Clerical Job Descriptions

Clerks must be extremely organized.

Clerical jobs provide assistance to employers and other employees within a business who seek administrative support. Most clerical jobs start off at an entry-level position and can eventually expand into better paying positions that require more responsibility.

Significance

The clerical field is one of the highest growing careers on the job market. There is a high demand for secretaries and administrative assistants in many different industries. Clerical jobs consist of someone such as a secretary who provides general support and performs various office duties for the entire work staff. Clerical jobs are typically found in many different employment settings such as doctor's offices, stores, small businesses, large corporations, hospitals and retail corporations. Depending on the size of the business, there can be just one secretary or several office staff members who provide support to a corporate team.

Function

People who work in the clerical field handle a lot of paperwork and incoming work requests, so their organizational skills must be above satisfactory. Clerical support staff are generally able to multitask by completing several jobs at once such as faxing, copying, filing and performing general tasks around the office. Many executives rely on secretaries and administrative staff to type letters, set appointments and complete clerical duties that arise throughout the work day.

Types

Secretaries make up the main portion of clerical jobs. Secretaries perform duties such as typing cost reports, compiling paperwork, sending out mass mailings, taking notes and dictations at meetings. Receptionists are also a part of the clerical staff and their job description may include answering telephones, relaying messages to staff and executives, setting up appointments and coordinating meetings for the staff. Data entry clerks strictly work on a computer and compile data into a spreadsheet with speed and accuracy. Accounts receivable or accounts payable support personnel are also consider clerical and handle many financial aspects of a business.

Effects

Having a clerical job means you can make money enjoying what you do by showcasing your organizational skills, people skills and your ability to complete office duties timely and accurately. Executives and office staff workers greatly rely on secretaries and others in the clerical field to help assist with completing tasks, finishing projects as well as running errands and performing tasks on the computer.

Considerations

One should consider that for many entry-level clerical job positions a degree is not required, but to be able to pursue further careers in the clerical field later on, one must work on attending extra classes at a vocational center or completing college classes to obtain an associate's or bachelor's degree in office administration. Those who have a degree and have furthered their education in the secretarial field can likely double their salary as opposed to not having a degree or a certificate.

Resources

• Career Builder: Search Admin and Clerical Jobs