How To Become A Floater: What It Is and Career Path

What is a floater and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Do you know anyone who possesses skills that are way different from others? This person may be good at singing, carpentry, plumbing, baking... Well, you get the drift. A jack of all trades will bloom wherever you put them. Did you know that in the world of work, there is a role that is similar to this? We call them floaters.

It might not seem enticing, but a floater is very much needed in the workplace. Often, they are employed in companies with various departments with tasks that cannot be left unmanned - even for a moment. That's when floaters come in and save the day! They fill in for anyone who will miss work. They can also fill in while the company is looking for a full-time replacement for someone who resigned. As such, it is important that floaters know how to do different tasks in the office!

So how can one become a good floater? Well, you should be multi-skilled and highly trainable. You should also have a thirst for knowledge and a passion for excellence!

ScoreFloaterUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $31,721

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.7

Growth rate 15%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.92%

Asian 6.04%

Black or African American 9.12%

Hispanic or Latino 17.35%

Unknown 4.62%

White 61.95%

Gender

female 58.90%

male 41.10%

Age - 39

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 - 39

Stress level

7.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.0

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a floater

Explore floater education requirements

Most common floater degrees

High School Diploma

37.9 %

Bachelor's

23.8 %

Associate

20.1 %

Start to develop specific floater skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	40.65%
CPR	6.66%
Safety Standards	6.64%
Quality Standards	5.11%
Child Care	4.41%

Complete relevant floater training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New floaters 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 floater based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real floater resumes.

Research floater duties and responsibilities

Manage and enter all admission records through the use of CareLogic EMR.
Train in HIPAA, OSHA, CPR, BSL, and EMR.
Work closely with USDA food regulate programs.
Push carts, stock shelves, pack groceries, maintenance.

Prepare your floater resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your floater 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 floater resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable floater resume templates

Build a professional floater 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 floater resume.