How to hire a picker and packer

How to hire a picker and packer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step picker and 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 picker and packer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new picker and packer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a picker and packer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your picker and packer 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 picker and packer 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 picker and packer 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 picker and packer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Picker And Packer	Description	Hourly rate
   Picker And 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.	$11-18
   Shipping And Receiving Coordinator	A Shipping and Receiving Coordinator oversees the shipment and deliveries of products in a warehouse or organization. One must have an efficient organization, and communication skills as most of the duties include shipping and receiving merchandise and maintain accurate and proactive control of inventory... Show more	$12-18
   Warehouse Picker	Warehouse pickers are skilled employees who are responsible for pulling selected items from storage or warehouses and prepare them for shipment. These pickers must prepare the orders of customers on a pallet neatly and safely wrapped them with plastic wrap while processing their invoices... Show more	$12-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Pallets
   • Defective Products
   • Customer Orders
   • Electric Pallet Jack
   • Warehouse Environment
   • Safety Rules
   • Assembly Line
   • Load Trucks
   • Quality Standards
   • Filling Orders
   • Safety Procedures
   • Safety Regulations
   • RF Scan Gun
   • Inspect Containers

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Pick groceries, put items on pallets, clean warehouse
   • reach truck, stand up, dock truck, and clamp truck.
   • Print correct and accurate UPC labels.
   • complete usps and ups orders and do labels
   • Pull orders and run forklift pack on skids and wrapped
   • Scan UPC barcode and then forward packages to shipping.

   More picker and packer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, picker and packers' average salary in louisiana is 40% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level picker and packers earn 37% less than senior-level picker and packers.
   • Certifications. A picker and 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 picker and packer's salary.

   Average picker and packer salary

   $14.83hourly

   $30,841 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level picker and packer salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 8, 2025

   Average picker and packer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$35,574	$17
   2	Nevada	$34,201	$16
   3	California	$33,605	$16
   4	Oregon	$33,348	$16
   5	New York	$31,867	$15
   6	Maine	$31,203	$15
   7	Utah	$30,847	$15
   8	Illinois	$30,443	$15
   9	New Jersey	$30,031	$14
   10	Arizona	$29,982	$14
   11	Iowa	$29,713	$14
   12	Colorado	$29,594	$14
   13	Missouri	$29,232	$14
   14	Indiana	$28,957	$14
   15	Ohio	$28,660	$14
   16	Pennsylvania	$28,543	$14
   17	Kansas	$27,759	$13
   18	Tennessee	$26,238	$13
   19	Texas	$26,103	$13
   20	Virginia	$25,294	$12

   Average picker and packer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	PepsiCo	$39,403	$18.94	4
   2	Chewy	$37,864	$18.20	1
   3	Igloo Coolers	$36,838	$17.71
   4	Henry Schein	$35,852	$17.24	12
   5	Eaton	$35,806	$17.21	29
   6	DoorDash	$35,688	$17.16
   7	Valmont Industries	$35,044	$16.85	25
   8	Superior Group of Companies	$35,009	$16.83	1
   9	Salesforce	$34,656	$16.66
   10	Corsair	$34,636	$16.65
   11	VisionCorp Rep	$34,464	$16.57
   12	Donaldson	$34,319	$16.50	12
   13	Amazon	$34,161	$16.42	5
   14	Westside	$33,978	$16.34	2
   15	Packaging Service Co., Inc.	$33,367	$16.04
   16	Conair	$33,289	$16.00
   17	Masco	$33,279	$16.00	3
   18	HD Supply	$33,200	$15.96
   19	BEKO Technologies	$33,181	$15.95
   20	The Bountiful Company	$33,133	$15.93

4. Writing a picker and packer job description

   A good picker and packer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a picker and packer job description:

   Picker and packer job description example

   Ensures product conforms to established quality and customer criteria by performing secondary operations and product inspection as defined in training sessions, by the controlled visual standards, and within the Control Plans. Work as a team with all manufacturing personnel to maintain a clean and safe work environment.
   Knowledge | Experience | Skills: High School Diploma or GED preferred. Good communication and interpersonal skills. Essential Duties & Responsibilities: • Inspect parts for conformance to established quality criteria.
   • Perform secondary operations such as removing parts from the mold, trimming, decorating, and assembly.
   • Package and label parts as specified in the Control Plan.
   • Document and report nonconforming product to Product Specialist or Shift Supervisor.
   • Document readouts from auxiliary equipment.
   • Document downtime and its related cause.
   • Document in-process inspection results.
   • Document and report production quantity to Shift Supervisor.
   • Assist co-workers as necessary.
   • Assist in training new employees as needed.
   • Report any unsafe situations to Production Specialist or Shift Supervisor.
   • Maintain a clean and orderly work environment.
   • Basic reading and writing is a requirement. Techimark is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regards to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status. Company DescriptionTechnimark started out in 1983 as a small industrial molder in Asheboro, North Carolina. Today, we’re one of the largest independent injection molders in the world, serving a broad and distinguished customer base. Technimark’s dedication to customer service and culture of continuous innovation infuses every aspect of our business.
   
   Through the years we’ve grown our business by adhering to the principles of honesty, integrity and dependability and by always letting our actions speak louder than our words. We’ve built an industry-leading multidisciplinary team of smart, innovative thinkers. Time and time again, we’ve been the first to introduce product-enhancing and cost-saving technologies to the market and our customers. We’ve invested strategically in the latest technologies and built a global manufacturing network that ensures consistent quality and efficient distribution around the world.
   
   Over the last thirty-plus years, our capabilities have grown, our vision has expanded and our strategy has evolved. But all along the way, we have never lost sight that our success depends on our customers’ success.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting picker and packers 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 picker and packer

   Once you've found the picker and packer 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new picker and 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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