Parts Specialist job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Parts Salespersons

O*NET-SOC 41-2022.00

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

No formal educational credential

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$38,630

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Parts Salespersons (O*NET-SOC 41-2022.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Parts Specialist” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: O*NET's Sample of Reported Titles (titles job holders report), O*NET job-incumbent data and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Receive payment or obtain credit authorization. importance 4.7 of 5
2. Assist customers, such as responding to customer complaints and updating them about back-ordered parts. importance 4.6 of 5
3. Fill customer orders from stock, and place orders when requested items are out of stock. importance 4.6 of 5
4. Receive and fill telephone orders for parts. importance 4.6 of 5
5. Locate and label parts, and maintain inventory of stock. importance 4.5 of 5
6. Prepare sales slips or sales contracts. importance 4.5 of 5
7. Read catalogs, microfiche viewers, or computer displays to determine replacement part stock numbers and prices. importance 4.4 of 5
8. Determine replacement parts required, according to inspections of old parts, customer requests, or customers' descriptions of malfunctions. importance 4.4 of 5
9. Examine returned parts for defects, and exchange defective parts or refund money. importance 4.3 of 5
10. Manage shipments by researching shipping methods or costs and tracking packages. importance 4.2 of 5
11. Mark and store parts in stockrooms, according to prearranged systems. importance 4.2 of 5
12. Maintain and clean work and inventory areas. importance 4.1 of 5
13. Place new merchandise on display. importance 4.1 of 5
14. Advise customers on substitution or modification of parts when identical replacements are not available. importance 4.0 of 5
15. Discuss use and features of various parts, based on knowledge of machines or equipment. importance 3.9 of 5
16. Demonstrate equipment to customers, and explain functioning of equipment. importance 3.8 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Working with Computers, Getting Information, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public and Making Decisions and Solving Problems.

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, Administration and Management, Administrative and Computers and Electronics.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Word, Inventory control system software, Inventory management systems, Adobe Acrobat. 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.

The most common answer among parts specialists surveyed by O*NET is a high school diploma or equivalent (47%).

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

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Parts Specialist to sell spare and replacement parts and equipment in repair shop or parts store.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Receive payment or obtain credit authorization.
- Assist customers, such as responding to customer complaints and updating them about back-ordered parts.
- Fill customer orders from stock, and place orders when requested items are out of stock.
- Receive and fill telephone orders for parts.
- Locate and label parts, and maintain inventory of stock.
- Prepare sales slips or sales contracts.
- Read catalogs, microfiche viewers, or computer displays to determine replacement part stock numbers and prices.
- Determine replacement parts required, according to inspections of old parts, customer requests, or customers' descriptions of malfunctions.

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 active listening, speaking and persuasion
- Working knowledge of Customer and Personal Service and Sales and Marketing
- [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.

For Parts Salespersons, the median annual wage was $38,630 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $18.57. BLS estimates about 270,070 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Parts Salespersons to grow 3.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 30,000 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real parts specialist posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Receive payment or obtain credit authorization”, 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 parts specialist work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and speaking): a real situation, what you did and what changed.