What does a general helper do?
General helpers are skilled workers who help other workers by performing tasks that need less skill, such as holding materials or tools and cleaning work areas and equipment. These helpers are required to provide general labor support to all departments while performing a variety of job assignments. They must ensure that everyone in an organization is following safety rules and inspect areas for safety hazards. General helpers must also perform constant quality checks on the organization's establishments using its quality guidelines and operating procedures.
General helper responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real general helper resumes:
- Operate grinders, saws, CNC machines, punch press, straighten metal parts, and package products for immediate shipment.
- Require bundling of steel tubing.
- Calculate requirements, using basic math.
- Assist with reading and mathematics lessons as a small group leader.
- Be sure to have proper PPE and equipment need in case of emergency.
- Used hand tools such as rakes, hedge and brush trimmers and brooms.
- Operate hydraulic jack lift or truck to move articles before or after bundling.
- Attend multiple safety training sessions, utilize PPE and maintain a safe work record.
- Dry walling, painter, measuring, cutting, demolishing, framing, tiling.
- Complete JSA before every work shift and evaluate the potential hazards of the work area.
- Trench placed shoring, and lower tools and materials to workers in excavations and vaults.
- Lift raw materials, finish products, and pack items, manually and using hoists.
- Maintain organization and cleanliness of facilities.
- Maintain cleanliness of the facility according to company procedures.
- Control demolition, removal of contaminate building materials, and post-remediation cleaning.
General helper skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of General Helpers are proficient in Tape Measure, Pallets, and Hand Tools. They’re also known for soft skills such as Color vision, Math skills, and Mechanical skills.
We break down the percentage of General Helpers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Tape Measure, 11%
Read and use a tape measure.
- Pallets, 8%
Store material, fix pallets of material if unsafe or stacked incorrectly, consolidate and down stack material.
- Hand Tools, 7%
Use of common hand tools may be required, such as hammers, hatchet, saws, screwdrivers etc.
- Machine Operators, 6%
Helped machine operators in the production of corrugated fiberboard.
- Math, 5%
Calculated requirements, using basic math.
- Data Entry, 5%
Transferred to Dress for Success, 08-25-14, sorting clothing, data entry, and filing.
Most general helpers use their skills in "tape measure," "pallets," and "hand tools" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential general helper responsibilities here:
Color vision. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a general helper to have is color vision. Their role and responsibilities require that "construction laborers and helpers may need to be able to distinguish colors to do their job." General helpers often use color vision in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "worked closely with manufacturing supervision to assure that problems are identified and addressed during the production process of baked goods. "
Math skills. Many general helper duties rely on math skills. "construction laborers and some helpers need to perform basic math calculations while measuring on jobsites or assisting a surveying crew.," so a general helper will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways general helper responsibilities rely on math skills: "provided constant physical support for superiors cleaned aftermath of various manual labor jobs"
Mechanical skills. This is an important skill for general helpers to perform their duties. For an example of how general helper responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "construction laborers are frequently required to operate and maintain equipment, such as jackhammers." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a general helper: "worked in maintenance shop as general helper changing oil, greasing machines, and performing minor mechanical repairs. ".
Physical stamina. A big part of what general helpers do relies on "physical stamina." You can see how essential it is to general helper responsibilities because "construction laborers and helpers must have the endurance to perform strenuous tasks throughout the day." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical general helper tasks: "used teamwork and stamina while working towards the commons goal of making quality products for a large scale corporate. "
Physical strength. Another crucial skill for a general helper to carry out their responsibilities is "physical strength." A big part of what general helpers relies on this skill, since "construction laborers and helpers must often lift heavy materials or equipment." How this skill relates to general helper duties can be seen in an example from a general helper resume snippet: "performed tasks involving physical labor at government construction site. "
The three companies that hire the most general helpers are:
- Sheridan50 general helpers jobs
- Albuquerque Academy36 general helpers jobs
- International Paper29 general helpers jobs
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Compare different general helpers
General helper vs. Drop crew labour
Construction apprentices are individuals who are trained by experienced professionals for entry-level tasks involving the trade of construction work on the job. Their complimentary training experience helps them to become skilled in a specific trade by combining hands-on work and classroom learning, as they apply the lessons learned through working. Since apprenticeship is considered full-time employment with an average length of 3-4 years, these individuals are being paid just like other employees and may soon have a permanent job.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a general helper are more likely to require skills like "pallets," "hand tools," "machine operators," and "math." On the other hand, a job as a drop crew labour requires skills like "asphalt," "safety glasses," "traffic control," and "construction equipment." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Drop crew labours earn the highest salaries when working in the construction industry, with an average yearly salary of $34,574. On the other hand, general helpers are paid more in the media industry with an average salary of $39,286.drop crew labours tend to reach similar levels of education than general helpers. In fact, drop crew labours are 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.General helper vs. Construction apprentice
Construction Specialists are administrative employees who manage documentary requirements in a construction site. They provide administrative support to the site by taking care of supplies, managing employees, and coordinating with project managers. They also provide technical support by preparing the needed documents and ensuring that all forms that they need to submit related to construction are accomplished. Construction Specialists may be assigned to handle the site's budget, review purchase requisitions, and oversee the progress. They may also be assigned to handle employee concerns and other challenges that may arise in construction activities.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, general helper responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "pallets," "machine operators," "math," and "data entry." Meanwhile, a construction apprentice has duties that require skills in areas such as "demolition," "ladders," "plumbing," and "scaffolding." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Construction apprentices tend to reach similar levels of education than general helpers. In fact, they're 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.General helper vs. Construction specialist
A construction assistant performs various clerical and operational support tasks to assist construction managers and maintain smooth workflow operations. Their responsibilities usually include monitoring budgets and costs, handling calls and correspondence, purchasing construction materials according to project requirements, liaising with suppliers and construction contractors, and participating in managing the schedules and activities of the workers. A construction assistant may also perform inspections to identify problem areas and ensure that all procedures adhere to the safety codes and standards.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from general helper resumes include skills like "tape measure," "pallets," "machine operators," and "math," whereas a construction specialist is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "construction management," "project management," and "oversight. "
When it comes to education, construction specialists tend to earn similar degree levels compared to general helpers. In fact, they're 3.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.General helper vs. Construction assistant
Types of general helper
Updated January 8, 2025
