Clerical Skills List and Examples

Clerical Skills List and ExamplesClerical Skills List and ExamplesClerical work ensures that an office runs smoothly. It involves the day-to-day administrative tasks of an office, such as answering phones, scheduling appointments, sending faxes, and filing documents. Clerical/administrative skills are useful for almost anyone who works in an office. Most employees need to do at least some clerical work, so behauptung skills can come in handy no matter what your official job title is. Office clerks and secretaries need to have particularly strong clerical skills. Employees in ansicht positions perform the majority of an offices day-to-day tasks. Types of Clerical Jobs While some people use these job titles interchangeably, office clerks and secretaries are different fromadministrative assistants. Administrative assistants often need a college degree and are given more responsibilities, including spearheading projects and sometimes even managing teams. In contrast, clerks and secre taries typically do not need extensive education beyond a high school degree (although there are higher education programs that focus on clerical and secretarial work). They manage the daily operations of an office, but generally do not have managerial responsibilities. Clerks and secretaries work in a variety of industries, including finance, business, medicine, government, law, and more. Some of these positions require specific skills. However, there are basic skills that are necessary for nearly every clerical and administrative assistant position. Read below for alist of clerical skills that employers seek in candidatesfor employment. Included is a detailed list of the five most important clerical skills, as well as supplemental lists of related administrative skills. How to Use Skills Lists You can use these skills lists throughout your job search process. Its important to use several of these skill words throughout your resume. Employers increasingly use applicant tracking systems to rank and score the resumes they receive. These systems are programmed to seek specific keywords, and so resumes that incorporate them will be more likely to be selected for further review by hiring managers during their second round of consideration. Secondly, you can use these keywords in yourcover letter. In the body of your letter, try to mention one or two of these skills, and give a specific example of a time when you demonstrated them at work. Finally, you can use these skill words in aninterview. Make sure you have at least one example for a time you demonstrated each of the top five skills listed here. Of course, each job will require different skills and experiences, so make sure you read the job description carefully and focus on the skills listed by the employer. Also, review our other lists ofskills listed by joband byfont of skill. Top Clerical Skills Attention to DetailClerical work involves paying attention to the day-to-day details of an office, thing s other people might overlook, such as answering and keeping track of emails, tracking appointments, and more. A clerk or secretary needs to be able to focus on these details, and not let anything slip through the cracks. AnalyticalMaking travel arrangementsPrioritizationProblem solvingReasoningRecord keepingScheduling appointmentsTyping CommunicationClerical workers need to have strong written and oralcommunication skills. They will typically answer phones, write memos, send emails, and greet clients and customers. They, therefore, must be able to speak and write clearly and effectively. They need to convey information in a way that is easy to understand. Answering phonesCommunicationCorrespondenceCustomer serviceEmailFaxingFront deskLanguage skillsListeningOral communicationProofreadingWriting Computer SkillsIn this day and age,computer skillsare critical for any clerical job. Clerks and secretaries have to be quick and accurate typists. They are also typically required to do some data entry, so they should be familiar with Excel and other data entry software. They should also be familiar with other Microsoft Office software, such as Word and PowerPoint. Any additional computer skills, such as the ability to design or edit web pages, would be considered a big plus. Data entryData managementDatabase fluencyDesktop publishingMicrosoft OfficeOffice machinesWord processing NumeracyMuch clerical work involves numeracy. Some clerks are in charge, to a degree, of bookkeeping and/or accounting for a company. It requires numeracy skills. The ability to calculate sums quickly is a positive quality in a clerk or secretary. AccountingAccuracyBillingBookkeepingBudgetingExpenseSpreadsheetsTechnology OrganizationClerks and secretaries must be organized. They are in charge of making sure the office runs smoothly. It involves keeping track of the employers schedule, answering emails and phone calls, and maintaining files. All of this takes a lot oforganizational skill. Decis ion makingDelivering mailEfficientFilingManagementMultitaskingOversightPhotocopying and collatingPlanningSortingTime management Soft Skills In addition to these top five clerical skills, the best office workers also possess soft skills that are often innate personality traits rather than learned competencies. These include strong interpersonal skills, teamwork, flexibility, dependability, creativity, adaptability, and creativity. They are essential characteristics for office managers, receptionists, personal assistants, office assistants, and executive assistants.