Today, in this highly competitive world the clerical field is one of the highest growing careers. There is a great demand for administrative assistants and secretaries in several different industries. Clerical jobs comprise of someone such as a secretary who provides general support and executes several office duties for the complete work staff. Clerical jobs are characteristically found in several different settings of employment such as stores, small businesses, doctor’s office, large corporations, retail corporations and hospitals.
Significance
You must find the key capabilities and skills required for this position in the job posting/ad. Illustrate how you demonstrated these skills in your earlier jobs. Key skills for clerical positions generally include communicating with employees, customers and other people to answer questions and give information, answering and directing calls, compiling, filing, checking and distributing correspondence and documents, scheduling activities and recording data.
Functions
Individuals who work in the clerical field handle a lot of incoming work requests and paperwork, so their organizational skills must be above satisfactory. Clerical support staff is usually able to multitask by completing numerous jobs at once such as copying, faxing, filing and executing general tasks in the office. Several executives depend on administrative staff and secretaries to set appointments, type letters and finish clerical duties which crop up throughout the work day.
Clerical job description includes secretaries which make up the major portion of clerical jobs. They carry out duties such as compiling paperwork, typing cost reports, sending out mass mailings, taking notes and dictations at meetings. Receptionists are also a vital part of the clerical staff and their job description might include answering phone calls, relaying messages to executives and staff, setting up appointments and coordinating meetings for the staff.
Data entry clerks firmly work on a computer and accumulate data into a spreadsheet with accuracy and speed. Accounts payable or accounts receivable support personnel are also considered clerical staffs and handle several financial aspects of a business.
Higher education is not essentially required for any clerical job. Any individual with diploma with a reputed institution or vocational center could apply for such jobs. However, most of the companies prefer a person with a bachelor’s degree in office management. A clerk is supposed to obtain different skills at various stages in his/her career, so he/she should always be ready to learn new things in the job.
The annual average salary of a clerk is around $34,000 and is subject to variation for different organizations as per their job responsibility, work type and financial condition. The salary might also vary according to the experience of the applicant and might go up to $39,000 if he/she possesses the latest skills.
Having a clerical job means that you could make money enjoying what you do by showcasing your organizational skills and your capability to complete office duties on time and appropriately. Office staff workers and executives greatly depend on secretaries and others in the clerical field to assist with finishing projects and tasks as well as running everyday jobs and executing tasks on the computer.
From the above clerical job description, it’s obvious that clerical job is the back bone of any organization and one cannot afford to challenge its importance.