RecordMove

Warehouse worker to warehouse order picker

A warehouse worker already meets 48% of what the warehouse order picker role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From warehouse worker

Partial match

To warehouse order picker

15 You already bring

13 Still to learn

31 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

57.7/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a warehouse order picker is expected to do is already part of a warehouse worker’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

Why this move works

A warehouse order picker role treats 12 of its required skills as things a warehouse worker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

follow written instructions
lift heavy weights
maintain physical condition of warehouse
maintain stock control systems
manage warehouse inventory
operate warehouse record systems

What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 15 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 a warehouse worker background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held use warehouse marking tools handling and moving
already held identify damaged goods before shipment handling and moving
already held manage transport of goods from warehouse facilities handling and moving
already held pick orders for dispatching handling and moving
already held types of packaging used in industrial shipments services
already held maintain physical condition of warehouse communication, collaboration and creativity

All 15 carried skills, including the 12 the warehouse order picker role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 16 missing skills fall into 8 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 handling and moving 5 required

still to learn check shipments required
still to learn operate voice picking systems required
still to learn store warehouse goods required
still to learn use packaging equipment required
still to learn operate chainsaw required

02 information skills 2 required

still to learn process orders from online shop required
still to learn weigh shipments required

03 management skills 2 required

still to learn ensure efficient utilisation of warehouse space required
still to learn process customer orders required

04 assisting and caring 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn comply with checklists required

optional, not held deliver outstanding service optional

05 constructing 1 required

still to learn maintain material handling equipment required

06 working with computers 1 required

still to learn maintain warehouse database required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 15 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held follow written instructions skill
already held lift heavy weights skill
already held maintain physical condition of warehouse skill
already held maintain stock control systems skill
already held manage warehouse inventory skill
already held operate warehouse record systems skill
already held pick orders for dispatching skill
already held safety regulations for warehouses knowledge
already held secure goods skill
already held stack goods skill
already held types of packaging used in industrial shipments knowledge
already held use warehouse marking tools skill
already held assemble goods skill
already held identify damaged goods before shipment skill
already held manage transport of goods from warehouse facilities skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required

still to learn operate material handling equipment required

08 business, administration and law 2 supplementary

optional, not held warehouse operations optional
optional, not held warehousing regulations optional

3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held warehouse operations optional
optional, not held warehousing regulations optional
optional, not held deliver outstanding service optional

51 held skills the warehouse order picker role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role adapt to changing situations skill
not needed by the target role analyse packaging requirements skill
not needed by the target role apply procedures to ensure cargo complies with customs regulations skill
not needed by the target role apply techniques for stacking goods into containers skill
not needed by the target role apply transportation management concepts skill
not needed by the target role assist in the movement of heavy loads skill
not needed by the target role carry out ship-to-shore operations skill
not needed by the target role check for damaged items skill
not needed by the target role clean industrial containers skill
not needed by the target role clean warehouse skill
not needed by the target role control of expenses skill
not needed by the target role cooperate with colleagues skill
not needed by the target role dispatch order processing skill
not needed by the target role ensure quality control in packaging skill
not needed by the target role follow stock control instructions skill
not needed by the target role follow verbal instructions skill
not needed by the target role freight transport methods knowledge
not needed by the target role handle customer complaints skill
not needed by the target role handle fragile items skill
not needed by the target role handle paperwork related to warehouse stock skill
not needed by the target role handle returns skill
not needed by the target role handle shipment paperwork skill
not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
not needed by the target role have spatial awareness skill
not needed by the target role implement efficiency plans for logistics operations skill
not needed by the target role load products for dispatch skill
not needed by the target role manage packaging material skill
not needed by the target role match goods with appropriate packaging according to security procedures skill
not needed by the target role monitor packaging operations skill
not needed by the target role monitor stock level skill
not needed by the target role operate package processing equipment skill
not needed by the target role operate warehouse materials skill
not needed by the target role operate weighing machine skill
not needed by the target role organise information skill
not needed by the target role oversee stock quality control skill
not needed by the target role packaging engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role pallets loading skill
not needed by the target role perform cleaning duties skill
not needed by the target role plan shifts of employees skill
not needed by the target role product packaging requirements knowledge

11 further entries not listed here

2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held warehouse operations optional
optional, not held warehousing regulations optional

Index

Other moves recorded from warehouse worker

Full index of moves from warehouse worker

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a warehouse worker become a warehouse order picker?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A warehouse worker already covers 48% of what a warehouse order picker is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 12 of which the warehouse order picker role treats as required.

What skills does a warehouse worker need to become a warehouse order picker?

13 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 8 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 warehouse worker to warehouse order picker?

Its learning distance is 57.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.