Warehouse order selectors are the backbone of successful fulfillment operations. HR managers and warehouse supervisors know they need qualified order selectors, but high turnover rates and a lack of qualified workers, especially in shallow talent pools, make finding qualified order selectors harder than it should be.
Covered in This Blog:
Learn which qualifications warehouse managers and supervisors should prioritize to secure personnel who boost operational efficiency, maintain accuracy, and uphold compliance standards.
What Is a Warehouse Order Selector?
A warehouse order selector finds, picks, and prepares products for fulfillment. Their workflow trajectory moves from the inventory to the shipping area, with a focus on speed and accuracy. They also function as organizers in the inventory area, sorting shelves, stacking items for movement to the shipping area, labelling shipments, and tracking inventory.
This means that warehouse order selectors often operate heavy machinery like pallet jacks, forklifts, and other PITs (Powered Industrial Trucks) to sort, lift, stack, tier, label, organize, and move materials. These responsibilities indicate that they have one of the most central roles in warehouse management, with KPIs that are directly related to overall fulfillment performance, including:
- Order fulfillment rate
- Picking accuracy
- Delivery times
- Inventory turnover rates
- Inventory tracking accuracy
These factors influence everything from cost performance to customer satisfaction and client renewal rates. Focusing on the right skills allows warehouse managers and HR directors to ensure the order selection process strengthens operational performance.
What Skills Should Order Selectors Have?
In a warehouse, the order selection process requires a variety of skills balanced into one seamless workflow, including:
- Working accurately to verify orders while maintaining speed
- Organizing numerous products, often with similar SKUs
- Using hand-held scanners and inventory management software (if applicable) to keep track of inventory levels
- Maintaining physical fitness to perform lifting and walking tasks between storage and shipping areas
- Communicating with floor managers and shippers to maintain seamless fulfillment
- Operating heavy lifting equipment, such as forklifts and pallet jacks
These skills range from general proficiencies to specific industry qualifications, making the process of hiring qualified order selectors difficult without industry guidance.
Essential Skills and Qualifications for Order Selectors
Finding talented workers with a range of skills requires prioritizing the right qualifications, both in terms of industry requirements and necessary operational guidelines.
Education
Becoming a warehouse order selector usually does not require specific education. However, a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent qualification may be desired, especially in competitive talent pools.
Why It’s Important: Though being a warehouse selector often requires physical labor, basic math and reading skills are needed to stay organized, track inventory, use scanners, work with warehouse management software, and more.
Age
Warehouse order selectors must be at least 18 years old to be qualified for the position.
Why It’s Important: Warehouse order selectors work in a potentially dangerous environment and are often required to operate heavy machinery. Workers must be at least 18 years old, even if their individual workflow does not include this machinery.
OSHA Compliance
OSHA outlines general safety and certification requirements that warehouse order selectors must follow to maintain safe operations. OSHA does not issue certifications directly but requires employers to ensure operators are properly trained. Employers must provide training that follows OSHA guidelines, which typically includes classroom instruction, interactive learning, written assessments, hands-on experience, and formal evaluations to verify operator competency.
Why It’s Important: OSHA certification must be maintained for warehouses to remain compliant. Training not only ensures operator safety but also helps managers identify and retain qualified personnel. OSHA requires that training be refreshed every three years or after any on-site incident.
Industry-Specific Qualifications
Depending on the products they handle, order selectors may need site-specific or industry-specific qualifications. For example, warehouses that handle medical equipment may require DOT-compliant medical or hazardous materials clearance; warehouses in food distribution may require a food safety handling certification.
Why It’s Important: Audits can impact operational stability, and operators need to be prepared to pass federal, industry-specific, and local regulation requirements. Finding staff certified to transport materials, especially in certain industries, can be challenging. Rapid-response warehouse staffing services play an important role in supporting fulfillment operations, particularly in markets with limited talent pools.
Rapid-Response Staffing Services Provide Qualified Personnel on Short Notice
At NVT Staffing Warehouse Division, we recognize the challenges of finding qualified, experienced staff that can provide the necessary attention to detail, teamwork, and reliability needed to maintain your operations. Our rapid-response teams can be deployed within 72 hours, guaranteed to have the skills and qualifications needed to fulfill your operations. We don’t require long-term contracts, which means you can keep your distribution efforts running smoothly without paying for idle labor in your off-seasons.
Contact us today to learn how our rapid-response order selectors blend speed, accuracy, and dependability in modern warehouse fulfillment operations.