Baker job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

13

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

No formal educational credential

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$37,160

BLS May 2025

1. Measure or weigh flour or other ingredients to prepare batters, doughs, fillings, or icings, using scales or graduated containers. importance 4.6 of 5
2. Set oven temperatures, and place items into hot ovens for baking. importance 4.5 of 5
3. Check products for quality, and identify damaged or expired goods. importance 4.5 of 5
4. Check equipment to ensure that it meets health and safety regulations, and perform maintenance or cleaning, as necessary. importance 4.5 of 5
5. Adapt the quantity of ingredients to match the amount of items to be baked. importance 4.4 of 5
6. Place dough in pans, molds, or on sheets, and bake in production ovens or on grills. importance 4.4 of 5
7. Observe color of products being baked, and adjust oven temperatures, humidity, or conveyor speeds accordingly. importance 4.4 of 5
8. Set time and speed controls for mixing machines, blending machines, or steam kettles so that ingredients will be mixed or cooked according to instructions. importance 4.4 of 5
9. Combine measured ingredients in bowls of mixing, blending, or cooking machinery. importance 4.4 of 5
10. Check the quality of raw materials to ensure that standards and specifications are met. importance 4.3 of 5
11. Roll, knead, cut, or shape dough to form sweet rolls, pie crusts, tarts, cookies, or other products. importance 4.3 of 5
12. Decorate baked goods, such as cakes or pastries. importance 4.0 of 5
13. Apply glazes, icings, or other toppings to baked goods, using spatulas or brushes. importance 3.9 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Getting Information, Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates and Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Order or receive supplies or equipment.
• Prepare or maintain inventory or production records.
• Direct or coordinate bakery deliveries.
• Operate slicing or wrapping machines.
• Develop new recipes for baked goods.

Knowledge areas: Production and Processing and Food Production.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, ADP Enterprise eTIME, Axxya Systems Nutritionist Pro. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become a baker.

Most bakers surveyed by O*NET (57%) name a high school diploma or equivalent as the education the job requires.

Job title: Baker
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Baker to mix and bake ingredients to produce breads, rolls, cookies, cakes, pies, pastries, or other baked goods.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Measure or weigh flour or other ingredients to prepare batters, doughs, fillings, or icings, using scales or graduated containers.
- Set oven temperatures, and place items into hot ovens for baking.
- Check products for quality, and identify damaged or expired goods.
- Check equipment to ensure that it meets health and safety regulations, and perform maintenance or cleaning, as necessary.
- Adapt the quantity of ingredients to match the amount of items to be baked.
- Place dough in pans, molds, or on sheets, and bake in production ovens or on grills.
- Observe color of products being baked, and adjust oven temperatures, humidity, or conveyor speeds accordingly.
- Set time and speed controls for mixing machines, blending machines, or steam kettles so that ingredients will be mixed or cooked according to instructions.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists no formal educational credential as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in judgment and decision making, time management and active listening
- Working knowledge of Production and Processing and Food Production
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $37,160 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $17.86. BLS estimates about 236,200 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of bakers to grow 5.5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 36,500 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full baker salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real baker posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Measure or weigh flour or other ingredients to prepare batters…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only baker work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (judgment and decision making and time management); baker interview questions turns them into practice questions.