How To Become A Warehouse Receiving: What It Is and Career Path

What is a warehouse receiving and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A warehouse receiving position is responsible for receiving, examining, and sorting goods that arrive in the warehouse. They determine the condition of the shipments, identify if there are damaged goods, and maintain accurate documentation for the deliveries. They also routinely check the product inventory and request supplies as necessary.

They coordinate with different couriers such as UPS and FedEx to obtain shipment details and settle any problem related to deliveries. They also handle vendor issues and invoice discrepancies.

At least a high school diploma is necessary to work in a warehouse receiving position. Prior work experience in a similar job or environment is a huge advantage. Candidates must be detail-oriented, good communicators, and problem-solvers to fulfill the duties in the warehouse. They may be required to operate forklifts and other warehouse equipment and computer systems for transactions management.

On average, they earn $14.02 an hour, which is equivalent to $29,158 a year.

ScoreWarehouse ReceivingUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $32,814

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.75%

Asian 7.67%

Black or African American 10.23%

Hispanic or Latino 22.58%

Unknown 4.26%

White 54.51%

Gender

female 16.48%

male 83.52%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a warehouse receiving

Explore warehouse receiving education requirements

Most common warehouse receiving degrees

High School Diploma

50.4 %

Associate

16.8 %

Bachelor's

16.7 %

Start to develop specific warehouse receiving skills

Skills	Percentages
Pallets	15.51%
Warehouse Receiver	7.85%
Purchase Orders	6.55%
Shipping Receiving	6.26%
Load Trucks	5.91%

Complete relevant warehouse receiving training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New warehouse receivings learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a warehouse receiving based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real warehouse receiving resumes.

Research warehouse receiving duties and responsibilities

Rotate stock base on FIFO.
Input product inventory in WMS system.
Enter locations of stock into WMS.
Receive and organize merchandise ensuring pallets are safely accessible.

Prepare your warehouse receiving resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your warehouse receiving resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a warehouse receiving resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable warehouse receiving resume templates

Build a professional warehouse receiving resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your warehouse receiving resume.