How to hire a cutter

How to hire a cutter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step cutter hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a cutter job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new cutter
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

Post a cutter job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the cutter you need to hire. Certain cutter roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a cutter to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a cutter that fits the bill.

   This list presents cutter salaries for various positions.

   Type of Cutter	Description	Hourly rate
   Cutter		$11-17
   Meat Cutter	Meat cutters are responsible for cutting meat into small and convenient portions meant for retail. Most of the time, they must prepare the meat products by labeling them according to their weight, kind, and price... Show more	$11-19

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Basic Math
   • Quality Standards
   • Math
   • Safety Procedures
   • Safety Rules
   • Assembly Line
   • Pallet Jack
   • CNC
   • Customer Specifications
   • Tape Measure
   • USDA
   • Torches
   • Mathematics
   • PPE

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Cut glass for rv windows, run the oven, inspect the glass.
   • Work in debone and the saw line
   • Be good at math with and without calculator ...
   • Design patterns for cushions, couches and chairs.
   • Perform math converting metric to inches and converting fractions to decimals.
   • Position workpieces and clamp together and assemble in jigs and fixtures.

   More cutter duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your cutter job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A cutter salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a cutter in Texas may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level cutter usually earns less than a senior-level cutter. Additionally, a cutter with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average cutter salary

   $14.29hourly

   $29,727 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level cutter salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average cutter salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$36,655	$18
   2	Massachusetts	$36,335	$17
   3	Utah	$35,729	$17
   4	Mississippi	$33,537	$16
   5	California	$31,757	$15
   6	Georgia	$31,430	$15
   7	Illinois	$29,717	$14
   8	Ohio	$29,594	$14
   9	Iowa	$29,190	$14
   10	Virginia	$27,405	$13
   11	Florida	$27,168	$13
   12	Kansas	$27,140	$13
   13	South Carolina	$26,052	$13
   14	Arizona	$25,926	$12
   15	North Carolina	$25,817	$12
   16	Texas	$25,119	$12
   17	Alabama	$24,914	$12
   18	Colorado	$24,255	$12

   Average cutter salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Omaha Steaks	$34,488	$16.58
   2	Nosco	$34,003	$16.35
   3	The Timken Company	$33,370	$16.04
   4	US Foods	$33,058	$15.89	9
   5	Textron	$32,933	$15.83	5
   6	Brunswick	$32,913	$15.82
   7	Construction Forms Inc	$32,650	$15.70
   8	Lippert Components	$31,737	$15.26
   9	Deluxe Corporation	$31,547	$15.17
   10	Staples	$31,202	$15.00
   11	Rite Aid	$30,891	$14.85
   12	Sanderson Farms	$30,620	$14.72
   13	Carter Lumber	$30,164	$14.50
   14	Lactalis	$30,068	$14.46	2
   15	Parker Hannifin	$29,577	$14.22	2
   16	Hubbell	$29,298	$14.09
   17	Diamonds International	$29,131	$14.01
   18	QPS	$29,060	$13.97
   19	McNeill and	$29,053	$13.97
   20	Dynamic Dies	$28,962	$13.92

4. Writing a cutter job description

   A good cutter job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a cutter job description:

   Cutter job description example

   • Experience preferred but will train
   • Good hand and eye coordination
   • Must be able to trace a pattern
   • Must be able to communicate well
   • Must be able to obtain correct poly to cut
   • Able to lift up to 50 lbs
   • Constant standing, frequent reaching, occasional bending and lifting.

   Safety

   All employees are expected to always act in a safe manner and ensure that those

   around them do not put themselves or others at risk. Safety is everyone’s responsibility. At all times working safely is a condition of employment.

   Physical Demands

   The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

   While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to: sit and stand; occasional walking and frequent use of hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reaching with hands and arms; occasionally climb stairs, balance; stoop, or kneel. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus (correctable) and detect color differences. Hearing abilities include the ability to hear clearly while working in person or on the telephone (correctable).

   Work Environment

   Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

   Other Duties

   Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right cutter for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your cutter job on Zippia to find and recruit cutter candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting cutters requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new cutter

   Once you have selected a candidate for the cutter position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new cutter. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a cutter?