Shipping Clerk: Key Skills, Qualifications and Career Path
Learn about the key skills, qualifications, and career path for a Shipping Clerk
Practice Interviews Online - Identify your strengths and weakness in a realistic Shipping Clerk mock interview, under 10 minutes
Practice Now »What is a Shipping Clerk?
Shipping Clerks are responsible for ensuring that goods are accurately and efficiently moved from one location to another, often by coordinating with various transportation methods like road, rail, sea, and air. In this role, you'll manage the logistics process by keeping track of inventory, packaging items for shipment, organizing transportation, and ensuring deliveries arrive on time.
Skills
- Attention to detail and accuracy in record-keeping and documentation
- Knowledge of shipping regulations and customs procedures
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills for coordinating with suppliers, carriers, and customers
- Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks and deadlines
- Proficiency in using computer software for tracking shipments and generating reports
- Problem-solving skills for resolving issues related to shipping delays, damages, or errors
- Familiarity with inventory management and warehouse operations
- Understanding of transportation modes and routes for optimizing shipping costs and delivery times
- Leadership and team management skills for supervising shipping and receiving staff
- Adaptability and flexibility to handle unexpected changes in shipping schedules or requirements
Qualifications & Education
- Candidates can be recruited with a variety of academic qualifications or relevant experience
- Management trainee schemes in logistics offered by larger companies require GCSEs/S grades, A levels/H grades, a degree, or equivalent qualifications
- Off- and on-the-job training is provided
- Professional qualifications are available
- All transport managers are required to hold a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) due to EU legislation
- NVQs/SVQs in relevant areas, including supply chain and operations management, are available at Levels 2, 3, 4, and 5
Career Path
Frequently Asked Questions
On a resume, a Shipping Clerk should highlight their experience in fulfilling customer orders, maintaining inventory levels, reviewing invoices, retrieving and packaging products, and placing labels on outgoing packages.
A Shipping Clerk is responsible for recording and organizing orders, packing items into containers, labeling packages, and ensuring that each package is shipped correctly and on time to avoid missing deliveries or lost goods.
Logistics Coordinator, Warehouse Associate, Warehouse Specialist, Material Handler, and Inventory Control Specialist are all job titles that are common for a Shipping Clerk to move into, but there is no specific alternative name for a Shipping Clerk.
The skills required for a Shipping Clerk in the UK include scanning and sorting outgoing stock, pulling, packing, and loading, good written and verbal communication skills, a strong sense of time organization and urgency, and the ability to work independently and within a team.
Identify your strengths and weakness in a realistic Shipping Clerk mock interview, under 10 minutes
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