Clerical Aide Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a clerical aide. You can use our job description template in this article to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a clerical aide.
Who is a Clerical Aide?
A clerical aide is an individual who handles different administrative, typing, and clerical responsibilities to ensure that business offices run efficiently.. Office administration activities that clerical aides manage include filing, word processing, bookkeeping, and phone calls. They also place supply orders, perform auditing duties, and produce copies of various papers as needed.
Clerical aides are organized, have strong writing and IT skills, and are courteous on the phone.
A high school diploma or equivalent is the minimum education requirement for this job role. However, employers occasionally favor candidates with an associate’s degree or other postsecondary credentials.
Clerical Aide Job Description
Below are the clerical aide job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
A clerical aide’s duties and responsibilities include the following:
- Receiving incoming calls and transferring them to the appropriate division or individual.
- Managing the calendar of senior executives for meetings.
- Assisting other teams and personnel in executing their duties.
- Keeping the office in order and cleaning it.
- Making invoices and monitoring overdue bills.
- Respecting all corporate policies and guidelines.
- Welcoming visitors and directing them to the proper department or individual.
- Upkeeping the filing systems and organizing official documents for easy retrieval.
- Opening, classifying incoming mail and responding to correspondence.
- Keeping all company correspondence, such as contracts, purchase orders, and invoices, intact.
- Maintaining the confidentiality of all firm information and providing consistently top-notch customer service.
- Scheduling and making reservations for staff and senior executives.
- Preparing travel and itinerary plans as needed.
- Recording meeting minutes and taking notes.
- Organizing files to create reports for management regarding departmental practices or activities.
- Performing additional duties assigned to you.
Qualifications
The qualifications of a clerical aide include the following:
- High school diploma or a GED.
- Previous experience as a clerical aide or similar position.
- In-depth computer knowledge.
- Good math, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Reasonable problem-solving skills.
- Experience working with customers.
- In-depth understanding of the duties of office administration.
- Professionalism and the ability to work independently.
- Strong knowledge of office procedures and basic accounting principles.
- Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office and office management tools such as ERP and CRM etc.
- Strong customer service skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
Essential Skills
Clerical aides need the following skills to excel in their field of work:
- Time management:
The tasks that clerical aides execute vary; some can change daily. Therefore, they must possess time management, task prioritization, and productivity skills. In addition, they might be assigned a deadline for some duties, so they must plan their time well.
- Records Keeping:
Clerical aides must be able to maintain accurate records of both their work and that of others. This entails keeping a list of all the documents, files, and other things that may need to be archived or securely stored. It also necessitates having the capacity to appropriately record data when answering phones, entering data into computer systems, and filling out forms.
- Positive attitude:
Maintaining a cheerful demeanor that puts customers, clients, and employees at ease at work is essential. In addition, these skills help to create a positive initial image of the company for visitors from outside the office.
- Critical evaluation skill:
The ability to analyze difficulties at work and propose practical ideas to address the situation is known as critical thinking. Highly developed critical thinking ability is an essential skill clerical aides should possess because it increases their ability to deal with unanticipated scenarios.
- Problem-solving:
Working under pressure is imperative, especially when several workflows or deadlines coincide. Possessing the capacity to address issues efficiently can aid with this. In addition, problem-solving skill becomes helpful in a situation where unavoidable technological challenges develop because the job of a clerical aide mainly relies on software and technology.
- Multitasking:
Clerical aides may be in charge of numerous duties; therefore, they should have top-notch multitasking abilities. They may be in charge of taking minutes during meetings, processing documents, and taking calls. To do this, they need to be able to focus on multiple things at once.
- Attention to detail:
One must pay attention to details other employees might ignore to reliably respond to calls and emails, plan meetings and appointments, and prepare reports. To guarantee that the company can maintain its reputation as a reliable and informed one, it is preferable if an email sent to the entire organization is thoroughly proofread. Managing schedules frequently requires paying close attention to small things.
- Ability to communicate in writing and speaking:
Being a verbal and written communicator is essential for clerical aide employment because you may interact with people face-to-face or over the phone. You should also be able to convey complex ideas understandably. In addition, making sure your management and coworkers know the tasks at hand can help.
- Data entry ability:
Clerical aides use data entry to enter information about patients or clients, medical records, and other aspects of their employment. They could also need to input data for reports or presentations. Because they enable you to accurately record and store information that may be useful in your job, data entry skills are crucial.
- Schedule of Appointments:
Setting up appointments for managers and other staff members is a common task for clerical aides. Additionally, they could be in charge of organizing gatherings like conferences and meetings. Therefore, scheduling skills are essential since they enable you to manage your employer’s demanding schedule. You can learn how to schedule by registering for a meeting management or office administration course.
- Customer support:
Clerical aides usually deal with the public; therefore, they must recognize clients’ needs and provide customer service.
Clerical aides must be skilled in customer service because they constantly interact with clients and consumers. Customer service comprises providing information, answering questions, and fixing issues to help others.
- Computer proficiency:
Employers require clerical aides to demonstrate an excellent understanding of computers. It helps to have a basic knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel. In addition, it is advantageous to have other skills, such as website design or editing proficiency.
