How to hire a professional mover

How to hire a professional mover, step by step

Here's a step-by-step professional mover hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your professional mover 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 professional mover 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

   A professional mover's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, professional movers 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 professional mover salaries for various roles:

   Type of Professional Mover	Description	Hourly rate
   Professional Mover	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.	$12-20
   Stage Hand	Stagehands are skilled employees who work in the television, film, or theatre to assist other crew members set up the sound, lighting, and other equipment as well as helping performers change into their costumes. These employees are required to hang banners, update marquees, and handle other signage within the venue as it is important for any production... Show more	$12-23
   Dock Worker	People working in the docks are collectively called dock workers. Their primary job is to load and unload ships... Show more	$13-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Work Ethic
   • Office Furniture
   • Customer Service
   • Household Goods
   • DOT
   • Office Equipment
   • Customers Homes
   • Hoisting
   • Hand Trucks
   • Dependable Transportation
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Pianos
   • Dollies
   • Straight Truck

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Carry and stack all assign furniture using appropriate equipment such as dollies and pallet jacks.
   • Deliver goods to specific locations, often moving large items such as pianos, copiers, and safes.
   • Operate GPS system to find or locate customers' business/residence to deliver and assemble product in predestine time frame.
   • Provide help with furniture other residents need moving such as; dryers, pool tables, hot tubs and pianos.
   • Develop and enhance teamwork and communication skills.
   • Accompany CDL Driver/Mover to transport and deliver customer belongings.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, professional movers' average salary in new mexico is 39% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level professional movers earn 40% less than senior-level professional movers.
   • Certifications. A professional mover 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 professional mover's salary.

   Average professional mover salary

   $15.95hourly

   $33,183 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level professional mover salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 26, 2025

4. Writing a professional mover job description

   A professional mover 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 professional mover job description:

   Professional mover job description example

   About us Paul Davis Restoration is a franchise organization that provides services to cleanup and repair damage to residential and commercial properties due to water, fire, mold, storm, or other disasters.
   
   Duties and Responsibilities

   • Complete pack-out and pack-in of customer’s contents, ensuring all items are properly documented and brought back to the warehouse for cleaning and restoration.
   • Assists/helps with the pick-up (loading), transportation, and delivery (unloading and placement) of household goods/equipment.
   • Routinely involves lifting, movement and placement of heavy items by hand or with the assistance of material handling equipment.
   • May be required to pack, unpack and wrap/unwrap household goods items per customer specifications.
   • Disassemble and reassemble furniture items
   • Perform disaster response, emergency mitigation, water extraction, structural drying, and demolition, following IICRC standards.
   • Set dehumidifiers, fans, air purifiers, and other equipment at the work site, ensuring proper setup and removal.
   • Remove drywall, carpets, insulation, etc. and perform general demolition after a loss.
   • Act as daily on-site contact for the customer, ensuring their needs are met and questions are answered.
   • Drive company vehicles, including water trucks, trailers, and other machinery.

   Qualifications

   • Valid driver’s license and satisfactory driving record.
   • Ability to perform demolition work, including climbing, working in extreme temperatures, and in confined spaces.
   • Ability to lift 60 lbs.

   Hours: Full-Time, Permanent, Monday to Friday 7am to 4pm, Optional Overtime included.

   • Participate in our 24 hours on call rotation, responding to emergency losses after hours and on weekends, as dictated by the on-call schedule.

   Pay: $18.00-$21.00 & Bonus Opportunities
   
   Benefits include:

   • PTO
   • Holiday Pay
   • Healthcare/Dental Insurance
   • Generous 401k Program with company match

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find professional movers 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 professional mover job on Zippia to find and recruit professional mover candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with professional mover candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   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 professional mover

   Once you've selected the best professional mover candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new professional mover. 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.)

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