What does an order picker do?
An order picker is responsible for obtaining particular orders from a warehouse or storage facility and having it processed for delivery, all while ensuring accuracy and speed. Most of the duties of an order picker revolve around physical work as there are instances where one must lift and transport heavy materials, and even assemble certain items. Furthermore, an order picker is also in charge of necessary administrative tasks, such as producing documentation, keeping records, processing inventory systems, and even responding to inquires.
Order picker responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real order picker resumes:
- Used WMS and RF systems to pick and stage customer specify orders and lead a team of employees.
- Used a stand up reach truck and RF scanner to replenish empty product in pick locations.
- Obtain merchandise from bin locations using headset programming or RF hand hold device building correct orders for customers.
- Prepare pallets by following prescribe stacking arrangements and properly tagging pallets.
- Job responsibilities include picking orders using battery power pallet jack as well as doing inventory work
- Pick cases from shelves for orders that are to be ship to different Kroger stores
Order picker skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Order Pickers are proficient in Customer Orders, Basic Math, and Pallets. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Math skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Order Pickers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Orders, 13%
Audit customer orders by using auditing program to ensuring merchandise is properly picked before shipping.
- Basic Math, 11%
Used basic math skills to ensure all orders were complete and correct.
- Pallets, 11%
Job responsibilities included picking orders using battery powered pallet jack as well as doing inventory work
- Warehouse Environment, 9%
Sustain zero safety hazards by proactively maintaining clean and organized warehouse environment.
- Electric Pallet Jack, 8%
Utilized electric pallet jack, efficiently yet understanding safety.
- Safety Procedures, 6%
Handle currency and credit transactions quickly and accurately, Resolving complaints promptly and professionally, maintaining food safety procedures.
Common skills that an order picker uses to do their job include "customer orders," "basic math," and "pallets." You can find details on the most important order picker responsibilities below.
Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for an order picker to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "material and product inspecting clerks check items for defects, some of which are small and difficult to spot." Additionally, an order picker resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "scanned labels with rf gun for order details such as location of products and quantity. "
Math skills. Many order picker duties rely on math skills. "some material recording clerks use math to calculate shipping costs or take measurements.," so an order picker will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways order picker responsibilities rely on math skills: "use math skills to calculate merchandise quantities to complete daily tasks. "
Customer-service skills. This is an important skill for order pickers to perform their duties. For an example of how order picker responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "stock clerks sometimes interact with customers in retail stores and may have to get the item the customer is looking for from the storeroom." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an order picker: "team player assigned to multitasking, customer service and order fulfillment. ".
Communication skills. order picker responsibilities often require "communication skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "production, planning, and expediting clerks are frequently in contact with suppliers, vendors, and production managers and need to communicate the firm’s scheduling needs effectively." This resume example shows what order pickers do with communication skills on a typical day: "order picker drove a stand-up forklift to locate and package items ordered by communications customers. "
The three companies that hire the most order pickers are:
- United Natural Foods251 order pickers jobs
- Amazon224 order pickers jobs
- Randstad North America, Inc.57 order pickers jobs
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Compare different order pickers
Order picker vs. Shipping
When it comes to shipping, a worker is primarily in charge of processing deliveries while ensuring accuracy and timeliness. One of their responsibilities revolves around processing information, maintaining an accurate record of all transactions, inspecting goods, and organizing an efficient transport of goods. There are also instances when they must handle issues and inquiries, track orders, reach out to clients, and coordinate with other logistics personnel. Furthermore, it is essential to adhere to all the policies and standards of the company.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between order pickers and shipping. For instance, order picker responsibilities require skills such as "basic math," "warehouse environment," "safety procedures," and "math." Whereas a shipping is skilled in "customer service," "shipping receiving," "forklifts," and "ups." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Shippings tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $35,592. In contrast, order pickers make the biggest average salary, $34,093, in the technology industry.The education levels that shippings earn slightly differ from order pickers. In particular, shippings are 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an order picker. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Order picker vs. Pack puller
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that order picker responsibilities requires skills like "basic math," "pallets," "warehouse environment," and "electric pallet jack." But a pack puller might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "pallet jack," "warehouse inventory," "ex," and "check orders."
Pack pullers earn similar levels of education than order pickers in general. They're 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Order picker vs. Puller
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from order picker resumes include skills like "basic math," "pallets," "warehouse environment," and "safety procedures," whereas a puller is more likely to list skills in "delivery orders," "safety guidelines," "sales floor," and "quality checks. "
Pullers earn the best pay in the finance industry, where they command an average salary of $41,123. Order pickers earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $34,093.pullers typically earn similar educational levels compared to order pickers. Specifically, they're 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Order picker vs. Filler
Even though a few skill sets overlap between order pickers and fillers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an order picker might have more use for skills like "basic math," "warehouse environment," "electric pallet jack," and "rf scanner." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of fillers require skills like "gmp," "filling equipment," "cip," and "production equipment. "
The manufacturing industry tends to pay the highest salaries for fillers, with average annual pay of $37,197. Comparatively, the highest order picker annual salary comes from the technology industry.fillers reach similar levels of education compared to order pickers, in general. The difference is that they're 2.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of order picker
Updated January 8, 2025
