How to hire a material handler/warehouse associate

How to hire a material handler/warehouse associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step material handler/warehouse associate hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the material handler/warehouse associate you need to hire. Certain material handler/warehouse associate roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A material handler/warehouse associate's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, material handler/warehouse associates from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents material handler/warehouse associate salaries for various positions.

   Type of Material Handler/Warehouse Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Material Handler/Warehouse Associate	Hand laborers and material movers manually move freight, stock, or other materials. Others feed or remove material to and from machines, clean vehicles, pick up unwanted household goods, and pack materials for moving.	$12-18
   Can Handler	Can handlers or material handlers have various duties and responsibilities within an organization. These include maintaining production and product distribution, staging finished products, and delivering production supplies and materials... Show more	$12-19
   Package Handler	A package handler's primary duty is to place and load correct packages to delivery vehicles and review inventory upon shipments. Package handlers are responsible for analyzing product labels to make sure that the items are accurately processed... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Pallets
   • Pallet Jack
   • Warehouse Equipment
   • Safety Procedures
   • Delivery Truck
   • Load Trucks
   • Cherry Pickers
   • Shipping Receiving
   • RF Scanner
   • OSHA
   • Inventory Control
   • Warehouse Operations
   • Customer Orders
   • Hazardous Materials

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform analysis of logistics for equipment, personnel, and training on computer spreadsheets/databases, using specialize tracking software.
   • Job knowledge includes receiving, picking, packing, order processing and shipping of parcel, LTL & TL medical shipments.

   More material handler/warehouse associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your material handler/warehouse associate job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A material handler/warehouse associate salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, material handler/warehouse associates' average salary in new mexico is 34% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level material handler/warehouse associates earn 29% less than senior-level material handler/warehouse associates.
   • Certifications. A material handler/warehouse associate 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 material handler/warehouse associate's salary.

   Average material handler/warehouse associate salary

   $15.76hourly

   $32,772 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level material handler/warehouse associate salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated February 1, 2026

   Average material handler/warehouse associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Alaska	$39,538	$19
   2	Washington	$38,064	$18
   3	Oregon	$36,134	$17
   4	California	$36,099	$17
   5	Colorado	$35,641	$17
   6	Montana	$35,452	$17
   7	North Dakota	$34,775	$17
   8	Massachusetts	$34,026	$16
   9	Missouri	$33,779	$16
   10	Arizona	$33,726	$16
   11	Illinois	$33,343	$16
   12	Tennessee	$33,234	$16
   13	Indiana	$33,122	$16
   14	Michigan	$32,385	$16
   15	Florida	$31,531	$15
   16	Pennsylvania	$31,488	$15
   17	Ohio	$31,487	$15
   18	North Carolina	$29,629	$14
   19	Texas	$29,123	$14

   Average material handler/warehouse associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Nestlé	$40,584	$19.51	35
   2	BD	$39,988	$19.23	2
   3	Staples	$37,079	$17.83	35
   4	New York Air Brake	$36,953	$17.77	1
   5	Avantor	$36,656	$17.62	2
   6	TTI Maumee Equipment	$35,688	$17.16
   7	LSC Communications	$34,899	$16.78
   8	Nestlé Waters North America	$34,849	$16.75
   9	American Wire Tie	$34,216	$16.45	3
   10	Ryder System	$34,081	$16.39	458
   11	Zeeland Lumber & Supply	$34,035	$16.36
   12	Cintas	$33,998	$16.35	137
   13	Bertelsmann	$33,891	$16.29	9
   14	Engineered Products	$33,431	$16.07	1
   15	NGK Spark Plug MFG	$33,426	$16.07
   16	US LBM	$33,328	$16.02	36
   17	Blue Crew Holdings LLC	$33,328	$16.02
   18	Penn Veterinary Supply	$33,246	$15.98	3
   19	Select Express & Logistics	$32,894	$15.81
   20	Penguin Random House	$32,584	$15.67	2

4. Writing a material handler/warehouse associate job description

   A job description for a material handler/warehouse associate 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 material handler/warehouse associate job description:

   Material handler/warehouse associate job description example

   We’re hiring a Warehouse Associate / Material Handler for our Tampa, FL Branch M-F (First Shift)
   
   Omni Cable, LLC (OmniCable) is a premier redistributor of wire and cable, electrical products, and value-added services. OmniCable empowers our industry to be successful by providing an exceptional experience through operational excellence, accuracy and precision, and a partnership approach. With a multi-million dollar inventory and the acquisition of Houston Wire & Cable, we offer distributors products from the industry’s leading manufacturers. Since our founding in 1977, we only sell to distributors.
   
   Currently, we are seeking a dedicated Warehouse Associate to join our team. In this role, your primary responsibility will be operating production equipment, either a Rim Drive or a Respooler that assists in cutting wire to a predetermined length. Besides cutting wire, an associate could also be asked to perform other standard order fulfillment tasks.
   
   Warehouse Associate Job Responsibilities:
   

   • Material Handling Equipment (MHE): Operating a forklift/order picker for pulling and putting away stock, order processing, loading and unloading trailers.
   • Receiving: Inspect inbound stock for quality, count, and type. Ensure purchase order, packing slip and bill of lading for receipt accuracy; Process stock through computer entry while preparing inventory for put-away.
   • Shipping: Select shipping method based on best practices to meet company requirements and customer expectations; Prepare orders for both LTL and small parcel shipment; Verify shipments are packed properly and accurately to ensure customer satisfaction
   • Value-Add services: Operate different value adding wire machinery within the DC for order fulfillment. Typical equipment used includes stripe/dye machines, wire stripper, twister and lashing equipment.
   • General Housekeeping & Equipment Maintenance: Follow safety standards for the specific job including filling out required equipment checklists; Responsible for keeping Distribution Center clean and organized; Follow strict adherence to 5S Standards of the work area

   
   Warehouse Associate Job Requirements:

   • Authorization to work in the United States
   • Minimum of 18 years of age
   • HS Diploma or equivalent
   • Ability to pass a pre-employment drug screen and background check
   • Basic math skills
   • High energy, dependability, and teamwork skills

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right material handler/warehouse associate 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 material handler/warehouse associates they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit material handler/warehouse associates 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 material handler/warehouse associate job on Zippia to find and recruit material handler/warehouse associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with material handler/warehouse associate candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of 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 material handler/warehouse associate

   Once you've selected the best material handler/warehouse associate 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   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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