Picker and Packer job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

8

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Packers and Packagers, Hand

O*NET-SOC 53-7064.00

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

No formal educational credential

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$36,280

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Packers and Packagers, Hand (O*NET-SOC 53-7064.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Picker and Packer” 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, the SOC Index and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Examine and inspect containers, materials, or products to ensure that product quality and packing specifications are met. importance 4.5 of 5
2. Measure, weigh, and count products and materials. importance 4.4 of 5
3. Record product, packaging, and order information on specified forms and records. importance 4.2 of 5
4. Seal containers or materials, using glues, fasteners, nails, and hand tools. importance 4.2 of 5
5. Assemble, line, and pad cartons, crates, and containers, using hand tools. importance 4.1 of 5
6. Obtain, move, and sort products, materials, containers, and orders, using hand tools. importance 4.1 of 5
7. Mark and label containers, container tags, or products, using marking tools. importance 4.0 of 5
8. Clean containers, materials, supplies, or work areas, using cleaning solutions and hand tools. importance 3.9 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Getting Information, Handling and Moving Objects, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings and Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events.

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.

• Remove completed or defective products or materials, placing them on moving equipment, such as conveyors, or in specified areas, such as loading docks.
• Place or pour products or materials into containers, using hand tools and equipment, or fill containers from spouts or chutes.
• Load materials and products into package processing equipment.
• Transport packages to customers' vehicles.

Knowledge areas: Production and Processing and Customer and Personal Service.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Autodesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Word, SAP software, Inventory tracking software. 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 short-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.

Most picker and packers surveyed by O*NET (54%) name a high school diploma or equivalent as the education the job requires.

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

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Picker and Packer to pack or package by hand a wide variety of products and materials.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Examine and inspect containers, materials, or products to ensure that product quality and packing specifications are met.
- Measure, weigh, and count products and materials.
- Record product, packaging, and order information on specified forms and records.
- Seal containers or materials, using glues, fasteners, nails, and hand tools.
- Assemble, line, and pad cartons, crates, and containers, using hand tools.
- Obtain, move, and sort products, materials, containers, and orders, using hand tools.
- Mark and label containers, container tags, or products, using marking tools.
- Clean containers, materials, supplies, or work areas, using cleaning solutions and hand tools.

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 monitoring, active listening and critical thinking
- Working knowledge of Production and Processing and Customer and Personal Service
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Autodesk AutoCAD or Microsoft Excel]
- [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 Packers and Packagers, Hand, the median annual wage was $36,280 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $17.44. BLS estimates about 559,820 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Packers and Packagers, Hand to decline 5.0% from 2025 to 2035, with about 61,800 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real picker and packer posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Examine and inspect containers, materials, or products to ensure that…”, 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 picker and packer work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (monitoring and active listening): a real situation, what you did and what changed.