Graders & Sorters, Agricultural Products

Personality

Job Aptitudes

Who's Hiring

? FIT

Job Outlook:

None

Education: No formal educational credential Details

Education Details

64%

Less than a High School Diploma

27%

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)

Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)

Salary

High: $40,330.00

Avg: $32,990.00

Hourly Average

$15.86

Does This Career Fit Your Personality? Find Out Here Career Test Career's AI Replacement Score: MEDIUM

Summary of What they do:

Grade, sort, or classify unprocessed food and other agricultural products by size, weight, color, or condition.

Responsibilities

Sort forestry or agricultural materials.

Package agricultural products for shipment or further processing.

Measure physical characteristics of forestry or agricultural products.

Mark agricultural or forestry products for identification.

Record agricultural or forestry inventory data.

Tasks On The Job

Discard inferior or defective products or foreign matter, and place acceptable products in containers for further processing.
Grade and sort products according to factors such as color, species, length, width, appearance, feel, smell, and quality to ensure correct processing and usage.
Place products in containers according to grade and mark grades on containers.
Record grade or identification numbers on tags or on shipping, receiving, or sales sheets.
Weigh products or estimate their weight, visually or by feel.

AI and This Career

Replacement risk:

Why this score

Line tools can balance grade standard cards and stage defect photo packs. They do not hand sort and grade products on the line alone.
Graders remain accountable for hand sorting and grading of products under plant quality and often USDA standards.
Beyond the cards, the job is hand sorting and grading products on the line and catching defects before lots ship wrong.
Demand is soft to shrinking as some grading machines take volume while hand grading still needs people on many lines.
What actually happens: AI helps with grade standard cards, and graders keep hand sorting and grading products on the line.

How AI helps

Shift tools balance grade standard cards loads and prep lot tracking sheets alongside reject tally templates.

What stays human

Hand sorting and grading of products on the line stay with the sorter.

How we rated it: By our count, 3 of the 5 tasks O*NET lists for this job are mainly records, admin, or robot-ready physical work, for a replaceable share of about 60%. Exposure means AI could speed parts of the job; replacement means AI could take over most of it. Sources: O*NET OnLine 45-2041.00 tasks (2026); Eloundou et al., "GPTs are GPTs" (2023): exposure score 0.1 of 1 (the middle of 923 jobs is 0.36); ILO Working Paper 140 (2025): ISCO 9612 rated "not exposed" (task score 0.18 of 1); Graders and sorters, agricultural products; nearest Refuse Sorters (sorting work). BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 (Table 1.2 / nationalMatrix, https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/occupational-projections-and-characteristics.htm): projected employment change -3.4%.

Personality Strengths:

Determined by your work personality assessment.

Strength:

Determined by your Aptitude Aversion Assessment (A3).

Caution:

Potentially negative impact as a result of your A3.

Warning:

Likely negative impact as a result of your A3.

Potential Strength:

A characteristic you could perform competently, but may not come naturally.

PERSONALITY

KEY:

Personality Strengths

Strength

Caution

Warning

Potential Strength

Your Assessment Results		CAREER CHARACTERISTICS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	82%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	68%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	62%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	56%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	56%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	54%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	51%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.

Your Assessment Results		IMPORTANT STRENGTHS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment		77%	Realistic - Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment		67%	Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

APTITUDES

KEY:

Personality Strengths

Strength

Caution

Warning

Potential Strength

Your Assessment Results		ABILITIES \| SKILLS Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	56%	Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	56%	Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	53%	Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Your Assessment Results		TASKS \| ACTIVITIES Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	90%	Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	83%	Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	82%	Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	81%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	69%	Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	68%	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.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	60%	Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	60%	Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	56%	Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	55%	Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	54%	Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	52%	Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Your Assessment Results		CONTEXT \| ATTRIBUTES Importance


? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	91%	Spend Time Standing - How much does this job require standing?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	89%	Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams - How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	87%	Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	86%	Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - How much does this job require making repetitive motions?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	84%	Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks physically close to other people?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	83%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	80%	Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	79%	Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets - How often does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats or life-jackets?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	76%	Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment - How important is it to this job that the pace is determined by the speed of equipment or machinery? (This does not refer to keeping busy at all times on this job.)
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	70%	Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with or contribute to a work group or team in this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	65%	Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	64%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	52%	Frequency of Decision Making - How often is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
? ? ? ? Begin Career Assessment	64%	Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week.

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