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Do you require record-keeping skills to function well in your job role? This article provides a guide on how you can develop the skills and include them on your resume.

 

What Are Record Keeping Skills?

Record-keeping skill is the ability to store, organize, and retrieve records. Record-keeping skills are used to perform a variety of functions such as customer service, data entry, organization, and critical thinking. Record keeping is very important for a job candidate because most organizations are on the lookout for people who can keep records.

Record-keeping skills have become a core skill because almost every work position is required to keep records. For instance, a medical doctor or lawyer must keep a record of their activities with their client apart from the general record that the organization will keep. It is no exaggeration to say that every job requires record-keeping.

Record-keeping is very important in this era as a result of ongoing fraudulent activities. It is paramount to keep records so that you will not be a victim of such.

 

Examples of Record Keeping Skills

Filing

Filing is the process of organizing and keeping records in a way that makes them accessible to employees. Possessing a strong filing ability can help you to keep a good track record of files. In the filing, ensure that the filing strategy complies with regulations or organizational standards. You can also utilize filing skills when drafting a new record management system to guarantee that all files are properly organized.

Data management

Data management has to do with the maintenance of files and other documents. This skill can be very essential in keeping records, and it allows you to access information quickly. Data management also includes knowing how to store data, which is very secure for authorized users.

Destruction

Destruction is the process of eliminating irrelevant records, this is achieved by removing them from the company’s active file. This can be paramount when an organization does not need certain documents, such as old contracts or old receipts and invoices. Destruction skills are very important for record managers because they may have to destroy some documents at regular intervals.

Destruction involves specifying records and removing those that are irrelevant. You must ensure that you delete all the files from the folder. Destruction has to do with updating new information and deleting irrelevant old information.

 

Importance of Record-Keeping Skills

• Efficient record-keeping skills boost productivity

Efficient record-keeping is one of the best ways to boost productivity in an office. The advantage of this is that it helps employees spend less time looking for a document because the document life cycle is streamlined. Record keeping also enables employees to know the past failures of the organization and take strategic steps to ensure that past mistakes are not repeated.

• It helps employees to grow and develop knowledge

Storing information and making it available can help employees expand their knowledge. One of the best ways to empower employees is to give them free access to information, which can help them make excellent decisions without consulting the organization. Accessibility to information also helps employees brainstorm, which boosts their creativity.

• It enhances the utilization of time and cost:

Keeping records helps you to maximize your time. Analyzing and monitoring your management accounts can help you give attention to the most important task. This also helps an employee to keep track of what jobs are done and what jobs are left undone. This is very important because it can help another employee help to delegate tasks to other employees.

By putting your documents online, you can reduce transportation and storage costs and also access documents quickly.

• Prevent loopholes and oversight

Record keeping can save the organization from a lot of disasters. Most cash flow problems are often linked to poor record keeping, and consolidating records will help businesses make excellent decisions. Good record-keeping skills will help an employee prevent administrative oversight. Having a good record of your business can help you ascertain how much cash is coming in and going out of your business; this will enable you to provide financial statements for auditing and accounting purposes.

 

How to improve Record Keeping Skills

• Create a Digitalized System

Gone were the days were records are kept manually as files or catalogs, in recent times you can improve your record-keeping skills by storing your files online in form of a database or any other software. You can also utilize digitalized online systems such as expense management. Saving records online can also make the record very accessible to the management and employees.

• Segment your records

Records should be well organized and divided into units. For instance, financial records should be kept separate from job employment records. Each record should be well-labeled for easy accessibility. Segmenting of records also helps you to keep some records confidential.

• Intergrade devices to assist with document capture

There are different methods to collect document information and records, and there are also different document sources such as scanners, copiers, mobile devices, and printers. Most offices rely on printers, but they come with software. Electronic storage will help protect your documents against environmental hazards or disasters.

• Ensure the Safe Disposal of Unnecessary documents

As time goes on, some documents in your folder might become irrelevant. You need to destroy or delete them permanently so that they will not affect your work. You can also obtain those documents if you don’t want to delete them. You must separate them from the current document. This will make it very easy for employees to dig through files to discover the most relevant information.

 

Jobs that Require Record Keeping Skills

• Administrative Manager: The administrative manager is the head of the administrative department in an organization. He or she is responsible for keeping records of files or other essential documents for the organization.
• Administrative Clerk: An administrative clerk is a junior officer responsible for keeping records of company files and documents. He or she works in the administrative department. It is very much essential for the administrative clerk to possess record-keeping skills.
• Confidential Secretary: he or she is responsible for keeping documents, especially secret information that the organization does not want anybody to know. The confidential secretary must ensure that these records are not accessible to everyone.
• Personal Assistant: Most Executives in an organization have a Personal Assistant that is responsible for keeping their records or information. This personal assistant needs to possess record-keeping skills.
• Database Administrator: Most information or documents are digitalized and the database administrator must store the company’s information in an online database. The database administrator needs to possess record-keeping skills.

