| Important Core Job Duties (in order of importance) For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 94 (%) | Description: Clean and maintain machinery, equipment, and work areas to ensure proper functioning and safe working conditions. |
| Importance: 91 (%) | Description: Record production and operational data, such as amount of materials processed. |
| Importance: 90 (%) | Description: Inspect materials and products for defects, and to ensure conformance to specifications. |
| Importance: 82 (%) | Description: Push dual control buttons and move controls to start, stop, or adjust machinery and equipment. |
| Importance: 80 (%) | Description: Weigh or measure materials or products to ensure conformance to specifications. |
| Importance: 78 (%) | Description: Identify and mark materials, products, and samples, following instructions. |
| Importance: 74 (%) | Description: Transfer materials and products to and from machinery and equipment, using industrial trucks or hand trucks. |
| Importance: 73 (%) | Description: Fasten, package, or stack materials and products, using hand tools and fastening equipment. |
| Importance: 71 (%) | Description: Load materials and products into machines and equipment, or onto conveyors, using hand tools and moving devices. |
Fashion Merchandising Careers and Jobs
Select, Find and Prepare for Fashion Merchandising Careers and Jobs - all on one page
For business-minded people who love fashion but want to work in buying, retail, or brand strategy rather than design. Use the tools below to see which fashion merchandising roles fit your background and goals.
This is the business side of fashion (buying, retail strategy, trend forecasting), distinct from the design/production track. Use the tools below to explore Fashion Merchandising-related job titles sorted by growth rate, salary, or required education. You can start with entry points like Retail Associate, or look ahead to advanced roles such as Fashion Buyer or Retail Brand Director. Along the way, you will see specific certifications, such as None formally required; industry experience matters most, that can help you move up the career ladder.
Here is a short Helper Video 
This page will take you through 4 steps to (1) Select from Fashion Merchandising careers/jobs, (2) Find Fashion Merchandising job listings, (3) Prepare for Fashion Merchandising careers, and (4) Provide Fashion Merchandising career-specific resources.
Step 1: Select a Career/Job: This page starts with 4 ways for you to identify and select from listings of Fashion Merchandising careers/jobs:
A) Fastest Growing Fashion Merchandising Careers - 2025 to 2035 (est.)
These listings are based on job growth estimates and helps you to identify the fastest growing and evolving Fashion Merchandising careers. Some careers may not initially seem related to Fashion Merchandising, so relevant Fashion Merchandising jobs are listed alongside each listing. This can also help us to identify which careers (bottom of the listing) may have negative growth - perhaps due to automation or planned obsolescence.
B) Median Annual Salary U.S. Fashion Merchandising Careers
These listings are sorted (descending) by median annual salary in the U.S. This may help us to identify our ideal career. We may not qualify at this time for the desired career, but this listing and the results provided can help us to explore job details, as well as learn how to appropriately prepare for the career.
C) Fashion Merchandising Career Ladders (Educational Requirements)
These listings will help us to identify Fashion Merchandising careers sorted by educational requirements (with the most difficult to obtain listed first). This may help us to identify career ladders (as we scroll down the list), and help us to get jobs that we qualify for now.
D) Select From a Listing of 185 Fashion Merchandising Jobs.
The list may be quite long. There are two ways you might like to use this list:
1) Filter - As you enter a word, you will filter (limit) the list of job titles
2) Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply explore the list of job titles. There may be many that you might never have considered to be of interest.
Once you have identified a job title of interest, simply click on it.
Step 2: Find a Job: After you have selected a career/job title above, you will see a form asking for your location. You will see several radio selection choices to utilize the job search site of your choice.
Step 3: Prepare For a Career: In this section you will gain access to detailed information to help you prepare for the chosen career. Information may include (not every career choice includes all of the elements below - updates occur quarterly):
Core Duties: Lists the primary worker-related tasks performed in this occupation
Supplemental Duties: Lists additional tasks that are performed but are secondary to the core duties
Work Activities: Summarizes the broad types of behaviors and actions related to this career
Specific Work Activities: Provides more granular day-to-day activities tied to the work performed
Essential Skills: Provides foundational skills that are core to performing this specific occupation
Transferable Skills: Provides career-portable skills that can be applied across multiple occupations and industries
Day-in-the-Life Summaries: Provides a snapshot of the key activities performed on a typical workday in this career
Knowledge Required: Provides the requirements regarding the acquisition of facts and principles
Software Skills: Lists software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized by category and priority
Preparation Required: Provides a summary of the required experience and education
Education Required: Detailed breakdown of the education required
Training and Experience Required: Detailed breakdown of the training and Training and Experience Required
Local Salary Information: Provides national and local salary ranges
Certifications: Provides appropriate government and private-sector certifications and/or credentials that may be required
Professional Associations: Provides professional associations that are related to the career selected
Job Listings: Provides links to active current job listings for the selected career, along with multiple similar job titles to explore. All information appears on this page without navigating away.
