Inventory control associates are the behind-the-scenes workers who make up one of the largest driving forces behind the retail sales, import, and export sectors. Above all, inventory control associates are data trackers-with that data being physical inventory. Regardless of whether they're working in the backroom of a clothing store or the warehouse of a giant shipping facility, the primary duty of inventory associates is the same: to count and record inventory.
In the interest of helping their employer to reduce waste, cut down on unnecessary expenditures, and maintain a steady supply of goods, inventory associates must accurately count and record each item in the inventory. They typically work in either warehouses or stores and report to a higher-level staff member such as a warehouse lead or store manager. If they wish to move up the corporate ladder, inventory control associates can use their skills and experience to become inventory specialists or inventory managers.
According to data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks, which includes inventory associates, is $30,450.
Inventory Control Associate Overview
Inventory Control Associate Careers
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an inventory control associate. For example, did you know that they make an average of $29.26 an hour? That's $60,866 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 46,900 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does an Inventory Control Associate Do
There are certain skills that many inventory control associates have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, customer-service skills and detail oriented.
When it comes to the most important skills required to be an inventory control associate, we found that a lot of resumes listed 18.6% of inventory control associates included procedures, while 15.7% of resumes included customer service, and 10.7% of resumes included inventory control. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
When it comes to searching for a job, many search for a key term or phrase. Instead, it might be more helpful to search by industry, as you might be missing jobs that you never thought about in industries that you didn't even think offered positions related to the inventory control associate job title. But what industry to start with? Most inventory control associates actually find jobs in the retail and manufacturing industries.
How To Become an Inventory Control Associate
If you're interested in becoming an inventory control associate, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 31.5% of inventory control associates have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 5.6% of inventory control associates have master's degrees. Even though some inventory control associates have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become an inventory control associate. When we researched the most common majors for an inventory control associate, we found that they most commonly earn high school diploma degrees or bachelor's degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on inventory control associate resumes include associate degree degrees or master's degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become an inventory control associate. In fact, many inventory control associate jobs require experience in a role such as cashier. Meanwhile, many inventory control associates also have previous career experience in roles such as sales associate or customer service representative.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the right jobs to get there.
Inventory Control Associate Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of material handler you might progress to a role such as technician eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title operations manager.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Average Salary for an Inventory Control Associate
Best Paying Cities
Recently Added Salaries
Job TitleCompany  | Company | Start Date | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
Sun Basket Inc. Warehouse Inventory Control Associate Warehouse Inventory Control Associate | Sun Basket Inc. Sun Basket Inc. | 01/20/2021 01/20/2021 | $32,34901/20/2021 $32,349 |
Computershare Inc. Document Control Associate II Document Control Associate II | Computershare Inc. Computershare Inc. | 01/17/2021 01/17/2021 | $39,65301/17/2021 $39,653 |
Automation Personnel Services Inventory Control Associate Inventory Control Associate | Automation Personnel Services Automation Personnel Services | 12/10/2020 12/10/2020 | $27,13112/10/2020 $27,131 |
Value Added Distributors, LLC Vendor Managed Inventory Associate Vendor Managed Inventory Associate | Value Added Distributors, LLC Value Added Distributors, LLC | 12/10/2020 12/10/2020 | $27,13112/10/2020 $27,131 |
Caleres Cal2 Inventory Control Warehouse Associate-1St. Shift (Mon-Fri) Cal2 Inventory Control Warehouse Associate-1St. Shift (Mon-Fri) | Caleres Caleres | 12/04/2020 12/04/2020 | $34,12212/04/2020 $34,122 |
Calculate your salary
Use Zippia's Salary Calculator to see how your pay matches up.
Inventory Control Associate Resumes
Designing and figuring out what to include on your resume can be tough, not to mention time-consuming. That's why we put together a guide that is designed to help you craft the perfect resume for becoming an Inventory Control Associate. If you're needing extra inspiration, take a look through our selection of templates that are specific to your job.
Learn How To Write an Inventory Control Associate Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Inventory Control Associate resumes and compiled some information about how best to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Detailed InformationTop Skills For an Inventory Control Associate
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 18.6% of inventory control associates listed procedures on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and customer-service skills are important as well.
- Procedures, 18.6%
- Customer Service, 15.7%
- Inventory Control, 10.7%
- Sales Floor, 7.3%
- Cycle Counts, 6.8%
- Other Skills, 40.9% See All Inventory Control Associate Skills
Best States For an Inventory Control Associate
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an inventory control associate. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Nevada. Inventory control associates make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $71,688. Whereas in Washington and Oregon, they would average $70,489 and $68,137, respectively. While inventory control associates would only make an average of $67,651 in Nevada, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Nevada
$67,651
Avg. Salary
2. Arizona
$61,359
Avg. Salary
3. Tennessee
$60,642
Avg. Salary
How Do Inventory Control Associate Rate Their Jobs?
Top Inventory Control Associate Employers
Inventory Control Associate Videos
