How to hire a stock taker

How to hire a stock taker, step by step

Here's a step-by-step stock taker hiring guide:

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

Post a stock taker job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the stock taker you need to hire. Certain stock taker 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

   Hiring the perfect stock taker 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of stock takers.

   Type of Stock Taker	Description	Hourly rate
   Stock Taker	Material recording clerks track product information in order to keep businesses and supply chains on schedule. They ensure proper scheduling, recordkeeping, and inventory control.	$11-18
   Merchandiser	Merchandisers are employees working for a retail company. Merchandisers are mainly responsible for the store's products... Show more	$11-18
   Produce Clerk	Produce clerks are responsible for ensuring that the grocery store's fruits and vegetables are displayed orderly and pleasantly to the customers. They check to produce to guarantee that it is fresh and has no defects... Show more	$12-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Professional Customer Service
   • Cycle Counts

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all lifting of goods efficiently and maintain store floor at all times and ensure cleanliness in same
   • Provide leadership over logistics processes including, transportation, planning, safety and communication.
   • Require to physically count inventory for various retailers and enter information into RGIS equipment.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, stock takers' average salary in louisiana is 38% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level stock takers earn 37% less than senior-level stock takers.
   • Certifications. A stock taker 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 stock taker's salary.

   Average stock taker salary

   $14.93hourly

   $31,048 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level stock taker salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a stock taker job description

   A good stock taker 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 stock taker job description:

   Stock taker job description example

   We have an interesting, multi-skilled part time position (Monday to Friday) available with start and finish times to be mutually agreed.
   
   Riviera Hardware Holdings Limited owns and operates Mitre 10 MEGA in Albany, Warkworth and New Lynn and Mitre 10 in Whangaparaoa. We also operate our three Columbus Coffee shops within our MEGA stores. We deliver House Frames solutions through our Pre-nail factory and manage our own importing via Riviera Imports. We are also opening a new MEGA in Silverdale next year.
   
   As the largest Home Improvement Store in New Zealand (with an amazing garden center, coffee shop, showroom and full trade department), we aspire to offer the very best service to our North Shore customers.
   
   A key part of our offer is to have a very wide range that is always in stock and that is where you come in. We need to constantly check that our computers have accurate stock level information. You will do this by comparing what we physically count with the database.
   We will fully train you to cover the following responsibilities:
   
   * Ensure stock levels are accurate, resulting in optimum replenishment and minimal "out of stocks".
   * Perform cyclical stock takes, ad-hoc and category stocktakes.
   * Investigate and Process Stock Adjustment Requests received from team members ASAP.
   * Investigate all variances that meet agreed criteria, look for causes other than theft (operational) and suggest solutions to prevent further occurrences to management.
   * Maintain the GAP management process to keep GAP's to a minimum
   * Investigate and determine the cause of negative stock, to assist in the managing of stock loss and poor procedures in other areas of the business.
   * Action all data reports as requested, ensuring full investigation and recommend solutions to improve.
   
   Our ideal applicant:
   
   * Preferably experienced in stocktaking, audit or stock integrity
   * Able to work on ladders
   * Good with detail
   * Works on own initiative.
   * Loves getting to the bottom of problems
   * Adaptable
   
   What's in it for you:
   
   To find a Monday to Friday role in retail is like finding a needle in a hay stock - this might just be what you need to ease back into the working world. This role offers you the opportunity to be an integral part of a proudly Kiwi-owned and operated independent retail business. We are proud to offer an industry leading learning and development framework, opportunities to grow your career, a generous staff purchase scheme and all the tools required to perform the role.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right stock taker for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit stock takers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 stock taker

   Once you have selected a candidate for the stock taker 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 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 stock taker. 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 stock taker?