Office Clerks, General Occupation Details

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Office Clerks, General

The main tasks and work activities of Office Clerks, General are to collect deposits, payments or fees, execute sales or other financial transactions, prepare cash for deposit or disbursement, respond to customer problems or complaints. In general, for the Office Clerks, General, active Listening, reading Comprehension, speaking, writing and other 6 skills are required.

Office Clerks, General Job Description
Education	These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Related Experience	Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Job Training	Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Example	These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, and tellers.

The following chart shows the education/training levels for Office Clerks, General jobs. 40.59% of Office Clerks, General have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 6.52% of Office Clerks, General have Post-Secondary Certificate.

Less than a High School Diploma

1.50%

High School Diploma (or the equivalent)

40.59%

Post-Secondary Certificate

6.52%

Some College Courses

14.74%

Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)

36.41%

Bachelor's Degree and Above

0.24%

Tasks and Work Activities of Office Clerks, General

Collect, count, and disburse money, do basic bookkeeping, and complete banking transactions.
Communicate with customers, employees, and other individuals to answer questions, disseminate or explain information, take orders, and address complaints.
Answer telephones, direct calls, and take messages.
Compile, copy, sort, and file records of office activities, business transactions, and other activities.
Complete and mail bills, contracts, policies, invoices, or checks.
Operate office machines, such as photocopiers and scanners, facsimile machines, voice mail systems, and personal computers.
Compute, record, and proofread data and other information, such as records or reports.
Maintain and update filing, inventory, mailing, and database systems, either manually or using a computer.
Open, sort, and route incoming mail, answer correspondence, and prepare outgoing mail.
Review files, records, and other documents to obtain information to respond to requests.
Deliver messages and run errands.
Inventory and order materials, supplies, and services.
Complete work schedules, manage calendars, and arrange appointments.
Process and prepare documents, such as business or government forms and expense reports.
Monitor and direct the work of lower-level clerks.
Type, format, proofread, and edit correspondence and other documents, from notes or dictating machines, using computers or typewriters.
Count, weigh, measure, or organize materials.
Train other staff members to perform work activities, such as using computer applications.
Prepare meeting agendas, attend meetings, and record and transcribe minutes.
Troubleshoot problems involving office equipment, such as computer hardware and software.

Interacting With ComputersUsing computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Performing Administrative ActivitiesPerforming day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
Documenting/Recording InformationEntering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Processing InformationCompiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Communicating with Persons Outside OrganizationCommunicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Collect deposits, payments or fees.
Execute sales or other financial transactions.
Prepare cash for deposit or disbursement.
Respond to customer problems or complaints.
Confer with coworkers to coordinate work activities.
Answer telephones to direct calls or provide information.
File documents or records.
Compile data or documentation.
Send information, materials or documentation.
Operate office equipment.
Check data for recording errors.
Proofread documents, records, or other files to ensure accuracy.
Maintain inventory records.
Distribute incoming mail.
Sort mail.
Search files, databases or reference materials to obtain needed information.
Provide information to coworkers.
Monitor inventories of products or materials.
Schedule appointments.
Prepare employee work schedules.

Skills and Abilities for Office Clerks, General

Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Desktop calculatore.g. 10-key calculators
Laser printerse.g. Computer laser printers
Mainframe console or dumb terminalse.g. Computer terminals
Scannerse.g. Data input scanners
Desktop computerse.g. Desktop computers
Dictation machinese.g. Dictation equipment
Digital duplicatorse.g. Digital duplicating machines
Typewriterse.g. Electric typewriters
Notebook computerse.g. Laptop computers
Laser fax machinee.g. Laser facsimile machines
Letter folderse.g. Letter folding machines
Special purpose telephonese.g. Multi-line telephone systems
Personal computerse.g. Personal computers
Photocopierse.g. Photocopiers
Photocopierse.g. Photocopying equipment
Franking or postage machinese.g. Postage machines
Scannerse.g. Scanners
Premise branch exchange PBX systemse.g. Switchboards
Typewriterse.g. Typewriters
Voice mail systemse.g. Voice mail systems

ClericalKnowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Office Clerks, General Occupation Detailed Description

Tasks and Work Activities of Office Clerks, General

Skills and Abilities for Office Clerks, General