Post job

What does a mover do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
What does a mover do

Movers help people take or move things from one place to another through their physical strength. They work manually to help customers in their businesses or homes. Among the elements, they do include the preparation, loading, and unloading of items. They are also notable as material movers and hand laborers. Some movers drive a moving truck. However, they should not be burdened with any issue with a high value like jewelry and cash.

On this page

Mover responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real mover resumes:

  • Hand hoisting furniture both up and down.
  • Assist families with helping to build their new homes through USDA funding.
  • Move pianos, gym equipment, bookcases, computer equipment, televisions, mirrors and glass pieces.
  • Work with USDA to develop policies and procedures to enhance the volume and quality of housing services.
  • Used a variety of items such as, a fork lift and dollies to move receptacles to and from appropriate locations.
  • Develop inventory management -learn how to pack/unpack furniture by utilizing hand-trucks and dollies for public/private housing moves
  • Fast pace working environment that require courteous and professional communication with clients, efficient teamwork, great organizational skills.
  • Read work orders or receive oral instructions to determine work assignments or material or equipment needs.

Mover skills and personality traits

We calculated that 40% of Movers are proficient in Office Furniture, Customer Service, and Household Goods. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Listening skills, and Hand-eye coordination.

We break down the percentage of Movers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Office Furniture, 40%

    Moved furniture, appliances, and equipment -Assembled and installed modular office furniture -Operated forklift -Maintained vehicles and moving equipment

  • Customer Service, 15%

    Provide excellent customer service and develop a professional working relationship with store management, associates and vendors.

  • Household Goods, 7%

    Disassembled and assembled household goods in accordance with company policies within customer guidelines.

  • Load Trucks, 6%

    Load trucks carefully organizing items.

  • Pallet Jack, 4%

    Operated sit-down forklifts and electric pallet jacks during storage operations.

  • Delivery Vehicle, 4%

    Participate in the reporting and maintenance of safety of delivery vehicles.

Most movers use their skills in "office furniture," "customer service," and "household goods" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential mover responsibilities here:

Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for a mover to carry out their responsibilities is customer-service skills. This skill is important for the role because "hand laborers and material movers who work with the public, such as grocery baggers or carwash attendants, must be pleasant and courteous to customers." Additionally, a mover resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "pack & inventory customers household furniture/items. "

Listening skills. Another essential skill to perform mover duties is listening skills. Movers responsibilities require that "hand laborers and material movers follow instructions that a supervisor gives them." Movers also use listening skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "communicated with clients gave them my best customer service. "

Hand-eye coordination. movers are also known for hand-eye coordination, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to mover responsibilities, because "most hand laborers and material movers use their arms and hands to manipulate objects or move objects into specific positions." A mover resume example shows how hand-eye coordination is used in the workplace: "assist in coordination of home and office moves transporting customer household goods"

Physical stamina. mover responsibilities often require "physical stamina." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "hand laborers and material movers need the endurance to perform strenuous tasks, such as moving or cleaning objects, throughout the day." This resume example shows what movers do with physical stamina on a typical day: "demonstrated reliability, stamina, and excellent customer service skills. "

Physical strength. Another common skill required for mover responsibilities is "physical strength." This skill comes up in the duties of movers all the time, as "some hand laborers and material movers must be able to lift and carry heavy objects." An excerpt from a real mover resume shows how this skill is central to what a mover does: "moved physical objects from high end homes and businesses based on the needs of customers while providing excellent customer service. "

See the full list of mover skills

The three companies that hire the most movers are:

Choose from 10+ customizable mover resume templates

Build a professional mover resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your mover resume.
Mover Resume
Mover Resume
Mover Resume
Mover Resume
Mover Resume
Mover Resume
Mover Resume
Mover Resume
Mover Resume
Mover Resume
Mover Resume
Mover Resume
Mover Resume
Mover Resume
Mover Resume
Mover Resume

Compare different movers

Mover vs. Assembler/material handler

Stagehands are skilled employees who work in the television, film, or theatre to assist other crew members set up the sound, lighting, and other equipment as well as helping performers change into their costumes. These employees are required to hang banners, update marquees, and handle other signage within the venue as it is important for any production. They must keep the venue clean by removing any trash in waste containers and sweeping the stage floor in between shows. Stagehands must also perform any adjustments on the set and run errands when necessary.

If we compare the average mover annual salary with that of an assembler/material handler, we find that assembler/material handlers typically earn a $67 higher salary than movers make annually.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between movers and assembler/material handlers are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like load trucks, dollies, and safety rules.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between movers and assembler/material handler. For instance, mover responsibilities require skills such as "office furniture," "customer service," "household goods," and "pallet jack." Whereas a assembler/material handler is skilled in "line assembly," "safety procedures," "electric pallet jack," and "rf." This is part of what separates the two careers.

On average, assembler/material handlers reach similar levels of education than movers. Assembler/material handlers are 0.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Mover vs. Stage hand

Stage hand positions earn higher pay than mover roles. They earn a $2,499 higher salary than movers per year.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, mover responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "office furniture," "customer service," "household goods," and "pallet jack." Meanwhile, a stage hand has duties that require skills in areas such as "venues," "audio systems," "stage equipment," and "audio equipment." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

In general, stage hands achieve similar levels of education than movers. They're 1.4% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Mover vs. Film crew

On average scale, film crews bring in lower salaries than movers. In fact, they earn a $804 lower salary per year.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from mover resumes include skills like "office furniture," "household goods," "load trucks," and "pallet jack," whereas a film crew is more likely to list skills in "pos," "ticket sales," "excellent guest," and "food orders. "

When it comes to education, film crews tend to earn similar degree levels compared to movers. In fact, they're 0.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Mover vs. Freight team associate

Freight team associates tend to earn a lower pay than movers by an average of $999 per year.While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "office furniture," "household goods," "load trucks," and "pallet jack" are skills that commonly show up on mover resumes. On the other hand, freight team associates use skills like sales floor, electric pallet jack, store shelves, and store merchandise on their resumes.freight team associates reach similar levels of education compared to movers, in general. The difference is that they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of mover

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

What a mover does FAQs

Search for mover jobs

Browse transportation jobs