 

How to include Record keeping Skills in your Resume

• Describe your previous experience: the best way to demonstrate your skills s to describe your previous experience as an administrative clerk or manager. You should describe the years you have spent in your previous workplace and all you have achieved. You should also highlight how you have contributed to the success of the company and all the necessary actions you partook to boost the organization’s productivity. Describe your awards and accolades in the organization.
• Emphasis on your Data Management skills: Data management is the ability to organize and maintain files, documents, and other data. This skill is very vital in record management because it allows you to access information very quickly. You need to emphasize your data management skills because employers prefer a candidate that stores data digitally instead of the normal traditional method.
• Emphasis on your Storage Skills: Storing records is a large part of record-keeping skills. You need to know how to store and organize records so that they can be retrieved when necessary. This includes knowing where to store physical files in file cabinets, digital files, and shelves and you should also know how to synchronize data to the cloud. Emphasis on your storage skills in your resume.
• Highlight Examples of Recordkeeping Skills you possess: at this juncture, you need to highlight or enumerate the record-keeping skills you possess. Examples of record-keeping skills are:
  • Time-management skills
  • Scanning
  • Flexibility
  • Classification
  • Compliance
  • Microfilming
  • Filing
  • Attention to detail
  • Communication
  • Imaging
  • Retention
  • Problem-solving
  • Storage
  • Data management
  • Destruction
  • Organization

 

Examples of how to include Record Keeping Skills in Your Resume

Administrative Specialist Resume Sample

• Worked as an administrative specialist for 5 years
• Planned and maintained all activities and travel arrangements
• Maintained 200+ confidential records for clients
• Prepared  200+ presentations and reports for clients
• Worked with other departments for all special products
• Aided other  departments in completing all office functions

Administrative Assistant

• Allocated everyday work and monitored productivity of work
• Maintained organizing space for executives
• Prepared 100+ calendars and made necessary travel arrangements.
• Examined and processed various tax returns
• Helped the clerical department in typing and entering data
• Maintained client filing and storage system for 6 years

Database Administrator Resume Sample

• Received, sorted, and archived different confidential client documents for 2 years
• Utilized deep knowledge of SQL servers, Python, and another storage manager
• Developed backups  and logs in compliance with company policies and procedures and implemented security checks
• Performed reports on the condition of servers and databases and reported findings, potential issues, and solutions to managers
• Awarded employee of the month for performing great work.

 

How to Demonstrate Record-Keeping Skills in An Interview

• Use the STAR Model

Situation

This has to do with a situation or circumstance where you kept a record of your experience; discuss your most pertinent experience with the interviewer. Elaborately discuss how you kept records or other important files in your previous work placement. Describe the way you kept the records—was it through a database or the normal, traditional way of keeping records?

Task

At this juncture, you need to discuss what task the record-keeping involves. Some records are very easy to keep, while others are very difficult. You need to discuss if keeping the record was difficult or simple for you. Once you can elaborately discuss the task involved, it will go a long way toward proving to the interviewer if you possess excellent record-keeping skills or not.

Action

Elaborately discuss the action you put in place to keep records. There are different methodologies you can put in place to keep records. Such methodologies can be classification, filing, or database management. You should discuss the action you undertook and why you feel that it was the best one.

Result

At this juncture, you should share the results you got. One such result can be that no document was missing while you worked in that organization, and another result can be that it was very easy for the employees to access and retrieve a document. Your result need not always be successful; you can also share a negative result and the lessons you have learned from it.

 

Examples of interview Questions to Test Record Keeping Skills

• What different types of records will you store in an active file?

This question is a way to evaluate your knowledge of record management. It will also make the interviewer assess how you can organize files and folders in an active file. The best way to answer this question is to highlight the different types of records that are stored in an active file.

• Explain the lifecycle of a record with an example

The lifecycle of a record is an important concept of record-keeping skills. The question is to evaluate your knowledge of lifecycles and how it applies to record management.

• What experience do you have utilizing record management software?

This question is to ascertain your familiarity with record management software and how to use it. When answering the question, highlight the knowledge of different record management software you have.

• How well do your work under pressure?

This question is very much essential to showcase your ability to work under pressure and also meet deadlines. When answering this question, discuss a difficult project you embark on in a short duration.

• Do you have any experience keeping records of confidential information?

Record managers often work with sensitive information, so employers want to test your ability to handle confidential documents. Make sure you read through the job description before you go for an interview to know if you have the requisite experience. Answer this question by sharing how you have handled confidential information in the past.

 

 

Resume Skills