What a shipping and receiving clerk does
Shipping and receiving clerks manage the flow of goods through your dock. They check incoming deliveries against purchase orders and bills of lading, note shortages and damage, enter receipts into your inventory system, and prepare outgoing orders with the right packing slips, labels and carrier documents. They often book pickups, communicate with carriers and help load or unload. Errors at this point affect inventory counts, invoicing and customer satisfaction, so careful work saves you money and headaches.
Finch looks for clerks who combine hands-on dock experience with strong record-keeping. We ask about the inventory and warehouse systems candidates have used, their experience with carrier and customs paperwork, and how they handle discrepancies. Many roles also involve forklift or pallet jack work, so we confirm training where needed. You get a shortlist of suitable clerks who can keep your dock organized and your records accurate.
Typical responsibilities
- Receive deliveries and check quantities and condition against purchase orders
- Record receipts, shipments and adjustments in the inventory or ERP system
- Prepare packing slips, bills of lading and shipping labels
- Book carrier pickups and track outgoing shipments
- Report shortages, damage and discrepancies to purchasing or customers
- Help load and unload trucks, using a pallet jack or forklift where trained
Qualifications and credentials
- No licence is required; employers usually look for shipping, receiving or inventory experience
- Comfort with ERP or warehouse systems, spreadsheets and RF scanners
- Knowledge of bills of lading, packing slips and basic customs documents for cross-border shipments
- Forklift or powered pallet truck training, with proof of competency, when dock work calls for it
- Strong attention to detail and organization skills
Who hires a shipping and receiving clerk
- Manufacturers and assembly plants
- Wholesale and industrial distributors
- Retail and e-commerce warehouses
- Building supply and hardware companies
- Laboratories, hospitals and institutional facilities
Where we recruit shipping and receiving clerk candidates
We fill shipping and receiving clerk roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Systems used for inventory, shipping and carrier booking
- Accuracy with counts, paperwork and data entry
- Experience with cross-border, LTL or parcel shipments
- Forklift training where required, and physical readiness for dock work
Interview questions to ask
- A delivery arrives with fewer cases than the bill of lading shows. What steps do you take?
- Which inventory or ERP systems have you used, and what did you do in them each day?
- How do you prioritize when several trucks arrive at once and an urgent order needs to ship?