How to hire a packer

How to hire a packer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step packer hiring guide:

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

What does a packer do?

Post a packer job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the packer you need to hire. Certain packer 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 packer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, packers 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.

   Here's a comparison of packer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Packer	Description	Hourly rate
   Packer	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.	$11-17
   Line Up Worker	The Responsibilities of a Line-Up Worker varies upon the organization or industry. Still, most of the tasks revolve around doing manual work such as loading and unloading heavy shipments, operating various devices and machines of different sizes, assist in maintenance and assembling, and coordinating with teammates and reporting to supervisors... Show more	$9-17
   Case Picker/Temp	An automotive service writer acts as a contact person between customers and an automotive company. They do estimations for clients and help in drafting contracts... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Pallets
   • Defective Products
   • Assembly Line
   • Electric Pallet Jack
   • Safety Regulations
   • Machine Operators
   • Quality Standards
   • Safety Rules
   • Quality Checks
   • GMP
   • Safety Procedures
   • Customer Orders
   • Safety Policies
   • Inspect Containers

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Pack ice cream at the Unilever company
   • Follow customers and ISO guidelines when inspecting and packing parts.
   • Execute all quality procedures to ensure that they are ISO compliant.
   • Process orders in FedEx and USPS data base, maintain clean work area.
   • Price match on FedEx, OnTrac, and USPS for location on invoice.
   • Work at Unilever for a temporary service call spherion before making full time at Unilever.

   More packer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, packers' average salary in louisiana is 39% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level packers earn 35% less than senior-level packers.
   • Certifications. A packer 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 packer's salary.

   Average packer salary

   $14.48hourly

   $30,118 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level packer salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average packer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$34,519	$17
   2	Illinois	$32,979	$16
   3	California	$32,554	$16
   4	Iowa	$31,615	$15
   5	Colorado	$31,486	$15
   6	Oregon	$31,360	$15
   7	Indiana	$31,071	$15
   8	Connecticut	$31,039	$15
   9	Michigan	$30,840	$15
   10	Missouri	$30,591	$15
   11	Ohio	$30,384	$15
   12	Pennsylvania	$30,363	$15
   13	New Jersey	$30,128	$14
   14	Arizona	$29,901	$14
   15	Kentucky	$28,283	$14
   16	Virginia	$28,169	$14
   17	Tennessee	$26,448	$13
   18	Texas	$25,704	$12
   19	Georgia	$25,545	$12
   20	Florida	$24,300	$12

   Average packer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Steel Dynamics	$36,691	$17.64
   2	Rich Products	$36,301	$17.45
   3	Cargill	$35,475	$17.06	4
   4	Community Coffee	$35,389	$17.01
   5	Metals USA	$35,022	$16.84
   6	PepsiCo	$34,962	$16.81
   7	Scientific Games	$34,877	$16.77
   8	Hain Celestial	$34,511	$16.59	2
   9	TreeHouse Foods	$34,290	$16.49	13
   10	Utz Brands	$34,162	$16.42	6
   11	Church & Dwight Co.	$34,075	$16.38
   12	Henry Schein	$33,723	$16.21	4
   13	Woodgrain	$33,695	$16.20	1
   14	Post Holdings	$33,661	$16.18	6
   15	Mannington Mills	$33,457	$16.09
   16	Sonoco	$33,397	$16.06	8
   17	Amazon	$33,367	$16.04
   18	Apache Mills	$33,359	$16.04	3
   19	Amcor	$33,336	$16.03	38
   20	MSC Industrial Direct Co	$33,265	$15.99

4. Writing a packer job description

   A packer 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 a packer job description:

   Packer job description example

   $13.00 PLUS $2.00 per hour SEASONAL INCENTIVE PAY

   OUR Work Schedule is 5-days on with 2 days IN A ROW OFF

   WE WELCOME WALK-IN APPLICATIONS & MAY HIRE IMMEDIATELY MON-FRI 10:00 to 3:00

   Our Benefits:

   - Free Meals during shifts

   - Medical, Dental and Vision Care

   - Life Insurance - 401K Program

   - Company Provided Uniforms at NO CHARGE - Company supplemented Safety Shoes

   - Promotional Opportunities - Job Growth from Within

   - Travel Opportunities

   This is our ideal Packer/Assembler Candidate:

   - Applies effective Food Safety and Sanitation standard practices.

   - Has good organizational skills and adaptable to frequent changes in specifications and diagrams.

   - Is flexible to work weekends and holidays subject to change due to shift bidding

   - Possess a good attendance, performance, and safety record

   - Is able to work around moving parts and wet floors

   - Is able to walk, stoop, bend, and stand for entire work shift

   - Is able to understand and read English language

   -· Has the ability to push up to 35-lbs with the use of rolling carts and lift up to 30-lbs

   - Possess basic math skills.

   - Wear Personal Protective Equipment as required

   Responsibilities and duties

   Our Airline Products Packers work in a 7-day a week environment with 2 days IN A ROW OFF . They sort, wrap, pack airline dry goods/liquor and equipment for airlines following procedures and assembly diagrams according to established processes.

   Company DescriptionLSG Sky Chefs with over 75 years of Catering history is hiring immediately for Full-Time team players to deliver food and beverage products for our Airline Customers. We are the world’s leading provider of end-to–end airline products and services with a fast growing footprint in Convenience Retail and Subscription Food Service. As part of our catering logistics team, you will be a key player in assuring quality service for our Customers. If you enjoy a fast-paced production environment with a focus on quality customer service and on- time delivery, please contact us.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find packers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit packers, 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 packer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the packer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize 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 packer 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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How much does it cost to hire a packer?