Inventory coordinator to warehouse order picker
An inventory coordinator already meets 16% of what the warehouse order picker role asks for. The move turns on 21 required skills not yet in the profile.
83.3/ 100
1 How much of what a warehouse order picker is expected to do is already part of an inventory coordinator’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the warehouse order picker role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A warehouse order picker role treats 4 of its required skills as things an inventory coordinator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- maintain stock control systems
- manage warehouse inventory
- operate warehouse record systems
- stack goods
What stands in the way is 21 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A warehouse order picker role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an inventory coordinator background worth leading with.
- already held operate warehouse record systems information skills
- already held maintain stock control systems handling and moving
- already held manage warehouse inventory management skills
- already held warehouse operations business, administration and law
- already held stack goods handling and moving
All 5 carried skills, including the 4 the warehouse order picker role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 26 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn check shipments required
- still to learn operate voice picking systems required
- still to learn pick orders for dispatching required
- still to learn store warehouse goods required
- still to learn use packaging equipment required
- still to learn use warehouse marking tools required
- still to learn lift heavy weights required
- still to learn operate chainsaw required
- still to learn secure goods required
- optional, not held identify damaged goods before shipment optional
- optional, not held manage transport of goods from warehouse facilities optional
- optional, not held assemble goods optional
- still to learn maintain physical condition of warehouse required
- still to learn follow written instructions required
- still to learn process orders from online shop required
- still to learn weigh shipments required
- still to learn ensure efficient utilisation of warehouse space required
- still to learn process customer orders required
- still to learn safety regulations for warehouses required
- still to learn types of packaging used in industrial shipments required
- still to learn comply with checklists required
- optional, not held deliver outstanding service optional
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a warehouse order picker role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 maintain material handling equipment practise this
- 02 check shipments practise this
- 03 ensure efficient utilisation of warehouse space practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 5 skills that carry over
- already held maintain stock control systems skill
- already held manage warehouse inventory skill
- already held operate warehouse record systems skill
- already held stack goods skill
- already held warehouse operations knowledge
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn maintain material handling equipment required
- still to learn maintain warehouse database required
- still to learn operate material handling equipment required
- optional, not held warehousing regulations optional
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held identify damaged goods before shipment optional
- optional, not held manage transport of goods from warehouse facilities optional
- optional, not held warehousing regulations optional
- optional, not held assemble goods optional
- optional, not held deliver outstanding service optional
18 held skills the warehouse order picker role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on efficiency improvements skill
- not needed by the target role carry out inventory control accuracy skill
- not needed by the target role carry out inventory planning skill
- not needed by the target role check for damaged items skill
- not needed by the target role develop communication networks with shipping sites skill
- not needed by the target role ensure stock storage safety skill
- not needed by the target role handle returns skill
- not needed by the target role inventory management rules knowledge
- not needed by the target role issue purchase orders skill
- not needed by the target role manage inventory skill
- not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor stock level skill
- not needed by the target role order supplies skill
- not needed by the target role oversee stock quality control skill
- not needed by the target role perform clerical duties skill
- not needed by the target role products coding system knowledge
- not needed by the target role receive goods skill
- not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn safety regulations for warehouses required
- still to learn types of packaging used in industrial shipments required
- optional, not held warehousing regulations optional
Other moves recorded from inventory coordinator
Common questions about this move
Can an inventory coordinator become a warehouse order picker?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An inventory coordinator already covers 16% of what a warehouse order picker is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 4 of which the warehouse order picker role treats as required.
What skills does an inventory coordinator need to become a warehouse order picker?
21 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is maintain material handling equipment.
How hard is the move from inventory coordinator to warehouse order picker?
Its learning distance is 83.3 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.