How to hire order clerks
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
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 • Check inventory records to determine availability of requested merchandise. • Compute total charges for merchandise or services and shipping charges. • Inspect outgoing work for compliance with customers' specifications. • Obtain customers' names, addresses, and billing information, product numbers, and specifications of items to be purchased, and enter this information on order forms. • Receive and respond to customer complaints. • Recommend merchandise or services that will meet customers' needs. • Review orders for completeness according to reporting procedures and forward incomplete orders for further processing. • Verify customer and order information for correctness, checking it against previously obtained information as necessary. 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: Some college, no degree] • Strong active listening, speaking, reading comprehension, critical thinking, monitoring and writing skills • Working knowledge of customer and personal service, production and processing, computers and electronics and education and training • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $22.20 an hour ($46,170 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for order clerks
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.
- Tell me about a time you had to check inventory records to determine availability of requested merchandise. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to compute total charges for merchandise or services and shipping charges. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to inspect outgoing work for compliance with customers' specifications. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to obtain customers' names, addresses, and billing information, product numbers, and specifications of items to be purchased, and enter this information on order forms. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- 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 order clerks do
- Check inventory records to determine availability of requested merchandise.
- Compute total charges for merchandise or services and shipping charges.
- Inspect outgoing work for compliance with customers' specifications.
- Obtain customers' names, addresses, and billing information, product numbers, and specifications of items to be purchased, and enter this information on order forms.
- Receive and respond to customer complaints.
- Recommend merchandise or services that will meet customers' needs.
- Review orders for completeness according to reporting procedures and forward incomplete orders for further processing.
- Verify customer and order information for correctness, checking it against previously obtained information as necessary.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for order clerks
- Typical education to start: Some college, no degree (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 1 to 2 years (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: -17.5% over ten years, declining · about 6,300 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay order clerks
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $55,040 |
| Oregon | $50,260 |
| Colorado | $49,530 |
| Arizona | $48,590 |
| Minnesota | $48,400 |
| Utah | $40,260 |
| Tennessee | $39,160 |
| Louisiana | $37,520 |
See order clerks pay in every state
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Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob 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.