What does an administrative clerk do?

An administrative clerk provides support to staff and does clerical works. These clerical duties include answering and making phone calls, typing documents, compiling and filing records, and scheduling appointments. The clerks often set up office meetings and invite reliable speakers. Also, they do research and prepare reports or presentations. Candidates for the job must be organized, detail-oriented, and can manage their time well. They must be tech-savvy and have a basic knowledge of bookkeeping. The salary depends on their experience, industry, and location of the job.
Administrative clerk responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real administrative clerk resumes:
- Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
- Assist teachers with GED packets for students.
- Ship orders via customers freight line request (ex.
- Schedule and administer the GED exam upon the completion of the inmate's profile.
- Enter data in spreadsheets for reports, auction items, payroll and monthly utility accounts.
- Process all DMV registration, titles, title flips and plates using CVR and TriVin programs.
- Maintain knowledge of state and DMV laws and regulations in all areas of vehicle titling and state forms.
- Audit new EEO cases assuring correct documentation are received, as well as entered them into the tracking system.
- Process payroll bi-monthly and handle employee workman compensation program.
- Prepare and present numerous PowerPoint presentations for high ranking officials.
- Develop and implement training kits for sexual awareness which include literature, and PowerPoint presentations.
- Obtain third-party payer authorization for service provide and communicate outstanding balances to insurance companies and patients.
- Monitor patients in hospital by name and injury in addition to identification and personal belonging assistance.
- Implement a solution for staffing restructure that reduce overall salary expense while maintaining productivity for a rehabilitation inpatient nursing unit.
- Monitor charges and fraudulent use, waste, or abuse base on DoD directives/guidelines.
Administrative clerk skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Administrative Clerks are proficient in Customer Service, Data Entry, and Patients. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Detail oriented, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Administrative Clerks that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 17%
Managed warehouse staff assuring accurate delivery of products on a daily basis as well as providing professional customer service.
- Data Entry, 16%
Reviewed, maintained and performed data entry by entering customer dispute balances and calculated interest on accounts into the company database.
- Patients, 9%
Obtained third-party payer authorization for service provided and communicated outstanding balances to insurance companies and patients.
- Word Processing, 6%
Perform administrative duties utilizing manual and automated information systems, Marine Corps standard word processing, and database software packages.
- Payroll Data, 5%
Input payroll data into military databases.
- Database Systems, 4%
Served as a Personnel Administrative Clerk greeting office visitors, responding to telephone inquiries and managing various automated database systems.
"customer service," "data entry," and "patients" are among the most common skills that administrative clerks use at work. You can find even more administrative clerk responsibilities below, including:
Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an administrative clerk to have is customer-service skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "general office clerks often provide general information to company staff, customers, or the public." Administrative clerks often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "assisted government customers and answered a multi-line phone system. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling administrative clerk duties is detail oriented. The role rewards competence in this skill because "general office clerks perform many clerical tasks that require attention to detail, such as preparing bills." According to an administrative clerk resume, here's how administrative clerks can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "performed clerical details, which consisted of taking phone calls, filing, scheduling appointments, and visitorcheck-in. "
Organizational skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of administrative clerks is organizational skills. This skill is critical to many everyday administrative clerk duties, as "general office clerks file and retrieve records." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "prepared correspondence and organizational directives for command group and administrative office while ensuring compliance with naval correspondence manual. "
The three companies that hire the most administrative clerks are:
- The Hertz Corporation42 administrative clerks jobs
- Acadia Healthcare20 administrative clerks jobs
- LifePoint Health12 administrative clerks jobs
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Administrative clerk vs. Clerk
Clerks are responsible for many of the general administrative tasks in the office. They are in charge of manning office telephone lines, managing incoming and outgoing mails, filing paperwork and other needed records, scheduling and documenting meetings, typing out documents when needed, disseminating memos and other official announcements, and keeping an inventory of office equipment and supplies. Clerks should have good office skills, communication skills, business writing skills, and time management skills. They should also be able to treat any document or paperwork they handle with confidentiality.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between administrative clerks and clerk. For instance, administrative clerk responsibilities require skills such as "patients," "payroll data," "purchase orders," and "hr." Whereas a clerk is skilled in "basic math," "math," "cleanliness," and "pos." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Clerks really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $31,380. Comparatively, administrative clerks tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $33,044.On average, clerks reach similar levels of education than administrative clerks. Clerks are 0.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Administrative clerk vs. Shop clerk
A shop clerk is primarily in charge of assisting clients in a retail store, ensuring efficient service for client satisfaction. Their responsibilities include greeting and identifying the clients' needs, answering inquiries, locating products, offering promotions, and recommending alternatives as needed. They must also maintain the cleanliness of the sales floor, clearing the obstructions and disposing of expired or defective products. Furthermore, a shop clerk must manage the product displays, devising strategies to make them more presentable to the customers.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real administrative clerk resumes. While administrative clerk responsibilities can utilize skills like "data entry," "patients," "word processing," and "payroll data," shop clerks use skills like "basic math," "math," "top quality," and "cash handling."
Shop clerks may earn a higher salary than administrative clerks, but shop clerks earn the most pay in the transportation industry with an average salary of $35,056. On the other hand, administrative clerks receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $33,044.shop clerks earn similar levels of education than administrative clerks in general. They're 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Administrative clerk vs. Room clerk
A room clerk is responsible for receiving guests and assigning them to their respective rooms, typically in a hotel setting. Room clerks manage guests' reservations, explain the policies of the premises, and process their payments for staying at the hotel. They also ensure the rooms' cleanliness, reaching out to the maintenance for any repairs and requests for additional room items. A room clerk must have excellent communication and customer service skills, respond to the customer's inquiries and concerns, and resolve service complaints immediately.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, administrative clerks are more likely to have skills like "patients," "word processing," "payroll data," and "database systems." But a room clerk is more likely to have skills like "stock room," "postage meter," "delivery carts," and "parts room."
Room clerks earn the best pay in the government industry, where they command an average salary of $33,014. Administrative clerks earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $33,044.When it comes to education, room clerks tend to earn similar degree levels compared to administrative clerks. In fact, they're 0.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Administrative clerk vs. Desk clerk
The desk clerk or general office clerk is an employee who works with little supervision from the manager. The duties and responsibilities of desk clerks vary depending on the industry they belong to. These may include but are not limited to answering phone calls, electronic correspondence, filing paperwork, taking and maintaining inventory levels, and setting calendars and schedules. They are expected to always offer excellent customer service. In hotels, they check-in and check-out their guests.
Types of administrative clerk
Updated January 8, 2025











