What Is a Document Control Clerk?
All businesses have important or confidential documents that have to be archived, safeguarded and kept for future reference or legal requirements. Construction, manufacturing and engineering firms often employ document control clerks. However, many other industries hire document control clerks. These documents must be managed and organized so that they will be easily available for future use. A document control clerk is in charge of organizing this process.
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Document Control Clerks
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Document control clerks are responsible for maintaining, updating and archiving master and supporting document files within a company's information system's database. They manage the document control strategy and ensure the proper control and protocols for all proprietary documents. Many of these documents contain confidential trade secrets, bids, and job or product specs. They cannot be left for anyone to pick up and review. The document control clerk may also be responsible for destroying confidential drawings, notes or other related information that does not need to be kept.
Document Flow
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This position may also require maintaining bills of materials, logging invoices for shipping and receiving requirements. This person must follow the flow of documents to ensure, or control, their route and proper handling. Lost or misfiled documents can cause problems in accounting, inventory, compliance matters and project details. The clerk must also examine all documents to ensure their accuracy. She must also post changes or addenda to her documents when they come in.
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Filing Systems
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Document control clerks often manage the filing system or the file room. They are responsible for checking documents out to related parties and re-checking them back into the file room upon their return. Knowing where the documents are and who has them is considered part of the job description. Attorneys often request documents from storage. The document control clerk would check them out to authorized personnel and see to their safe return.
Document Archiving
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Archiving documents for safe storage is an important role. This duty could mean scanning all required documents into a computer system for safe storage on a disk or hard drive. Manual files are filed in a document warehouse for safe long-term storage. Developing a system for fast retrieval is also an essential requirement. The policies may already be in place when a document control clerks accepts a position but once he accepts a position that process becomes his.
Faxes and Electronic Documents
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On occasion, document control clerks are put in charge of incoming faxes and electronic documents. Since these documents are easily lost, safeguarding them is a very important task. Faxes are often coded, duplicated and assigned to their intended recipients. A copy is now on hand and has been logged and filed. The same process will take place with many incoming electronic documents. Strict controls must be enforced on these forms of documents since more people have access to them. The list of responsibilities that could be assigned to a document control clerk is unlimited. It all depends on the type, size, and primary industry of the company.
Job Outlook
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Document control positions usually do not require a college degree. Many people enter the field through filing clerk positions. This experience combined with a high school diploma are often the top two requirements for this position. Document control clerks are paid anywhere between $20,000 and $35,000 dollars annually. There are lots of document control clerk positions available nationwide. To find a document control clerk position in your area, visit www.indeed.com. Enter the title "Document Control Clerk" and your city or town.
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