How to hire cutters and trimmers, hand

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Cut, shape, and trim materials, such as textiles, food, glass, stone, and metal, using knives, scissors, and other hand tools, portable power tools, or bench-mounted tools.
• Mark cutting lines around patterns or templates, or follow layout points, using squares, rules, and straightedges, and chalk, pencils, or scribes.
• Mark identification numbers, trademarks, grades, marketing data, sizes, or model numbers on products.
• Mark or discard items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes.
• Position templates or measure materials to locate specified points of cuts or to obtain maximum yields, using rules, scales, or patterns.
• Read work orders to determine dimensions, cutting locations, and quantities to cut.
• Trim excess material or cut threads off finished products, such as cutting loose ends of plastic off a manufactured toy for a smoother finish.
• Unroll, lay out, attach, or mount materials or items on cutting tables or machines.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: No formal educational credential]
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $18.28 an hour ($38,020 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for cutters and trimmers, hand

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to cut, shape, and trim materials, such as textiles, food, glass, stone, and metal, using knives, scissors, and other hand tools, portable power tools, or bench-mounted tools. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to mark cutting lines around patterns or templates, or follow layout points, using squares, rules, and straightedges, and chalk, pencils, or scribes. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to mark identification numbers, trademarks, grades, marketing data, sizes, or model numbers on products. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to mark or discard items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What cutters and trimmers, hand do

• Cut, shape, and trim materials, such as textiles, food, glass, stone, and metal, using knives, scissors, and other hand tools, portable power tools, or bench-mounted tools.
• Mark cutting lines around patterns or templates, or follow layout points, using squares, rules, and straightedges, and chalk, pencils, or scribes.
• Mark identification numbers, trademarks, grades, marketing data, sizes, or model numbers on products.
• Mark or discard items with defects such as spots, stains, scars, snags, chips, scratches, or unacceptable shapes or finishes.
• Position templates or measure materials to locate specified points of cuts or to obtain maximum yields, using rules, scales, or patterns.
• Read work orders to determine dimensions, cutting locations, and quantities to cut.
• Trim excess material or cut threads off finished products, such as cutting loose ends of plastic off a manufactured toy for a smoother finish.
• Unroll, lay out, attach, or mount materials or items on cutting tables or machines.

Education, experience and outlook for cutters and trimmers, hand

• Typical education to start: No formal educational credential (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 3 to 6 months (O*NET)
• Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
• Job outlook: -18.9% over ten years, declining · about 500 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay cutters and trimmers, hand

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See cutters and trimmers, hand pay in every state

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Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.