According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Prepare inserts, heel pads, and lifts from casts of customers' feet. | 96% |
| Dress and otherwise finish boots or shoes, as by trimming the edges of new soles and heels to the shoe shape. | 96% |
| Attach insoles to shoe lasts, affix shoe uppers, and apply heels and outsoles. | 90% |
| Clean and polish shoes. | 89% |
| Cement, nail, or sew soles and heels to shoes. | 89% |
| Check the texture, color, and strength of leather to ensure that it is adequate for a particular purpose. | 88% |
| Dye, soak, polish, paint, stamp, stitch, stain, buff, or engrave leather or other materials to obtain desired effects, decorations, or shapes. | 88% |
| Place shoes on lasts to remove soles and heels, using knives or pliers. | 87% |
| Shape shoe heels with a knife, and sand them on a buffing wheel for smoothness. | 87% |
| Repair or replace soles, heels, and other parts of footwear, using sewing, buffing and other shoe repair machines, materials, and equipment. | 87% |
| Cut, insert, position, and secure paddings, cushioning, or linings, using stitches or glue. | 87% |
| Cut out parts, following patterns or outlines, using knives, shears, scissors, or machine presses. | 86% |
| Construct, decorate, or repair leather products according to specifications, using sewing machines, needles and thread, leather lacing, glue, clamps, hand tools, or rivets. | 86% |
| Estimate the costs of requested products or services such as custom footwear or footwear repair, and receive payment from customers. | 86% |
| Draw patterns, using measurements, designs, plaster casts, or customer specifications, and position or outline patterns on work pieces. | 86% |
| Nail heel and toe cleats onto shoes. | 86% |
| Repair and recondition leather products such as trunks, luggage, shoes, saddles, belts, purses, and baseball gloves. | 85% |
| Align and stitch or glue materials such as fabric, fleece, leather, or wood, to join parts. | 84% |
| Inspect articles for defects, and remove damaged or worn parts, using hand tools. | 84% |
| Re-sew seams, and replace handles and linings of suitcases or handbags. | 82% |
| Stretch shoes, dampening parts and inserting and twisting parts, using an adjustable stretcher. | 81% |
| Drill or punch holes and insert or attach metal rings, handles, and fastening hardware, such as buckles. | 80% |
| Read prescriptions or specifications, and take measurements to establish the type of product to be made, using calipers, tape measures, or rules. | 78% |
| Attach accessories or ornamentation to decorate or protect products. | 78% |
| Make, modify, and repair orthopedic or therapeutic footwear according to doctors' prescriptions, or modify existing footwear for people with foot problems and special needs. | 77% |
| Select materials and patterns, and trace patterns onto materials to be cut out. | 72% |
| Measure customers for fit, and discuss with them the type of footwear to be made, recommending details such as leather quality. | 71% |
