How to hire an order clerk

How to hire an order clerk, step by step

Here's a step-by-step order clerk hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The order clerk 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an order clerk to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an order clerk that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of order clerks.

   Type of Order Clerk	Description	Hourly rate
   Order Clerk	Information clerks perform routine clerical duties such as maintaining records, collecting data, and providing information to customers.	$12-18
   Data Entry/Data Coordinator	A data entry/data coordinator is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the data management procedures of a company. They develop plans through extensive research and analyses, perform assessments and evaluations to ensure systems adhere to standards and regulations, coordinate with external parties to procure supplies, and fulfill data requests... Show more	$11-20
   Contractor Buyer	A contractor buyer is responsible for acquiring materials and resources for construction and manufacturing processes that meet the quality standards and budget limitations. Contractor buyers negotiate offers with trusted suppliers and vendors for cost-effective materials based on design specifications and requirements... Show more	$15-24

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Purchase Orders
   • Data Entry
   • Telephone Calls
   • Logistics
   • Customer Orders
   • Computer System
   • Pallet Jack
   • Inventory Control
   • Customer Complaints
   • Order Processing
   • Order Entry
   • POS
   • RF

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Truck load orders within the WMS system.
   • Work with AS400 software to input warehouse merchandise.
   • Enter crude oil run tickets into AS400 for calculation.
   • Coordinate with freight forwarders to expedite international shipments.
   • Input order entries for Comcast sales representatives.
   • Enter the Comcast billing system to change or set up services to new/existing customers.

   More order clerk duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your order clerk job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An order clerk can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, order clerks' average salary in missouri is 45% less than in nevada.
   • Seniority. Entry-level order clerks 36% less than senior-level order clerks.
   • Certifications. An order clerk with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an order clerk's salary.

   Average order clerk salary

   $15.31hourly

   $31,842 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level order clerk salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 18, 2026

   Average order clerk salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$36,980	$18
   2	Illinois	$34,784	$17
   3	New York	$33,420	$16
   4	California	$32,837	$16
   5	Minnesota	$31,719	$15
   6	Arizona	$30,754	$15
   7	Pennsylvania	$30,526	$15
   8	Indiana	$29,324	$14
   9	Texas	$28,942	$14
   10	Oklahoma	$28,609	$14
   11	South Carolina	$28,431	$14
   12	Florida	$28,002	$13
   13	Alabama	$27,617	$13
   14	North Carolina	$27,481	$13
   15	Virginia	$24,500	$12
   16	Missouri	$21,655	$10

   Average order clerk salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Costco Wholesale	$36,936	$17.76	1,890
   2	Elevate Textiles	$35,124	$16.89
   3	APTIM	$34,686	$16.68	5
   4	Ukpeagvik IOoOupiat Corporation	$34,350	$16.51	31
   5	The Bountiful Company	$32,691	$15.72
   6	NANA	$32,653	$15.70	27
   7	NEX	$32,588	$15.67
   8	Sunrider International	$32,130	$15.45	2
   9	AmeriPride Services	$31,922	$15.35
   10	Kroger	$31,749	$15.26	2,710
   11	Aerotek	$31,376	$15.08	95
   12	Ople.com	$31,315	$15.06
   13	J & T Inc	$31,315	$15.06
   14	Kay Management Co	$31,188	$14.99	10
   15	PeopleReady	$30,868	$14.84	12
   16	Randstad North America, Inc.	$30,767	$14.79	20
   17	Club Champion	$30,714	$14.77
   18	Kuehne+Nagel	$30,696	$14.76
   19	Pacific Foods	$30,271	$14.55
   20	Robert Half	$30,003	$14.42	654

4. Writing an order clerk job description

   An order clerk job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an order clerk job description:

   Order clerk job description example

   APTIM is hiring to perform Installation Support Services for the United States Army Garrison Redstone (USAG-R) Department of Public Works (DPW) with our partner SUNIK. This include Pollution Controls, Compliance, Environmental Restoration Services, Landfill Operations, Engineering Work Management Services, Maintenance, Preventative Maintenance, and Service Orders for Facilities, Waste Water, Steam and Infrastructure at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. We are excited to announce we are looking qualified personnel for a wide range of positions. Be sure to check out all the job postings and apply if you are qualified. We are looking to have all applications submitted by the end of close of business January 24, 2022.
   Key Responsibilities/Accountabilities
   
   Maintains all data entry, keeps all records organized and current. Prepares correspondences, letters, reports, records and other related documents from rough drafts, corrected copy, or recorded media; proofreads completed materials and makes corrections. Ability to learn and work in MAXIMO. Answers the telephone, takes messages and ensures the proper personnel are contacted. Provide customer assistance in a proficient and professional manner. Maintain, organize and submit all necessary reports and forms to stay in compliance with company/government policies, procedures and reporting requirements. Provide support to the division. Takes work orders over the telephone for the department and ensures they are routed to the proper personnel. Gathers and compiles information as requested; prepares related reports or documents for GFEBS Inventories, orders, and maintains office/computer supplies. Utilizes office equipment including, but not limited to computer and related equipment, calculator, and duplicating equipment. Performs other related duties as required.
   
   Basic Qualifications
   
   Minimum two (2) years of experience in general office skills Able to operate PC with functional knowledge of MAXIMO, Windows, Microsoft Office Suite of programs (i.e. Excel, Word, Outlook) and Internet. Effectively communicate in English in both oral and written formats for daily communications and the development of presentations, briefings and other operational requirements. Must be CAC eligible and/or able to obtain a Common Access Card (CAC) APTIM strongly recommends, but does not require, that its employees receive vaccination against COVID-19. We do require employees to provide information about their vaccination status, whether vaccinated or not.
   
   What We Do:
   
   Whether it's safeguarding and maintaining critical power infrastructure, helping communities recover from natural disasters, enabling our armed forces and first responders, or transforming landfills into public parks, we go to work each day knowing that we are making an impact on the world. These are huge responsibilities, and we take them seriously.
   
   Thinking differently and challenging the norm is our mandate. Every day we plan for the unexpected, develop critical insights, and deliver new, creative adaptive solutions. We do this by leveraging teams that include engineers, scientists, builders, economists, craft professionals, procurement, logistics and process experts.
   
   Who We Are:
   
   APTIM specializes in engineering, program management, environmental services, disaster recovery, complex facility maintenance, and construction services. Serving Government, Oil, Gas, Chemical, Industrial, Commercial, and Power clients, we are your partner and relentless advocate

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right order clerk 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 order clerks they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit order clerks 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 order clerk job on Zippia to find and recruit order clerk candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit order clerks, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to 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 order clerk

   Once you've decided on a perfect order clerk candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new order clerk first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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