Skills
Shipping and Receiving Clerk Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in shipping and receiving clerks, and how to build and show them.
Shipping and Receiving Clerks need technical skills such as inventory software, receiving procedures, and shipping documentation, plus people skills like accuracy and organization. They also use tools such as Warehouse management systems (WMS) and Barcode scanners and label printers.
Technical (hard) skills
- Inventory software
- Receiving procedures
- Shipping documentation
- Cycle counting
- Barcode scanning
- Basic forklift or pallet jack operation
People (soft) skills
- Accuracy
- Organization
- Communication
- Reliability
Tools, equipment and technology
- Warehouse management systems (WMS)
- Barcode scanners and label printers
- Pallet jacks and forklifts
- Scales
- Spreadsheets
- Carrier portals
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how shipping and receiving clerks put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Inventory software” and “Receiving procedures.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “accuracy,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Forklift operator training near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our shipping and receiving clerk glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Shipping and Receiving Clerk training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.