How to Become an Order Picker

You will go into the warehouse stacks with an auditing device and find the items that the customer ordered. You check the items in the warehouse location to ensure that the SKU of those items matches that on the order. You do this with each item that a customer orders. You will go to multiple locations within the warehouse to fill more than one order per trip. Although you will stay within safety guidelines about how much material you can carry on the order picker, you will learn to balance efficiency with the required safety. That way, both you and the company benefit.

When working in a warehouse, an order picker uses a piece of equipment also called an order picker. An order picker is a kind of forklift. Some of them can rise three stories above the floor, which is why comfort with heights is crucial for your job. When you have collected the items for the orders on your forklift, you return to the shipping area to drop them off before going back to the stacks on your order picker for the next batch. You will make sure to update all relevant data in the auditing system computer to show that you completed the orders. To maintain safety standards, you have to be well-versed in all relevant safety equipment.

Generally, you will work indoors with rare outside work. Order pickers work in both the private and public sectors. You will go into the warehouse to work; there is not much opportunity for hybrid working situations or working from home. You will not have to travel, however, and the job gets you up and moving instead of sitting behind a desk all day. Because you could spend large portions of the day more than 30 feet off the ground, the job involves the possibility of falling. Your employer will cover basic safety and provide you with safety equipment. You might also want to take some OSHA classes to learn more about the safe operation of order pickers within the warehouse environment. It is also your employer’s responsibility to maintain the equipment, safety or otherwise, with which you work. For this reason, it is imperative that you report all safety problems or violations that you witness within the warehouse.

The person with whom you will likely interact the most, other than your fellow order pickers, will be the shipping clerk. You fill the orders and hand them to the clerk. You will also interact frequently with warehouse associates and the warehouse manager, who will likely assign you tasks other than “your usual” to complete during your workday. There will also be general laborers around, and they might help you pick. Material handling is very much a team enterprise. It is not possible to do it all by yourself. Therefore, it is a good idea to cultivate good working relationships with the shipping clerk, the warehouse manager, and the general laborers wherever you work.

Usually, you will work 40 hours per week. Sometimes, that will be five eight-hour days. Other times, it will be four 10-hour days. There is a high degree of likelihood that you will have to work overtime during busy seasons. Mostly, the job is permanent, but in the busiest times, companies might hire temporary seasonal workers to supplement the workforce. When it comes to shifts, almost anything is possible. You might work days one month and evenings the next month. Depending on where you live, you might also work a continental shift. Working less desirable shifts generally pays more than the preferred shifts, but this is not always the case. Companies will usually post the schedule the week before so that you know when you have to arrive and how long you have to stay. During slow times, there might not be much to do, so it behooves you to increase your skills and competencies so that you can remain useful to the company.

In fact, order pickers can prepare for the era of automation by gaining new skills and training for the future. You can study computer hardware, software engineering, and even electronics to prepare. That way, you can fix the machines that do the actual picking, program them, and maintain the flow of electrical power that makes the machines go.

Of course, for the time being, there will still be jobs driving order pickers and an advancement track that leads to a career in management. The point is that you can succeed over the long term by training now for the future and by moving up into higher positions that are currently available. The position’s job growth cannot help but be steady as online shopping increases over time. There will be room for advancement as companies build new warehouses, implement new technologies, and expand their employee base to cover those newly built locations.

Spherion will help you find a job and educate you on what is available. The team will help you gain the right skills for an order picker job. Spherion networks with partners all over the business world and has connections to help you achieve your employment goals. You have several advantages of working with Spherion, which include:

• Weekly pay
• Job flexibility
• Help available by having an assigned contact
• Opportunities for training

Most often, you will not, but you will need a forklift operator's license. Your employer will train you for that. The only time you would need a driver's license during working hours would be if you had to travel from place to place as part of the job.

It is a physically demanding job, but most companies value safety and make it a top priority. Order pickers need physical strength and stamina to lift heavy objects on the job all day.

That depends on the location of the company. Many are union shops, but some are not. The Laborers' International Union of North America has chapters across the country. You would have to investigate that once you find employment.

This depends on laws in effect where you live. In most jurisdictions, you receive coverage under Workers' Compensation. To find out, you could ask your HR department. You might also want to consult an attorney.

Applying for a job as an order picker is easy with Spherion. You can search for order picker jobs on Spherion.com by job title and location. If you don’t see the perfect role, you can submit an open application. Once you submit your resume through Spherion's open application, a recruiter from the office closest to you will reach out with details about potential order picker roles that fit your skill set and professional goals.