How to hire a warehouse personnel

How to hire a warehouse personnel, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The warehouse personnel hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a warehouse personnel to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a warehouse personnel that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of warehouse personnels.

   Type of Warehouse Personnel	Description	Hourly rate
   Warehouse Personnel	Material recording clerks track product information in order to keep businesses and supply chains on schedule. They ensure proper scheduling, recordkeeping, and inventory control.	$12-19
   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
   General Warehouse Worker	A general warehouse worker takes responsibility for doing various duties in warehousing. General warehouse workers receive and process incoming materials and stock, pick and file orders, and pack and ship these orders... Show more	$12-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Pallet Jack
   • Logistics
   • Pallets
   • Shipping Receiving
   • Customer Orders
   • Hand Trucks
   • Quality Standards
   • Data Entry
   • Physical Inventory
   • Inventory Control
   • Delivery Truck
   • Assembly Line
   • Load Trucks
   • Unload Trucks

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Work hi-lo and forklift machinery to build pallets/loads, wrapped pallets and stage for shipping.
   • Pull orders using a RF gun.Verify and receive product coming into the warehouse using RF gun.
   • Track all inbound and outbound items through radio frequency (RF) scanning to ensure accountability in inventory.
   • Direct inbound or outbound logistics operations, such as transportation or warehouse activities, safety performance, or logistics quality management.
   • Operate power equipment including: order pickers, tuggers, reach trucks, and counterbalance forklifts.

   More warehouse personnel duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the warehouse personnel job description is a good way to get more applicants. A warehouse personnel 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 personnel in South Carolina may be lower than in Washington, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level warehouse personnel. Additionally, a warehouse personnel with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average warehouse personnel salary

   $15.93hourly

   $33,141 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level warehouse personnel salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average warehouse personnel salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$41,284	$20
   2	Hawaii	$39,055	$19
   3	Oregon	$38,113	$18
   4	New York	$36,765	$18
   5	California	$36,246	$17
   6	Ohio	$36,163	$17
   7	Iowa	$34,474	$17
   8	Colorado	$34,389	$17
   9	New Jersey	$33,880	$16
   10	Pennsylvania	$33,086	$16
   11	South Dakota	$32,923	$16
   12	Indiana	$32,617	$16
   13	Arizona	$32,091	$15
   14	Texas	$31,169	$15
   15	Oklahoma	$30,847	$15
   16	Tennessee	$30,624	$15
   17	North Carolina	$30,246	$15
   18	Minnesota	$29,438	$14
   19	Louisiana	$27,983	$13

   Average warehouse personnel salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Thermo Fisher Scientific	$38,469	$18.49	8
   2	Anheuser-Busch	$37,750	$18.15	11
   3	Direct Source	$36,083	$17.35
   4	Farwest Steel	$35,341	$16.99
   5	Hanes Companies, Inc.	$34,224	$16.45	4
   6	MasTec	$34,196	$16.44	10
   7	Empire Auto Parts	$33,981	$16.34	35
   8	ABB	$33,932	$16.31	9
   9	LifeScience Logistics	$33,884	$16.29	19
   10	Farmers Market	$33,828	$16.26
   11	Manhattan Beer	$33,456	$16.08	2
   12	Primoris Services	$33,262	$15.99	1
   13	George Brazil Air Conditioning & Heating	$33,208	$15.97
   14	Hire Dynamics	$33,188	$15.96
   15	Scioto Services Llc	$33,187	$15.96
   16	Brink's	$33,157	$15.94
   17	Derse	$33,157	$15.94
   18	INFINITI of Thousand Oaks	$33,140	$15.93
   19	Transcat	$33,130	$15.93	2
   20	Advance Medical Designs	$33,090	$15.91

4. Writing a warehouse personnel job description

   A warehouse personnel 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. Below, you can find an example of a warehouse personnel job description:

   Warehouse personnel job description example

   Imagine building a business from the ground up, with nothing more than 1 truck, 4000 feet of warehouse space, 2 Beer Brands and a lot of determination! Simon Bergson, founder and owner of Manhattan Beer Distributors, has done exactly this, growing our business over the last 40 years to exponential heights. Manhattan Beer Distributors now has 1.5 million feet of warehouse space, the distribution rights to 300 brands, 400 trucks and services 15 counties. Our aim is to provide great service to all of our customers from the convenience store owner to our big chain operators, restaurants, bars and hotels.

   Hard work, grit and a “can do” spirit are our hallmarks.

   Come Join Our Family…..

   We couldn't do what we do without our team. Not only do we want to develop our brands and our business, we want to develop our people, making Manhattan Beer Distributors a great place to work. It doesn't matter how large we get, we'll always be family. For this reason, we are committed to your success, coaching and development.

   Our business is growing and we need smart and talented people like you to help us get where we want to be!

   Opportunity Awaits!

   We are looking for entry level personnel to work in our recycling department and perform general labor and other tasks in a warehouse environment.

   How Will You Contribute?

   Your Main Focus Will Be:

   • Performing general warehouse/production/recycling service duties.
   • Receiving, sorting and stacking incoming deliveries
   • Performing tasks such as cutting plastic, bailing, sweeping, dumping, and operating a pallet jack and a forklift (training provided).
   • Separate collected recyclable materials into established categories such as aluminum, glass, high grade white paper and corrugated paper.
   • Moving supplies and materials to proper location; stacking materials for storage or binning; and assisting with collecting and packaging recyclable materials for shipment.
   • Preparing separated recyclables for shipment to the appropriate local recycler vendor.
   • Helping maintain the physical condition of the warehouse and equipment.
   • Ensuring compliance with regulatory and company policies and procedures.
   • Filling in for other positions as needed.

   Position Requirements:

   • Ability to lift up 50 lbs
   • Experience in a warehouse environment helpful
   • Forklift experience is a plus
   • GED or HS diploma preferred
   • Time management and organizational skills
   • Must be a team player

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find warehouse personnels for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any warehouse personnels they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level warehouse personnels with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting warehouse personnels 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 to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to 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 warehouse personnel

   Once you've found the warehouse personnel 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.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new warehouse personnel 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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