- Numeracy skill:
Since most clerical professions commonly involve some comprehension of fundamental mathematics, numeracy is a skill that clerical aides can use. If you’re in charge of bookkeeping or another form of basic accounting for a firm, it’s helpful to understand the numerical side of a corporation, which may contain statistics. Although having a solid mathematical aptitude is not necessary, it is advantageous to understand the essentials, such as how to add and subtract simple sums, and to possess keen analytical abilities.
- Database Management skill:
Clerical aides commonly manage databases for employers, which includes maintaining data accuracy, updating information, and adding data to the database. For example, if a business develops a new product, you could develop a database to track its production and sales.
- Organization:
The ability to manage paperwork, records, and other data is a requirement for clerical assistants. It’s essential to file documents correctly and have an organized workspace because clerical aides usually work with enormous amounts of data. You can also employ organizational skills when working on jobs or projects that need to be finished in several steps. For example, if you are in charge of organizing meetings for a manager, you may need to keep track of all the details, including the date, time, location, and attendance.
How to Become a Clerical Aide
If you are interested in this career path, follow the steps below to become a clerical aide:
- Step 1: Complete a high school diploma or equivalent:
A high school diploma or its equivalent is the minimum educational requirement for clerical aide positions, but many employers favor candidates with some postsecondary education. Consider taking a course specializing in computer applications to improve your skills if you wish to continue your studies. Also, consider enrolling in accounting or business writing courses to learn more about these specialties.
- Step 2: Consider completing a postsecondary certificate program in office administration or a comparable field:
Although a high school diploma or equivalent is the minimum education required for this employment, many employers favor candidates with some college education. For example, a certificate in office administration can help you get the knowledge and skills necessary for clerical jobs. A certificate might be offered by a vocational school, a community college in your area, or an online program.
Several of these courses are designed exclusively for those who desire to work as administrative assistants. Learning specialized job-related skills, such as how to utilize Microsoft Office and other software, is emphasized in these classes.
- Step 3: Sharpen your computer abilities and familiarise yourself with the required applications:
Computer literacy is necessary for clerical aides because they utilize computers and software often in executing their jobs. Therefore, learning about relevant software, such as word processing, spreadsheet, and database management programmes, is advantageous. Moreso, understand the security and confidentiality rules and practices at work.
Knowing how to use a supply inventory system can be helpful if you’re in charge of ordering and keeping supplies.
- Step 4: Obtain professional experience:
Applying for employment experience opportunities will help aspiring clerical aides get experience and insightful knowledge of the sector. While some organizations may post openings for clerical job experience, other firms may prefer that potential candidates contact them directly. Opportunities to get experience as a clerical aide, such as summer internships, may not be paid, but many entry-level jobs are. Candidates for opportunities can emphasize pertinent work experience in their resumes and cover letters.
- Step 5: Demonstrate excellent interpersonal, communication, and Customer service abilities:
Clerical aides interact with various people in their workplace, from coworkers and managers to clients and customers. Therefore, they must be able to talk effectively and listen attentively to ensure they understand all the information requested.
They should also have good customer service abilities to make each client or customer feel valued and appreciated. Because clerical aides may need to communicate with others in person or over the phone, they must have strong communication skills.
- Step 6: Maintain order and give attention to the little things:
Clerical aides must be well-organized and detail-oriented to ensure they can effectively accomplish their work assignments on time. Setting priorities and keeping track of what should come first is vital because they frequently need to work on multiple activities or projects simultaneously. Another advantage of being detail-oriented is that it makes it easier to locate any documents or files that could be needed for a project.
- Step 7: Have a compelling sense of time management:
Clerical aides typically have to complete tasks by a tight deadline; therefore, they must be able to prioritize their tasks and adequately manage their time. Setting priorities and effectively managing them is essential to ensuring that each job or project they may be working on gets done.
Clerical aides interact with people in various ways, occasionally leading to unanticipated events. However, those in this career path with good time management skills can respond quickly and successfully to these situations.
- Step 8: Build a resume:
A CV and cover letter are attached to the job applications for clerical aides. Before crafting a CV, it’s helpful to study the job description to ensure all the crucial requirements and application keywords are present. For example, if a job application asks for a team player, a candidate can provide an example of a time when they successfully were with others. Before applying, it may be beneficial to have a friend or family member proofread it to ensure there are no mistakes.
- Step 9: Search for clerical aide jobs:
You can utilize online job listing sites to search for clerical aide jobs based on many factors, including area, level, salary, and other requirements. In the interim, start preparing for an interview. Gaining confidence while practicing interview questions and responses can be accomplished by practicing in front of a mirror or a family member.
When seeking clerical aide jobs, it is generally easier to get recruited if you apply for entry roles.
In addition, make sure the employer has received your application one to two weeks after you submit it. At this time, reiterate your interest in the position and ask about the next steps in the application process.
Where to Work as a Clerical Aide
Private companies, governmental establishments, non-profit organizations, hospitals, and educational institutions employ clerical aides.
Even though they put in a 40-hour work week, clerical aides occasionally work longer to meet deadlines or complete challenging projects. They perform their duties in warm, well-lit offices. While they can get up and walk around throughout the day, they could spend a lot of time sitting.
Clerical Aide Salary Scale
A clerical aide’s salary in the US ranges between $27,397 and $47,445 per year.
However, the salary scale of a clerical aide varies based on the level of education, experience, the size of the business, additional skills, and location.
