How To Become A Deli/Bakery Associate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a deli/bakery associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a deli/bakery associate. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.66 an hour? That's $30,498 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 2% and produce 17,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreDeli/Bakery AssociateUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,498

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.8

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.94%

Asian 6.42%

Black or African American 14.56%

Hispanic or Latino 13.75%

Unknown 4.82%

White 59.52%

Gender

female 79.57%

male 20.43%

Age - 34

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34

Stress level

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.2

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a deli/bakery associate

Explore deli/bakery associate education requirements

Most common deli/bakery associate degrees

High School Diploma

45.0 %

Associate

19.9 %

Bachelor's

17.5 %

Start to develop specific deli/bakery associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Food Handling	61.76%
Food Safety	20.18%
Quality Customer Service	13.76%
Customer Satisfaction	1.39%
Sanitation Procedures	0.92%

Complete relevant deli/bakery associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New deli/bakery associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a deli/bakery associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real deli/bakery associate resumes.

Research deli/bakery associate duties and responsibilities

Open and close deli; schedule work hour coverage; manage and monitor deli cleanliness code; customer service.
Skil in operation of kitchen equipment including slicers, rotisserie oven, mixers, grills, fryers, steamers and warmers.
Follow safety guideline for slicers.
Exemplify a model of excellent customer service in keeping with Publix's orientation towards ensuring customer satisfaction.

Prepare your deli/bakery associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your deli/bakery associate resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a deli/bakery associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable deli/bakery associate resume templates

Build a professional deli/bakery associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your deli/bakery associate resume.