How to hire a Warehouse Assistant

How to hire a warehouse assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step warehouse assistant hiring guide:

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

What does a Warehouse Assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a warehouse assistant, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or 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 warehouse assistant 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 presents warehouse assistant salaries for various positions.

   Type Of Warehouse Assistant	Description	Hourly Rate
   Warehouse Assistant	Material recording clerks track product information in order to keep businesses and supply chains on schedule. They ensure proper scheduling, recordkeeping, and inventory control.	$12-18
   Customer Service, Warehouse	A customer service warehouse is primarily in charge of providing customer support, mainly through calls and correspondence. Their responsibilities typically revolve around answering inquiries, addressing and troubleshooting problems, processing refunds, maintaining records of all transactions, and referring them to other services when necessary... Show More	$12-17
   Material Handler/Warehouse	A warehouse material handler is responsible for assisting warehouse operations, moving merchandise from one place to another, labeling products, performing quality check procedures, packaging goods, and loading and unloading items from distribution vehicles. Warehouse material handlers operate warehouse tools and equipment for production, as well as ensuring the adequacy of stock inventory needed for orders and deliveries... Show More	$12-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Customer Orders
   • Pallets
   • Industrial Trucks
   • Hand Trucks
   • Customer Service
   • Groceries
   • Shipping Receiving
   • Powered Industrial Trucks
   • Inventory Control
   • Stand-Up Forklift
   • Safety Regulations
   • Delivery Truck
   • Electric Pallet Jack
   • Purchase Orders

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Assist customers during store pick-up hours and maintain warehouse inventory and cleanliness.
   • Assist clients with their groceries.
   • Used various skills in manual labor, such as operation of handcarts, dollies pallet jacks etc.
   • Enter new MRO parts into ERP, place orders, perform daily receiving, work order kitting.
   • Sort, organize, and prepare groceries and other merchandise to be locate and place on a pallet.
   • Utilize JD Edwards ERP system to effectively track production and inventory levels to ensure on time delivery of shipments.

   More Warehouse Assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the warehouse assistant job description is a good way to get more applicants. A warehouse assistant salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a warehouse assistant in Georgia may be lower than in Nevada, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level warehouse assistant. Additionally, a warehouse assistant with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average warehouse assistant salary

   $16.04hourly

   $33,353 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level warehouse assistant salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 13, 2025

   Average warehouse assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	Oregon	$36,779	$18
   2	Minnesota	$36,230	$17
   3	Washington	$36,067	$17
   4	California	$35,267	$17
   5	Rhode Island	$35,206	$17
   6	Maine	$34,865	$17
   7	North Dakota	$34,848	$17
   8	Colorado	$34,731	$17
   9	Massachusetts	$34,590	$17
   10	New Hampshire	$34,560	$17
   11	Utah	$34,501	$17
   12	New York	$34,462	$17
   13	Illinois	$34,270	$16
   14	Wisconsin	$34,135	$16
   15	Ohio	$33,825	$16
   16	Nebraska	$33,684	$16
   17	Tennessee	$33,351	$16
   18	Missouri	$33,001	$16
   19	Kansas	$32,999	$16
   20	Indiana	$32,922	$16

   Average warehouse assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	ALDI USA	$41,748	$20.07	96
   2	Henkel	$40,057	$19.26	11
   3	US Foods	$39,323	$18.91	180
   4	Lamb Weston	$38,868	$18.69	7
   5	Reyes Holdings	$38,441	$18.48	88
   6	Praxair	$38,187	$18.36
   7	Steris	$37,743	$18.15	47
   8	FedEx	$37,592	$18.07	155
   9	SunPower	$37,555	$18.06
   10	Belcan	$37,537	$18.05	11
   11	Siemens	$37,343	$17.95	15
   12	Halozyme	$37,254	$17.91
   13	Steel & Pipe Supply Co Inc	$37,209	$17.89
   14	NRG Energy	$37,059	$17.82	15
   15	Catholic Charities Of The Archdiocese Of Washington	$36,620	$17.61
   16	Seaboard	$36,586	$17.59	12
   17	OnTrac	$36,421	$17.51	73
   18	Johnson Controls	$36,155	$17.38	24
   19	Race Communications	$35,862	$17.24	2
   20	MDU Resources	$35,782	$17.20

4. Writing a Warehouse Assistant Job Description

   A good warehouse assistant 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 warehouse assistant job description:

   Warehouse Assistant job description example

   As a Warehouse Assistant you role will be cleaning tubs and vats after ink is mixed and poured out. You will have to do some hand mixing of the inks and will be using the Sit-Down Forklift. If you do not have forklift experience they will train you. Come join the world's leader in ink manufacturing. Watch the cool video below to learn more.
   \#P2
   
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   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting warehouse assistants 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.

   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 warehouse assistant

   Once you have selected a candidate for the warehouse assistant 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.

   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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new warehouse assistant. 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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How much does it cost to hire a warehouse assistant?