Related Careers to Consider: Lists up to 20 careers that might be of interest to you (related to your initial choice - what they do, what they know, and what they're called), ranked by best fit.
** If you clicked on a link from section D (as described in Step 1 above), you will see one or more links to an occupation that is usually a bit more general than your initial job selection - the link(s) is directly related to the specific job you identified through your prior selections.
*NOTE: It is possible that there may not be a career path identified for the specific job you selected in Step 1. If this is the case, scroll up the page and click on a different career/job.
Step 4: Career-Specific Resources (detailed and constantly updated): Continue to scroll down the page and you will find tabs that provide detailed (updated) links specific to the career you selected. This information includes:
Videos: Provides a listing of video links related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes: Sources for resume materials and techniques. This can help to get you started.
Job Description: Sources that provide job descriptions, which are vital to resume and interview preparation.
Interviews: Provides links that can help you to prepare for and successfully complete the job interview. Can also assist with coffee chats.
Step by Step: Provides links to resources that can help to organize the career search process.
LinkedIn: One of the best professional social media sites that provides links, opportunities, and networking specifically for careers and career development.
Step 1 of 4: Select a Career/Job
47 Fashion Merchandising careers are listed below (sorted by Percentage Change in Total Job Openings - 2025 to 2035 est.). Fashion Merchandising-related jobs specific to each career are also provided. This shows which careers are emerging and growing the fastest. Please Scroll and Select below:
| Occupations | U.S. Job Openings 2025-2035 (% change) | Fashion Merchandising-Related Jobs |
50 Fashion Merchandising careers are listed below (sorted by U.S. National Median Salary). Fashion Merchandising-related jobs specific to each occupation are also provided. Please Scroll and Select below::
| Occupations | National Median Salary | Fashion Merchandising-Related Jobs |
51 Fashion Merchandising careers are listed (sorted by Education/Preparation Requirements - descending) to provide career ladders. Fashion Merchandising-related jobs specific to each career are also provided.
|
Education/Preparation Categories: 5 = Usually requires graduate school (e.g., Master's degree, Ph.D., M.D., or J.D.) 4 = Usually requires a four-year Bachelor's degree 3 = Usually requires vocational training, related on-the-job experience, or Associate's degree 2 = Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, but not always Please Scroll and Select below: |
||
| Occupations | Education/Preparation | Fashion Merchandising-Related Jobs |
Scroll through the picklist (below). There are 185 specific Fashion Merchandising job titles listed. Select those that may be of interest - you will get active job listing links, along with detailed resources to help you prepare for a career related to that job.
You can use this form two ways:
Filter - As you enter a keyword, you will filter (limit) the list of job titles below
Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply explore the list of job titles. There may be many that you might never have considered to be of interest.
OR - leave blank and scroll through the choices:
Select a Job Title (Scroll and Select) :
Step 2 of 4: Find a Job
Find Job Listings:
Machine Feeders and Offbearers.
Step 3 of 4: Prepare For a Career
Machine Feeders and Offbearers
Description: Feed materials into or remove materials from machines or equipment that is automatic or tended by other workers.
Please click on a section below to expand and see detailed occupational information related to "Machine Feeders and Offbearers":
U.S. Total Employment (2025):
41,800U.S. Total Employment (2035 est.):
36,300
Employment Change (2025-2035 est.):
-5,500 (-13.1%) Average Annual Job Openings (2025-2035 est.):
4,000
Core Duties
Supplemental Duties
| Important Supplemental Job Duties (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 66 (%) | Description: Remove materials and products from machines and equipment, and place them in boxes, trucks or conveyors, using hand tools and moving devices. |
| Importance: 57 (%) | Description: Open and close gates of belt and pneumatic conveyors on machines that are fed directly from preceding machines. |
| Importance: 51 (%) | Description: Add chemicals, solutions, or ingredients to machines or equipment as required by the manufacturing process. |
| Importance: 40 (%) | Description: Shovel or scoop materials into containers, machines, or equipment for processing, storage, or transport. |
Work Activities
| Important General Work Activities (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 81 (%) | Description: Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. |
| Importance: 77 (%) | Description: Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles). |
| Importance: 70 (%) | Description: Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
| Importance: 69 (%) | Description: Performing General Physical Activities: Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials. |
| Importance: 67 (%) | Description: Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects. |
| Importance: 66 (%) | Description: Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. |
Specific Work Activities
| Important Specific Work Activities
How can you begin to build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. Specific Work Activities appear below: |
|
| Clean facilities or work areas. | |
| Clean machinery or equipment. | |
| Inspect items for damage or defects. | |
| Inspect work to ensure standards are met. | |
| Load materials into equipment for processing. | |
| Mark materials or objects for identification. | |
| Measure product or material dimensions. | |
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies. | |
| Operate conveyors or other industrial material moving equipment. | |
| Package materials or products. | |
| Record operational or production data. | |
| Shovel materials. | |
| Weigh materials to ensure compliance with specifications. | |
Knowledge Required
| Knowledge Required (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 67 (%) | Description: Production and Processing: Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Mechanical: Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance. |
