Sewing Machine Operators

Operate or tend sewing machines to join, reinforce, decorate, or perform related sewing operations in the manufacture of garment or nongarment products.

On the job, you would:

Monitor machine operation to detect problems such as defective stitching, breaks in thread, or machine malfunctions.
Place spools of thread, cord, or other materials on spindles, insert bobbins, and thread ends through machine guides and components.
Position items under needles, using marks on machines, clamps, templates, or cloth as guides.

Personality

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Characteristics of this Career
		85%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
		75%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
		70%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
		68%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
		68%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
		66%	Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
		66%	Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
		62%	Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
		62%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
		61%	Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
		60%	Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
		56%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Strengths
		95%	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.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Values of the Work Environment
		56%	Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

Aptitude

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Abilities \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		69%	Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
		66%	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.
		63%	Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
		60%	Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
		56%	Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
		53%	Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
		53%	Rate Control - The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
		53%	Information Ordering - The 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).

Job Details

Responsibilities

Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions.

Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.

Load materials into production equipment.

Feed materials or products into or through equipment.

Compare physical characteristics of materials or products to specifications or standards.

Maneuver workpieces in equipment during production.

Operate sewing equipment.

Record operational or production data.

Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.

Inspect garments for defects, damage, or stains.

Select production input materials.

Operate sewing equipment.

Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment.

Trim excess material from workpieces.

Adjust fabrics or other materials during garment production.

Clean production equipment.

Maintain production or processing equipment.

Replace worn equipment components.

Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications.

Operate sewing equipment.

Repair textiles or apparel.

Cut fabrics.

Remove accessories, tools, or other parts from equipment.

Remove products or workpieces from production equipment.

Position patterns on equipment, materials, or workpieces.

Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.

Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.

Attach decorative or functional accessories to products.

Operate sewing equipment.

Attach decorative or functional accessories to products.

Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.

Repair textiles or apparel.

Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent
		92%	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?
		86%	Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting?
		86%	Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - How much does this job require making repetitive motions?
		75%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
		69%	Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
		64%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
		64%	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?
		63%	Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
		62%	Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?
		61%	Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
		57%	Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
		57%	Spend Time Bending or Twisting the Body - How much does this job require bending or twisting your body?
		56%	Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Tasks & Values
		64%	Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
		61%	Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials - Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
		60%	Controlling Machines and Processes - Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
		56%	Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
		56%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
		55%	Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Getting Started

Education:

53%

Less than a High School Diploma

41%

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

Sewing Machine Operators

What they do:

On the job, you would:

Personality

Characteristics of this Career

Strengths

Values of the Work Environment

Aptitude

Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality

Job Details

Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent

Tasks & Values

Getting Started