How to hire a journeyman meat cutter

How to hire a journeyman meat cutter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step journeyman meat cutter hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a journeyman meat cutter job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new journeyman meat cutter
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The journeyman meat cutter hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect journeyman meat cutter also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of journeyman meat cutters and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Journeyman Meat Cutter	Description	Hourly rate
   Journeyman Meat Cutter	Butchers cut, trim, and package meat for retail sale.	$10-19
   Butcher	A butcher is someone responsible for turning whole or large pieces of meat into ready-to-cook or retail-ready portions that can be purchased by customers or restaurants. Butchers know how to cut meat, poultry, and fish properly, so they deal mostly with sharp instruments like knives, grinders, and other cutting equipment... Show more	$12-19
   Meat Wrapper	Typically working at meat and butcher shops, a meat wrapper specializes in preparing, cutting, processing, and wrapping meats for selling. To carry out their duties, they must inspect the meat's quality, utilize saws and grinders, weigh and wrap portions, and display it on shelves while adhering to the health protocols and standards... Show more	$11-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Satisfaction
   • Product Knowledge
   • Gross Profit
   • Customer Relations
   • Cleanliness
   • Fresh Meat
   • Inventory Control
   • Safety Regulations
   • Sales Floor
   • Safety Standards
   • Wrapping Machines
   • Band Saws
   • Seafood Products
   • Merchandise Product

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Maintain cleanliness of the work environment and ensure that all safety policies are being follow.
   • Prepare and cut a variety of meats in accordance with USDA safety and health regulations.
   • Collaborate with management to help maintain inventory levels.
   • Collaborate with management to help maintain inventory levels.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your journeyman meat cutter job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A journeyman meat cutter salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, journeyman meat cutters' average salary in mississippi is 45% less than in new hampshire.
   • Seniority. Entry-level journeyman meat cutters earn 48% less than senior-level journeyman meat cutters.
   • Certifications. A journeyman meat cutter with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a journeyman meat cutter's salary.

   Average journeyman meat cutter salary

   $14.06hourly

   $29,235 yearly

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   Entry-level journeyman meat cutter salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

4. Writing a journeyman meat cutter job description

   A job description for a journeyman meat cutter role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a journeyman meat cutter job description:

   Journeyman meat cutter job description example

   This is a part time position. Primary responsibility is to Take Excellent Care Of Our Customers by satisfying each customer.s needs and exceeding their expectations. This requires a defined level of product knowledge, food preparation skills, sales ability, customer relations skills, and cooperation with fellow associates to create An Incredible Place To Work and Shop. Responsible for efficiently cutting and processing the complete variety of meat products to achieve maximum yield and gross profit according to Meat Standards, cleaning work areas, providing customer service unloading stock, and reloading salvage.
   
   To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with
   disabilities to perform the essential functions. Associates must be at least 18 years of age.
   
   PERSONAL SKILLS Exceptional interpersonal skills. Willingness to participate in and successfully complete required training and to work with the team to increase customer satisfaction and sales.
   
   LANGUAGE SKILLS. Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos [in English]. Ability to write simple correspondence [in English]. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, vendors, and other
   
   associates of the organization who only speak English.
   
   REASONING ABILITY Ability to apply commonsense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.
   
   CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS Complete Company.s training including but not limited to: new hire orientation, food sanitation, customer service network, safety, food safety, and product knowledge.
   
   PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential
   
   functions.
   
   While performing the duties of this job, the associate is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The associate is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, or crouch. The associate must regularly lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and reaches from 6-72 inches. The associate must frequently lift and/or move up to 100 pounds and reaches from 6-72 inches. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color, and depth perception.
   
   WORK ENVIRONMENT The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an associate encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the associate constantly works in a cool environment with an average temperature range of 34-36 degrees Fahrenheit and is frequently exposed to wet and/or humid conditions and moving mechanical parts. The associate is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, and is frequently exposed to extreme cold. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right journeyman meat cutter for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with journeyman meat cutters they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit journeyman meat cutters who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your journeyman meat cutter job on Zippia to find and recruit journeyman meat cutter candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit journeyman meat cutters, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new journeyman meat cutter

   Once you've selected the best journeyman meat cutter candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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