How to hire a padded products finisher

How to hire a padded products finisher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step padded products finisher hiring guide:

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

Post a padded products finisher job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your padded products finisher job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a padded products finisher for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect padded products finisher also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of padded products finisher salaries for various roles:

   Type of Padded Products Finisher	Description	Hourly rate
   Padded Products Finisher		$12-18
   SMT Operator	Surface mount technology (SMT) operators monitor and maintain any equipment used in establishing SMT electronic circuits. The task of SMT operators involves SMT machine operation to mount electronic components onto the circuit boards... Show more	$12-21
   Shop Worker	A shop worker may work in a wholesale or retail shop to provide customer service. They welcome guests, maintain their store's cleanliness, and ensure stock levels are maintained... Show more	$11-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Hand Tools
   • Air Tools
   • Drill Press
   • Customer Specifications
   • Assembly Line

   Responsibilities:

   • Hand assemble custom book covers utilizing heavy industrial binding machinery, in compliance with safety protocols and quality control standards.
   • Hand assemble custom book covers utilizing heavy industrial binding machinery, in compliance with safety protocols and quality control standards.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, padded products finishers' average salary in arkansas is 43% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level padded products finishers earn 33% less than senior-level padded products finishers.
   • Certifications. A padded products finisher 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 padded products finisher's salary.

   Average padded products finisher salary

   $15.52hourly

   $32,275 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level padded products finisher salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 27, 2025

4. Writing a padded products finisher job description

   A padded products finisher 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 padded products finisher job description:

   Padded products finisher job description example

   Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform to ignite and harness the passions of fans and maximize the presence and reach for hundreds of partners globally. Optimizing these long-standing partnerships, a database of more than 80 million global consumers and a trusted, recognizable brand name, Fanatics is expanding beyond its position as a global leader for licensed sports merchandise to now becoming a next-gen digital sports platform, featuring an array of offerings for fans across the sports ecosystem.
   
   The Fanatics family of companies currently includes Fanatics Commerce, a vertically-integrated licensed merchandise business that has changed the way fans purchase their favorite team apparel, jerseys, headwear and hardgoods through a tech-infused approach to making and quickly distributing fan gear in today's 24/7 mobile-first economy; Candy Digital, a digital collectibles company that is partnering with prominent sports properties, including MLB and MLBPA, to build an official NFT ecosystem; Fanatics Collectibles, a transformative company that is building a new model for the hobby and giving collectors an end-to-end collectibles experience; and Fanatics Betting & Gaming, a mobile betting, gaming and retail sportsbook platform. Additional ventures that will build out Fanatics' footprint across the broader digital sports landscape will be rolled out soon. Fanatics' partners include all major professional sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, MLS, PGA) and hundreds of collegiate and professional teams, which include several of the biggest global soccer clubs.
   
   As a market leader with more than 8,000 employees, and hundreds of partners, suppliers, and vendors worldwide, we take responsibility for driving toward more ethical and sustainable practices. We are committed to building an inclusive Fanatics community, reflecting and representing society at every level of the business, including our employees, vendors, partners and fans. Fanatics is also dedicated to making a positive impact in the communities where we all live, work, and play through strategic philanthropic initiatives.
   
   At Fanatics, we're a diverse, passionate group of employees aiming to ignite pride and passion in the fans we outfit, celebrate and support. We recognize that diversity helps drive and foster innovation, and through our IDEA program (inclusion, diversity, equality and advocacy) at Fanatics we provide employees with tools and resources to feel connected and engaged in who they are and what they do to support the ultimate fan experience.
   $1000 SIGN ON BONUS!!
   
   Essential Job Functions:
   • Operates all sewing machines efficiently while meeting all production standards, maintaining top quality, to assure quality and customer specifications are met with minimal scrap.
   • Boxes, bags, packs and labels finished product for warehouse and shipping following customer specific instructions including drop shipments.
   • Review shop packet/traveler, art forms, color copies, etc. to verify consistency so all paperwork, and art to match product design, specifications and customer requirements.
   • Responsible for performing the operator daily and weekly preventative maintenance to equipment, such as cleaning and oiling as required.
   • Ability to troubleshoot on all sewing machines, and other equipment associated with sewing, including changing needles, adjusting tensions, taking sewing machines apart to clean.
   • Responsible for putting through maintenance requests if equipment goes down and also notifying leadership.
   • Follows the process as indicated on the shop packet/traveler, including components needed and operations that need to be performed.
   • Follows FMS work lists.
   • Accurately moves orders using FMS move system including reporting scrap product.
   • Confirms raw material usage and production standard accuracy on shop paperwork.
   • Notifies leadership of any inventory discrepancies.
   • Understands all ship methods and times to ensure on-time shipment of orders.
   • Assists in the training of new sewers.
   • Fill out all required paperwork including production sheets, return to art forms, order alerts, shortages, shop packets, etc.
   • Performs other duties and tasks as assigned.
   
   Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities Required:
   Education
   • High School graduate or its equivalent.
   Knowledge
   • Must have machine knowledge sufficient to make minor machine repairs using hand tools.
   Skills
   • Basic math skills.
   • Basic computer skills.
   Abilities
   • Ability to distinguish color variation.
   
   Physical
   Requirements
   • Ability to lift 30lbs
   • Able to sit or stand for entire shift
   • Comfortable using a ladder occasionally
   • Able to twist and bend
   
   Working Conditions
   - Clean, light working conditions
   - Climate controlled
   - PPE as required for each area
   
   Perks & Benefits
   - Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K
   - Paid time off
   - Product discounts year round
   - Referral Bonus
   $1000 SIGN ON BONUS!!
   Ensure your Fanatics job offer is legitimate and don't fall victim to fraud. Fanatics never seeks payment from job applicants. Feel free to ask your recruiter for a phone call or other type of communication for interview, and ensure your communication is coming from a Fanatics or Fanatics Brand email address. For added security, where possible, apply through our company website at www.fanaticsinc.com/careers
   
   Tryouts are open at Fanatics! Our team is passionate, talented, unified, and charged with creating the fan experience of tomorrow. The ball is in your court now.
   
   Fanatics is committed to responsible planning and purchasing (RPP) practices, working with its business partners across its global and multi-layered supply chain, to ensure that planning, sourcing, and purchasing decisions, along with other supporting processes, do not impede or conflict with the fulfillment of Fanatics' fair labor practices.
   
   NOTICE TO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS/APPLICANTS: In connection with your application, we collect information that identifies, reasonably relates to or describes you (“Personal Information”). The categories of Personal Information that we collect include your name, government issued identification number(s), email address, mailing address, other contact information, emergency contact information, employment history, educational history, criminal record, and demographic information. We collect and use those categories of Personal Information about you for human resources and other business management purposes, including identifying and evaluating you as a candidate for potential or future employment or other types of positions, recordkeeping in relation to recruiting and hiring, conducting criminal background checks as permitted by law, conducting analytics, and ensuring compliance with applicable legal requirements and Company policies.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find padded products finishers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any padded products finishers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level padded products finishers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting padded products finishers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates 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 padded products finisher

   Once you've found the padded products finisher candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new padded products finisher. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a padded products finisher?