What skills should a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk put on a resume?

O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Monitoring among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Accuship Star System, ADi SmartBOL, AES MailSTAR, Aestiva Purchase Order, and Barcode labeling software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Receiver, Receiving Clerk, Shipper, and Shipping Clerk. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 75% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk resume example

A resume for a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk needs to show the work itself: verify and maintain records on incoming and outgoing shipments involving inventory. Day to day that means work like this: 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. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Receiver
Receiving Clerk
Shipper
Shipping Clerk
Materials Control Associate
Order Fulfillment Specialist
Receiving Associate
Receiving Coordinator
Shipping Coordinator
Traffic Assistant
PSE Sales and Services Associate
Booking Clerk
Break Out Man
Break Out Worker
Car Checker
Cloth Booker
Container Coordinator
Disposition Clerk

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

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.
Determine shipping methods, routes, or rates for materials to be shipped.
Compute amounts, such as space available, shipping, storage, or demurrage charges, using computer or price list.
Compare shipping routes or methods to determine which have the least environmental impact.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Requisition and store shipping materials and supplies to maintain inventory of stock, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Prepare documents, such as work orders, bills of lading, or shipping orders, to route materials, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Pack, seal, label, or affix postage to prepare materials for shipping, using hand tools, power tools, or postage meter, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Accuship Star System
ADi SmartBOL
AES MailSTAR
Aestiva Purchase Order
Barcode labeling software
Bill of lading software
Citrix cloud computing software
CMS Consultants WorldLink
DM2 Bills of Lading
Dydacomp Mail Order Manager
Electronic Data Interchange EDI systems
Endicia Internet Postage
Enterprise Systems RFID Data Management
Exact MAX

49 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Barcode printers
Box cutters
Desktop computers
Fixed radio frequency identification device RFID readers
Forklifts
Hand trucks
Handheld bar code scanners
Handheld scanners
High-speed/moving object scanning devices
Notebook computers
Package scales
Pillow packing machines

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Inventory management systems
deliver items
store items

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Speaking
02Active Listening
03Reading Comprehension
04Critical Thinking
05Monitoring
06Time Management

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Administrative
Computers and Electronics
Production and Processing
Mathematics
English Language

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

75%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
12%Associate's Degree
11%Bachelor's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Some Preparation Needed”. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Common questions

What does a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk do?: Verify and maintain records on incoming and outgoing shipments involving inventory. Day to day that includes work like examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy and Requisition and store shipping materials and supplies to maintain inventory of stock.
What skills should a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk put on a resume?: O*NET rates Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Monitoring among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Accuship Star System, ADi SmartBOL, AES MailSTAR, Aestiva Purchase Order, and Barcode labeling software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Receiver, Receiving Clerk, Shipper, and Shipping Clerk. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 75% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerk role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.