How To Become An Inspector, Tester, Sorter: What It Is and Career Path

What is an inspector, tester, sorter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an inspector, tester, sorter. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.54 an hour? That's $40,639 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -3% and produce -17,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreInspector, Tester, SorterUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $40,639

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.83%

Asian 7.35%

Black or African American 14.35%

Hispanic or Latino 15.78%

Unknown 4.77%

White 56.92%

Gender

female 54.88%

male 45.12%

Age - 46

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 - 46

Stress level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

5.3

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.4

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an inspector, tester, sorter

Explore inspector, tester, sorter education requirements

Most common inspector, tester, sorter degrees

High School Diploma

41.7 %

Associate

30.6 %

Diploma

19.4 %

Start to develop specific inspector, tester, sorter skills

Skills	Percentages
Test Equipment	19.47%
Calipers	11.00%
Measure Materials	9.21%
Test Data	8.35%
Meeting Specifications	7.43%

Complete relevant inspector, tester, sorter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New inspectors, tester sorter 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 an inspector, tester, sorter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real inspector, tester, sorter resumes.

Research inspector, tester, sorter duties and responsibilities

Manage and maintain MRB process for all discrepant materials.
Execute daily operations of testing valves with the use of micrometers and calipers.
Measure dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as swab-brushes, calipers, gauges.
Monitor maintenance compliance requirements and interface with customer DCMA representatives and FAA to ensure good communication and productive relationships.

Prepare your inspector, tester, sorter resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable inspector, tester, sorter resume templates

Build a professional inspector, tester, sorter 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 inspector, tester, sorter resume.