordwest Cargo Services AG, Pratteln, 08/2013 - 07/2016
Operation of industrial sidings for 11 customers from the chemical and building materials sectors, two-shift operation.
- Around 120 wagon deliveries and collections per week, 30 percent of which were tank wagons carrying dangerous goods
- Hand brake, wheelset and load-securing inspections on over 5'000 wagons without any complaints from the customer
- Passed the operations examination under FDV A2020 after 6 months, subsequently deployed as point of contact for the operations manager for 3 sidings
Education
Federal Professional Certificate, Public Transport Specialist — Bildungszentrum öV Mittelland, Olten · 2019
Federal Certificate of Proficiency (EFZ), Logistics Specialist, specialising in Transport (Rail) — Berufsfachschule Verkehr Nordwest, Basel · 2013
Further training, In-house Practical Trainer (SVEB module) — Kurszentrum Aare, Aarau · 2021
Locomotive Driver's Licence Category A40 (shunting movements), registered with the Federal Office of Transport (BAV) · Operations examination under FDV A2020, function Shunting Leader, last re-examination 2024 · Dangerous goods training RID/SDR Chapter 1.3, updated annually · Medical and psychological fitness for duty under VTE, valid until 03/2027 · Forklift licence under EKAS Directive 6518 (Cat. R1/R4)
Common questions
- What language should I write my CV in as a Shunter?
- 48% of adverts are in German, 48% in French. In this occupation two versions earn their keep.
- Where in Switzerland are Shunter most in demand?
- Spread out, Geneva first at 17%, then Zurich and Lucerne. Across a language border, apply with the matching version.
- What language level do Shunter adverts ask for?
- English in 76% of adverts that state a requirement, 81% of them at professional level. "Good knowledge" will not do — give A2 to C2.
- Are Shunter roles offered full or part time?
- 100% full time, only 0% part time. If you need part time, say so early rather than leaving it open.
- Who hires Shunter in Switzerland?
- Currently Mandarin Oriental, Hospitaliti, Baur au Lac, among others. Their adverts are the best word list for your own CV.