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Butchers and Meat Cutters Occupation Detailed Description

Butchers and Meat Cutters career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Butchers and Meat Cutters

The main tasks and work activities of Butchers and Meat Cutters are to prepare meat products for sale or consumption, weigh finished products, mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information, cut meat products. In general, for the Butchers and Meat Cutters, active Listening, time Management, service Orientation, social Perceptiveness and other 5 skills are required.
Butchers and Meat Cutters Job Description
EducationThese occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Related ExperienceSome previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, and tellers.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Butchers and Meat Cutters jobs. 69.93% of Butchers and Meat Cutters have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 2.44% of Butchers and Meat Cutters have Post-Secondary Certificate.
Less than a High School Diploma
20.36%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
69.93%
Post-Secondary Certificate
2.44%
Some College Courses
7.27%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
0.00%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
0.00%

Tasks and Work Activities of Butchers and Meat Cutters

  • Wrap, weigh, label, and price cuts of meat.
  • Prepare and place meat cuts and products in display counter to appear attractive and catch the shopper's eye.
  • Prepare special cuts of meat ordered by customers.
  • Cut, trim, bone, tie, and grind meats, such as beef, pork, poultry, and fish, to prepare in cooking form.
  • Receive, inspect, and store meat upon delivery to ensure meat quality.
  • Shape, lace, and tie roasts, using boning knife, skewer, and twine.
  • Estimate requirements and order or requisition meat supplies to maintain inventories.
  • Supervise other butchers or meat cutters.
  • Record quantity of meat received and issued to cooks or keep records of meat sales.
  • Negotiate with representatives from supply companies to determine order details.
  • Cure, smoke, tenderize, and preserve meat.
  • Total sales, and collect money from customers.
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the PublicPerforming for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or MaterialInspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Performing General Physical ActivitiesPerforming physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
  • Selling or Influencing OthersConvincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
  • Controlling Machines and ProcessesUsing either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Prepare meat products for sale or consumption.
  • Weigh finished products.
  • Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
  • Cut meat products.
  • Inspect food products.
  • Order materials, supplies, or equipment.
  • Estimate material requirements for production.
  • Direct operational or production activities.
  • Record operational or production data.
  • Confer with customers or designers to determine order specifications.
  • Load items into ovens or furnaces.

Skills and Abilities for Butchers and Meat Cutters

  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
  • Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Manual DexterityThe ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Arm-Hand SteadinessThe ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Control PrecisionThe ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Finger DexterityThe ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Visual Color DiscriminationThe ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
  • Trunk StrengthThe ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
  • Air dryerse.g. Air knives
  • Blast freezerse.g. Anti-griddles
  • Commercial use food grinderse.g. Auto feed grinders
  • Commercial use food slicerse.g. Bacon slicers
  • Baling presse.g. Balers
  • Shacklese.g. Beef shackles
  • Power sawse.g. Beef splitting saws
  • Commercial use cutlerye.g. Bone dusters
  • Commercial use cutlerye.g. Boning hooks
  • Commercial use cutlerye.g. Boning knives
  • Chopping machinerye.g. Bowl choppers
  • Commercial use cutlerye.g. Breaking knives
  • Cutting machinerye.g. Brisket cutters
  • Commercial use cutlerye.g. Butcher knives
  • Power sawse.g. Butcher saws
  • Commercial use cutlerye.g. Chefs' knives
  • Dicing machinerye.g. Dicers
  • Commercial use dough machinese.g. Dough mixers
  • Commercial use cutlerye.g. Fish scalers
  • Commercial use cutlerye.g. Fish skinners
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Food ProductionKnowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
  • Production and ProcessingKnowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • Sales and MarketingKnowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.