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Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks

Verify and maintain records on incoming and outgoing shipments involving inventory. Duties include verifying and recording incoming merchandise or material and arranging for the transportation of products. May prepare items for shipment.

What you’d do

  • Examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy.
  • Requisition and store shipping materials and supplies to maintain inventory of stock.
  • Prepare documents, such as work orders, bills of lading, or shipping orders, to route materials.
  • Pack, seal, label, or affix postage to prepare materials for shipping, using hand tools, power tools, or postage meter.
  • Record shipment data, such as weight, charges, space availability, damages, or discrepancies, for reporting, accounting, or recordkeeping purposes.
  • Confer or correspond with establishment representatives to rectify problems, such as damages, shortages, or nonconformance to specifications.
  • Deliver or route materials to departments using handtruck, conveyor, or sorting bins.
  • Contact carrier representatives to make arrangements or to issue instructions for shipping and delivery of materials.

Skills that matter

  • Speaking
  • Active Listening
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Critical Thinking
  • Monitoring
  • Time Management

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Receiver
  • Receiving Clerk
  • Shipper
  • Shipping Clerk
  • Materials Control Associate
  • Order Fulfillment Specialist

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