| Importance: 59 (%) | Description: Mathematics: Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. |
Transferable Skills
| Transferable Skills (in order of importance)
These are skills that can transfer across occupations and industries. For the Top 5 most important, how can you strengthen these skills now so they support both this career and future career flexibility? |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 56 (%) | Description: Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly. |
Day-in-the-Life Summaries
| Day-in-the-Life Summaries These summaries show the main types of activities you are likely to perform on a regular basis in this occupation. How can you imagine your typical workday — using these examples to see if this type of work fits you? |
| Activity: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas. |
| Activity: Inspect completed work or finished products. |
| Activity: Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing. |
| Activity: Maintain operational records. |
| Activity: Mark materials or objects for identification. |
| Activity: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment. |
| Activity: Move materials, equipment, or supplies. |
| Activity: Operate industrial processing or production equipment. |
| Activity: Package objects. |
| Activity: Perform general construction or extraction activities. |
Software Skills
|
Software Skills These are examples of software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized from most to least important for your career preparation. How can you start learning or practicing the highest-priority tools so that you feel confident using them on the job? |
| Emerging Tech Skills |
| Electronic mail software: |
| Microsoft Outlook |
| Office suite software: |
| Microsoft Office software |
| Spreadsheet software: |
| Microsoft Excel |
| General Software Tools |
| Industrial control software: |
| Machine operation software |
| Time accounting software: |
| Work time tracking software |
Preparation Required
| Preparation Required - How much preparation is needed to obtain this type of job? |
| Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed |
| Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training. |
| Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. |
| Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training. |
| These occupations involve following instructions and often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include dishwashers, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, counter and rental clerks, dental laboratory technicians, and security guards. |
Education Required
| Education Required - by frequency of educational attainment This shows you details about the level of education most commonly held by workers in this occupation. How can you begin planning the educational pathway that will prepare you best for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Education |
| Frequency of Attainment: 73.0 (%) | Level of Education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) |
| Frequency of Attainment: 20.7 (%) | Level of Education: Less than a High School Diploma |
| Frequency of Attainment: 4.0 (%) | Level of Education: Post-Secondary Certificate |
| Frequency of Attainment: 2.3 (%) | Level of Education: Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree |
Training and Experience Required
| Training and Experience Required - by frequency of training and work experience attainment This section shows you how often different types of training and work experience are required for this occupation. How can you start gaining the kinds of experience and training that are most common for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience |
| Frequency of Attainment: 32.5 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: None |
| Frequency of Attainment: 16.5 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months |
| Frequency of Attainment: 15.0 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 14.7 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year |
| Frequency of Attainment: 7.1 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months |
| Frequency of Attainment: 4.5 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 4.2 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 6 years, up to and including 8 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 3.2 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Up to and including 1 month |
| Frequency of Attainment: 2.5 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years |
Local Salary Information
Select a State (scroll and Select) :
Please select a State to see State and National Salaries
Professional Associations
| Professional Associations These associations connect people who work in this occupation or related fields. How can you start using these associations to learn more, build your network, or find mentoring opportunities? |
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American Feed Industry Association (AFIA)
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Job Listings
| Job Listings and Similar Occupational Titles - scroll and click to identify common requirements, keywords, and skills in current job listings |
Related Careers to Consider
Step 4 of 4: Career-Specific Resources
This section contains detailed external resources appropriate to "Machine Feeders and Offbearers". Explore these resources to start learning more. Links are constantly updated, so bookmark this page.
Videos
Here is a listing of videos related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes
Here are resources that allow you to see example resumes for this occupation. It may be helpful to see examples from others who have this type of experience.
Job Description
Here are resources that provide job descriptions, which are vital for resume and interview preparation.
Interviews
There are many great resources that can help guide you through the interview process. These links provide help in preparing and performing an effective interview, specific to this occupation.
Step-by-Step
Here are links to help guide you, step-by-step, to become a(n): Machine Feeders and Offbearers
LinkedIn®
Here are links to various posts and groups from LinkedIn ® that relate to this occupation. Great way to start building professional contacts in the field that might be most appropriate for you.
Developed by Dr. Ralph Jagodka, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus of Business Management at Mt. San Antonio College and author of the Harvard Business Impact article "What to Do When Students Ask You for Career Advice." - Full bio. © 2026 About This Page
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