General Office Clerk Career
General office clerks operate office machines, answer telephones, and complete other tasks vital to the daily operations of business. Clerks may be responsible for maintaining and updating files along with taking inventory of items to track which supplies need to be replaced.
General office clerks also have the task of communicating with customers concerning information concerning the company and complaints. A clerk may work alongside customer service representatives to take orders from clients when there is a shortage of employees. The general office clerk is typically responsible for mailing services and managing certain portions of the company’s database systems.
General Office Clerk Career Snapshot
General office clerks are bound to a desk throughout the day. Most workers use a computer to accomplish tasks, and some may be asked to work overtime if deadlines for the company are approaching. General office clerks usually work weekdays, though some employees occasionally take on weekend hours for additional pay.
Further details on a career as a general office clerk are listed below (statistics from the May 2016 Bureau of Labor Statistics and Onet Online):
is the average yearly salary for general office clerks.
increase in employment between 2014 and 2024.
have a High school diploma or equivalent while 34% have a Bachelor’s degree.
Office Clerk Education
Around 52 percent of general office clerks have only a high school diploma. Some workers, approximately 34 percent, hold bachelor’s degrees. Seven percent of the office clerk workforce has completed college courses without obtaining a degree.
Office Clerk Job Duties
General office clerks are responsible for assisting in the daily operations of the company. Clerks operate various office machines not limited to copiers, scanners, fax machines, and voice mail systems to complete tasks.
Office Clerk Salaries
General office clerks make an average of $14.70 per hour, which is about $30,576 per year according to BLS.gov reports. Workers living in areas where cost of living is higher may earn upwards of $24.24 per hour or $50,419 annually. Clerks residing in regions where cost of living is relatively low may earn $9,28 per hour or $19,302 yearly.
Education is sometimes a factor that either contributes to or takes away from what general office clerks receive in pay. Those with bachelor’s degrees sometimes receive higher wages because of their education. Individuals having only a high school diploma are usually paid the minimum hourly rate.
Office Clerk Job Outlook
The job outlook for general office clerks is around three percent over the next ten years. Such rate of growth is slower than the national average of overall employment prospects.
General Office Clerk Skills & Traits
| Office Clerk Skill Set: | Required Abilities: | Tools Used by Office Clerks: | Typical Work Activities: |
|---|---|---|---|
| • Active Listening • Reading Comprehension • Speaking • Social Perceptiveness | • Oral Comprehension • Oral Expression • Speech Clarity • Written Comprehension | • Franking or postage machines • Computer terminals • Photocopying equipment • Data input scanners | • Interacting With Computers • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates • Documenting/Recording Information • Performing Administrative Activities |
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