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Receiving Clerk Job Description: Top Duties and Requirements

A Receiving Clerk, or a Purchasing Clerk, ensures the business runs efficiently by processing deliveries and returns, and ensuring items are correctly stored. Their duties include updating company inventories after items are received, checking with vendors to ensure that orders arrive on time, and inspecting deliveries when they arrive.

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Receiving Clerk duties and responsibilities

Receiving Clerks update records with computers and paper files, and communicate with vendors. Additionally, they place orders when managers request new items, and make sure truck shipments are unloaded and stocked quickly and efficiently. Other duties and responsibilities in a Receiving Clerk job description may include:

  • Giving feedback to employees and answering questions to improve productivity
  • Creating detailed reports about the items delivered and when new orders should arrive
  • Making payments to vendors within the company’s budget
  • Scheduling deliveries
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Receiving Clerk Job Description Examples:

What does a Receiving Clerk do?

Many businesses depend on Receiving Clerks for profitable, efficient operations. They check products and equipment for damage. They may return items to vendors when necessary, and they can store items in warehouses and other locations as well. They often communicate with marketing departments and Store Managers to display promotional or seasonal items at the right time and place. Receiving Clerks can work for hospitals, factories, and other businesses that get regular deliveries along with stores, and the items they work with will vary depending on their industry.

Receiving Clerk skills and qualifications

Successful Receiving Clerks are friendly and professional. They work with a wide variety of suppliers and employees and keep track of small details. Top skills and qualifications for Receiving Clerks include:

  • Written and verbal communication skills
  • Computer and data entry skills
  • Organization and time management skills
  • Ability to adapt to changing conditions
  • Understanding the products the business sells, the supplies they use, and the quality levels customers want
  • Understanding of math, accounting, and budgeting
  • Knowledge of applicable laws and regulations

Receiving Clerk experience requirements

Look for Receiving Clerk candidates with one or two years of experience in a similar position. Experience as a Receiving Clerk is preferable, but applicants who have worked in warehouses and have experience with inventory can also be successful. Skills are transferrable between industries, so people who have experience as a Receiving Clerk in a specific industry are still well-qualified to work in a different field.

Receiving Clerk education and training requirements

Candidates for Receiving Clerk jobs require a high school diploma or GED, though an associate degree in business, accounting, business administration, or a similar field would be an asset. Look for candidates with prior forklift certification, as forklift operators always need a licence. Candidates without certification can take a short course before starting work, so if strong candidates don’t yet have a certificate they shouldn’t be ruled out. The requirements vary depending on the province, but training usually takes less than a week.

Receiving Clerk salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, average pay of a Receiving Clerk in Canada is $17.09 per hour. This amount depends on the company’s location, the industry, and the candidate’s previous job experience.

Job description samples for similar positions

If a Receiving Clerk isn’t exactly what your company is searching for, some job description samples that could suit your needs include:

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Receiving Clerk job description FAQs

What is the difference between a Receiving Clerk and an Accounts Receivable Clerk?

Receiving Clerks spend most of their time unloading trucks, processing deliveries and returns, and updating inventories. Most Receiving Clerks work regular business hours, but some work off-hours shifts. The position can be full-time or part-time, and sometimes requires a uniform. Receiving Clerks need steel-toed boots and other safety equipment to work in a warehouse.

Job Description Examples

Need help writing a job description for a specific role? Use these job description examples to create your next great job posting. Or if you’re ready to hire, post your job on Indeed.

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