Forklift Operator Jobs in Demand

Are you a forklift operator looking for a job? Are you a business looking for an experienced forklift operator? Well, you’re both in luck, because skilled forklift operators are in high demand and there are plenty of potentially excellent employees out there looking for jobs. It may take a little give and take on both your parts to find the right match, but it will be worth it.

Tips for Forklift Operator Job Seekers

If you’re an experienced forklift operator looking for a job, it’s probably for one of two reasons:

1. You were a victim of downsizing or the company you worked for went out of business.
2. You want to find a better-paying job.

If you’re an experienced forklift operator, you may not be as experienced at looking for work as you could be. How do you go about looking for a job? You could do it the old-fashioned way and go “door knocking” at every factory and warehouse in your vicinity, but that’s time-consuming and expensive. If you’re reading this, you have a much faster and easier way to look for jobs: online.

Start by typing “forklift operator jobs” in your search engine. A quick search will yield dozens of sites with thousands of available jobs. For example, as of this writing:

• Monster.com had listings for warehouse forklift operators
• Indeed.com had thousands of listings.

The catch is that the jobs were all over the country. If relocating is not an option for you, narrow down your search to the widest possible area. For example, if you live outside of Chicago, try your city or county first (just add the location to your search for “forklift operator jobs”).

If you’re looking for a higher-paying job, those listed on some job boards are broken down into pay scales. On indeed.com, for example, there were 5 Salary Estimate ranges. The majority (over 38,000) were in the $20,000+ range, but there were also nearly 11,000 in the $40,000+ and $60,000+ ranges as well as nearly 1,000 that paid $100,000 or more.

Tips for Employers Looking for Forklift Operators

 

Traditionally, forklift operators have been hired “in house.”  This continues to be a great way to find forklift operators, but it’s by no means the only way. You can advertise online for experienced forklift operators, but another way to find an ideal employee is to look for someone who has all the necessary skills and work ethics, but lacks forklift training and certification. Who might that person be?

The Wall Street Journal argues that one of the most overlooked ideal employees is the veteran. They have all it takes to be a great employee, but because they have been out of the job market for so long, sometimes lack the specific skill set for a job.  According to the WSJ article, Why Veterans Make Good Employees, veterans have:

• Decision-making skills primed by quick, clear thinking.
• Proven leadership skills, honed in the most challenging operational environments.
• The knowledge and experience needed to be sophisticated team-builders and natural team-players.
• A work ethic that demonstrates an unwavering commitment to excellence.

Forbes magazine made a similar argument and listed 2 job platforms for vets that could be a great starting point for you if you are looking for a new forklift operator or anyone with materials handling and/or logistics skills. Vet Jobs, Recruit Military are 2 sites devoted exclusively to helping veterans find employment and Military Veterans Job News is a great source for finding out more about the advantages of hiring veterans.

Your investment in training a veteran could be the best investment you ever make. Who better to trust than someone you’ve entrusted your nation’s security to?