Clerical Jobs are Lots of Work

Clerical jobs get no respect. They are often the entry level job in the workplace, and they dont pay very well, but ironically, they are the jobs that knit a whole company together. Often theirs is the first voice a caller hears, representing the whole company. They also take messages, and are responsible for not only getting the number right, but the name spelled right and the message right. Any one of these missing, and the hapless clerk will get yelled at by just about anybody. Even if you are an 18-year old who has never been in an office before.

Sometimes employers will ask for various kinds of skills, especially computer skills, even though they might not need them. Television comedy series are full of people in clerical jobs who seem to not do anything but talk about the other employees. If you dont have any formal training, but seem eager to learn, you might also get hired because the boss likes your attitude or energy. They think youll pick up the skills of the job just by sitting in the chair.

Because a clerical job seems so general, there is a huge array of differences in responsibilities. Typically, a clerk would answer phones, take messages, receive the mail and sort it, write letters when asked, keep track of various things the company does, and heres a biggie, keep their desk orderly. If you are the kind of person who likes everything out on your desk where you can keep track of it, it will look like chaos to others. There is also getting coffee for others, or preparing a room for a meeting, or going to the bank. If you have Attention Deficit Disorder, theres a clerical job for you. Except for the part where you are supposed to remember things, which may be a wee bit of a problem. But keeping all the balls in the air is the job.

You will probably serve a whole bunch of different bosses. Everybody in the company will ask you for help. Unless one boss tells you to do his work first, this must be worked out or you will be lost, behind, and making people mad. If you are the only clerical person in a small company, although you may be called clerical, you will become the office manager. Most people consider anything administrative to be clerical: payroll, human relations, insurance, building maintenance, and the like.

Even though clerical jobs have differences in specific responsibilities, there are the same expectations for them: you are there on time, everyday, and leave on time every day, and take the exact amount of lunch you are supposed to. You are always cheerful and perky, no matter whats happening at home. You can find everything, remember everything, and produce any quantity of letters, reports, or messages without breaking a sweat. Do this and all the other employees will love you.