3 Key Attributes Packaging And Filling Machine Operators And Tenders Need To Succeed In Their Career

by Ava Rodriguez

Monday, November 16, 2015

Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders operate or tend machines to prepare industrial or consumer products for storage or shipment. Includes cannery workers who pack food products.

The core tasks that packaging and filling machine operators and tenders are likely to carry out include:

Sort, grade, weigh, and inspect products, verifying and adjusting product weight or measurement to meet specifications.
Observe machine operations to ensure quality and conformity of filled or packaged products to standards.
Monitor the production line, watching for problems such as pile-ups, jams, or glue that isn't sticking properly.
Attach identification labels to finished packaged items, or cut stencils and stencil information on containers, such as lot numbers or shipping destinations.
Stock and sort product for packaging or filling machine operation, and replenish packaging supplies, such as wrapping paper, plastic sheet, boxes, cartons, glue, ink, or labels.
Package the product in the form in which it will be sent out, for example, filling bags with flour from a chute or spout.

In order to successfully forge ahead with their careers, analysts in a survey carried out by U.S. Department of Labor (via O*NET) have marked out the following as important attributes that packaging and filling machine operators and tenders would need. These attributes have been selected from characteristics and requirements strongly associated with the occupation. They are

Abilities: Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance
Interests: Preferences for work environments. Occupational Interest Profiles (OIPs) are compatible with Holland's (1985, 1997) model of personality types and work environments. Six interest categories are used to describe the work environment of occupations: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. An OIP consists of six numerical scores indicating how descriptive and characteristic each work environment (or interest area) is for an occupation
Knowledge: Organized sets of principles and facts applying in general domains
Skills: These include basic skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate learning or the more rapid acquisition of knowledge. Plus cross-functional skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate performance of activities that occur across jobs
Style: Personal characteristics that can affect how well someone performs a job

We have listed out attributes which were scored 80% or more in terms of importance by the analysts.

Having a strong preference for realistic work environments. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Attribute Type: Interests Score: 100%

Being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 87%

Being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 86.4%