What does a Sorter do?
A sorter is responsible for categorizing items after the production process. Sorters duties include utilizing factory equipment to sort products efficiently, monitor and exclude defective items, maintain a clean and organized production area, assist in loading and unloading items, perform repairs on malfunctioning equipment, and examine inventories requesting necessary supplies, and adhering to the safety protocols and regulatory procedures. Sorters must have excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills, as well as in-depth product knowledge to classify items accordingly.
Sorter responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real sorter resumes:
- Train and apply HAZWOPER program compliance through 29 CFR 1910.120. using full PPE including SCBA implementation.
- Sort checks on a NCR 3890.
- Process ATM transactions for off-site machines.
- Prime trainer for Unisys and NCR proof machines.
- Count, weigh, record, organize and sort DVDs.
- Repair the DVD wrappings and re-label the DVDs if need.
- Repackage broken orders and reprint labels using rf scan gun.
- Encode all commercial & personal deposits and correct all discrepancies.
- Used ability to troubleshoot and make minor repairs on machines.
- Sort recycling and operate a front loading bobcat and forklift.
- Perform work at the central hub loading trailers and sorting packages.
- Perform online and offline processing of MICR documents to meet very strict deadlines.
- Operate a forklift in order to separate and recycle debris, metals and other material.
- Sort and scan packages to be ship from the central hub location to individual posts.
- Sort letters for USPS delivery, packaging, operate machinery producing mails, retrieved/stock materials, inventory, and station clean-up.
Sorter skills and personality traits
We calculated that 35% of Sorters are proficient in Warehouse Environment, Industrial Trucks, and Customer Orders. They’re also known for soft skills such as Hand-eye coordination, Listening skills, and Physical stamina.
We break down the percentage of Sorters that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Warehouse Environment, 35%
Warehouse environment, responsible for electronically scanning and loading packages neatly onto boxed trailers after sorting for various destinations.
- Industrial Trucks, 21%
Operate industrial trucks, tractors, loaders, and other equipment to transport packages to and from transportation vehicles.
- Customer Orders, 6%
Used computer to access inventory, print correct labels, and prepare customer orders each day.
- Recyclable Materials, 5%
Captured recyclable containers and recyclable material from a moving conveyor belt
- Stand-Up Forklift, 5%
Company trained to use a powered pallet jack and stand-up forklifts to unload semi trailers.
- Aided Design, 4%
Computer-aided design, photography, and website upload/design.
"warehouse environment," "industrial trucks," and "customer orders" are among the most common skills that sorters use at work. You can find even more sorter responsibilities below, including:
Hand-eye coordination. The most essential soft skill for a sorter to carry out their responsibilities is hand-eye coordination. This skill is important for the role because "most hand laborers and material movers use their arms and hands to manipulate objects or move objects into specific positions." Additionally, a sorter resume shows how their duties depend on hand-eye coordination: "worked as team to process usps priority mail used data entry in coordination with package handling"
Listening skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling sorter duties is listening skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "hand laborers and material movers follow instructions that a supervisor gives them." According to a sorter resume, here's how sorters can utilize listening skills in their job responsibilities: "inspected packages for damages and hazardous materials, and communicated to supervisors on progress. "
Physical stamina. This is an important skill for sorters to perform their duties. For an example of how sorter responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "hand laborers and material movers need the endurance to perform strenuous tasks, such as moving or cleaning objects, throughout the day." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a sorter: "followed supervisor's direction and possessed stamina and ability to load, unload and sort packages".
Physical strength. A big part of what sorters do relies on "physical strength." You can see how essential it is to sorter responsibilities because "some hand laborers and material movers must be able to lift and carry heavy objects." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical sorter tasks: "skilled and physically fit individual who is able to perform all tasks of a package handling job. "
Customer-service skills. A commonly-found skill in sorter job descriptions, "customer-service skills" is essential to what sorters do. Sorter responsibilities rely on this skill because "hand laborers and material movers who work with the public, such as grocery baggers or carwash attendants, must be pleasant and courteous to customers." You can also see how sorter duties rely on customer-service skills in this resume example: "sorted customer packages by zip code and prepared them for transportation to final destination. "
The three companies that hire the most sorters are:
- FedEx10,337 sorters jobs
- Amazon6,912 sorters jobs
- Rehrig Pacific54 sorters jobs
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Compare different sorters
Sorter vs. Agriculture labour
A package handler's primary duty is to place and load correct packages to delivery vehicles and review inventory upon shipments. Package handlers are responsible for analyzing product labels to make sure that the items are accurately processed. A package handler should also have basic knowledge on running warehouse equipment and loading tools to finish the task more efficiently. Package handlers must be able to communicate with other personnel for any concerns that might affect the parcel condition and customer's satisfaction.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a sorter are more likely to require skills like "warehouse environment," "industrial trucks," "customer orders," and "powered industrial trucks." On the other hand, a job as an agriculture labour requires skills like "strong work ethic," "farm equipment," "physical labor," and "milking." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Agriculture labours really shine in the technology industry with an average salary of $31,131. Comparatively, sorters tend to make the most money in the transportation industry with an average salary of $36,377.On average, agriculture labours reach similar levels of education than sorters. Agriculture labours are 0.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Sorter vs. Potato inspector
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, sorter responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "warehouse environment," "industrial trucks," "customer orders," and "powered industrial trucks." Meanwhile, a potato inspector has duties that require skills in areas such as "usda," "diagnostic tests," "conduct surveys," and "foreign materials." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Potato inspectors earn higher levels of education than sorters in general. They're 10.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Sorter vs. Package handler
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a sorter is likely to be skilled in "customer orders," "recyclable materials," "aided design," and "electric pallet jack," while a typical package handler is skilled in "load trailers," "load packages," "supply support," and "rf."
Package handlers make a very good living in the retail industry with an average annual salary of $38,714. On the other hand, sorters are paid the highest salary in the transportation industry, with average annual pay of $36,377.Most package handlers achieve a similar degree level compared to sorters. For example, they're 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Sorter vs. Apple inspector
Even though a few skill sets overlap between sorters and apple inspectors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a sorter might have more use for skills like "warehouse environment," "industrial trucks," "customer orders," and "powered industrial trucks." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of apple inspectors require skills like "usda," "macos," "cnc," and "graders. "
In general, apple inspectors hold similar degree levels compared to sorters. Apple inspectors are 0.9% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of sorter
Updated January 8, 2025
