A clerical job is a variety of positions that have a focus on maintaining and providing the office with support that it needs. There will be clerical support positions in every setting no matter if it is a private company or a government institution.

The office clerical professional will have a wide array of skills and experiences which will be important working in the business environment. You need skills in the:

• Computer operations
• Computer programs
• Good spelling and proper grammar
• Basic math skills
• Others based on position

General Office Clerks

A general office clerk is going to be someone that will take on a variety of different jobs that will fit any need of the employer. This is the type of job where no two days are going to be exactly the same and you’ll need to do all your tasks quickly and effectively. You’ll be looking at job duties like:

• Filing
• Data entry
• Photocopying documents
• Mailing preparation
• Telephone

You’ll also find that you’ll be assigned various other things based on your experience and could include jobs of more responsibility such as payroll management and more.

Specialized Clerks

The data entry or mail room clerk is going to be in one area of the office only. The data entry clerk is going to be the person entering the information. Having excelling accuracy in your keystrokes per minute is going to be a necessity.

The file room clerk is going to keep everything both paper and electronic in good order and is also responsible for mailings and operation of the mail room equipment.

Receptionists

The receptionist is often the first face of the business and will be responsible for keeping the front of the office working properly. They may sort out and deliver mail throughout the office as well as answering the phones and keeping track of the fax machine.

Assistants

For those that have more experience or work their way up in the company a position or promotion into the assistant field is more than possible. Those roles can include secretary, administrative assistant and executive assistant. You’ll need to have a lot of knowledge of how things work and a very high level of responsibility.

You’ll be responsible for screening of calls, helping with correspondence as well as helping with the travel arrangements for your boss and other managers or company leaders in most instances. You’ll find for most of these jobs some level of certification or degree is going to be necessary.