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What does a clerical aide do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a clerical aide do

Clerical aides perform various office-related tasks for company executives like answering calls, sorting documents, taking down the minutes of their meetings, etc. They should have computer skills, be organized, and communicate with people inside and outside the company. These aides proofread standard and templated documents to produce the necessary documentation needed to present the activities held in their department. As they are working for officials in a company, there will be occasions where work hours can be irregular and events that need attendance.

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Clerical aide responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real clerical aide resumes:

  • Manage filing, photocopying, collating, and faxing public and seal case documents.
  • Process received payments into QuickBooks and make deposits.
  • Administer data entry and other forms of record keeping, need by the payroll and student services departments.
  • Ensure confidentiality of all medical records information and completes forms for release of information in compliance with HIPAA regulations.
  • Put together PowerPoint presentations -Lead generation -Marketing mailings
  • Review complete payroll ledger with original entry documents to confirm accuracy.
  • Assist patients with sensitive and detail orient documentation, schedule appointments and verify insurance benefits.
  • Facilitate switchboard operation on a daily basis.
  • Operate multiple switchboards, relay internal and external communications, and maintain inventory.
  • Retrieve and input information into PeopleSoft.
  • Complete verification on students ISIR compare to submit documentation using PeopleSoft and ImageNow.
  • Answer precinct telephone switchboard and direct callers to proper extensions

Clerical aide skills and personality traits

We calculated that 12% of Clerical Aides are proficient in Clerical Support, Computer Data Entry, and Computer Programs. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Detail oriented, and Organizational skills.

We break down the percentage of Clerical Aides that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Clerical Support, 12%

    Provided clerical support to staff, assisted displaced students with completing financial aid application, prepared and maintained billing statements.

  • Computer Data Entry, 10%

    Provided computer data entry and data management related services

  • Computer Programs, 9%

    Enter, correct and verify data on the computer using Microsoft computer programs to enter manifest, transfer and receiving.

  • Office Equipment, 9%

    Operate standard office equipment including personal computers and centralized telephone equipment as needed to perform tasks.

  • Purchase Orders, 8%

    General organization and upkeep of Department Files* Mail Distribution* Preparation of purchase order receipts

  • Inventory Control, 7%

    Process records, enter data and prepare reports for the receiving, order processing, shipping and inventory control.

Common skills that a clerical aide uses to do their job include "clerical support," "computer data entry," and "computer programs." You can find details on the most important clerical aide responsibilities below.

Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for a clerical aide to carry out their responsibilities is customer-service skills. This skill is important for the role because "general office clerks often provide general information to company staff, customers, or the public." Additionally, a clerical aide resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "file in patients records into the computer system greet customers set the schedules for patients"

Detail oriented. Another essential skill to perform clerical aide duties is detail oriented. Clerical aides responsibilities require that "general office clerks perform many clerical tasks that require attention to detail, such as preparing bills." Clerical aides also use detail oriented in their role according to a real resume snippet: "operate department switchboard, answering multi-line telephone system, route calls and taking detailed messages. "

Organizational skills. This is an important skill for clerical aides to perform their duties. For an example of how clerical aide responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "general office clerks file and retrieve records." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a clerical aide: "answered phones and customer service my organizational skills led to the creation of new positions in several different companies. ".

Most common clerical aide skills

The three companies that hire the most clerical aides are:

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Compare different clerical aides

Clerical aide vs. Office worker

An office worker is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of the business. Office workers assist in receiving calls to respond to the clients' inquiries and concerns, as well as welcoming visitors, verifying their appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department for their business needs. They also do data processing, sorting mail, and filing documents for easy retrieval and reference, especially during meetings and company activities.

The annual salary of office workers is $11,577 higher than the average salary of clerical aides.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between clerical aides and office workers are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like clerical support, computer programs, and office equipment.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a clerical aide are more likely to require skills like "computer data entry," "inventory control," "quality customer service," and "expediter." On the other hand, a job as an office worker requires skills like "data entry," "customer service," "credit card," and "computer software." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Office workers tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $40,267. In contrast, clerical aides make the biggest average salary, $30,265, in the health care industry.office workers tend to reach similar levels of education than clerical aides. In fact, office workers are 1.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Clerical aide vs. Receptionist secretary

A receptionist secretary is responsible for providing the best customer service, as well as attending to the needs of existing and potential clients. Duties of a receptionist secretary include managing customer's inquiries and forwarding important calls to the appropriate department, performing administrative and clerical tasks, escalating high-level of client's concerns to the management, keeping the reception area clean, monitoring office supplies and request stocks as needed, and maintaining an organized record of meetings and events. A receptionist secretary must have strong communication and multi-tasking skills to handle workloads of daily operations.

Receptionist secretary positions earn lower pay than clerical aide roles. They earn a $83 lower salary than clerical aides per year.A few skills overlap for clerical aides and receptionist secretaries. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "clerical support," "computer programs," and "office equipment. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real clerical aide resumes. While clerical aide responsibilities can utilize skills like "computer data entry," "purchase orders," "inventory control," and "quality customer service," receptionist secretaries use skills like "patients," "data entry," "phone calls," and "customer service."

On average, receptionist secretaries earn a lower salary than clerical aides. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, receptionist secretaries earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $30,128. Whereas clerical aides have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $30,265.receptionist secretaries earn similar levels of education than clerical aides in general. They're 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Clerical aide vs. Office technician

An Office Technician handles installation and repair tasks by using power tools and manual equipment safely and effectively. Besides installing, maintaining, and repairing central office equipment, an office technician also installs, tests, and labels cable lines. They deactivate, activate, and maintain office equipment. Other duties performed by office technicians include removing non-functional and unused office equipment, managing equipment stations and telecommunication rooms cabling, and maintaining inspection, repair, maintenance, and installation documents. Also, these professionals work as per environmental, safety, and health policies.

An average office technician eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of clerical aides. The difference in salaries amounts to office technicians earning a $5,530 higher average salary than clerical aides.Using the responsibilities included on clerical aides and office technicians resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "clerical support," "computer programs," and "office equipment.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, clerical aides are more likely to have skills like "computer data entry," "purchase orders," "inventory control," and "quality customer service." But a office technician is more likely to have skills like "data entry," "patients," "schedule appointments," and "vital signs."

Office technicians earn the highest salary when working in the construction industry, where they receive an average salary of $38,498. Comparatively, clerical aides have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $30,265.When it comes to education, office technicians tend to earn similar degree levels compared to clerical aides. In fact, they're 1.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Clerical aide vs. Office secretary

An office secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to ensure the smooth flow of operations and prevent delays with project deliverables. Office secretaries also welcome guests, respond to their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the appropriate department or personnel for their appointments. They schedule meetings, sort documents, handle incoming and outgoing mail, as well as manage inventories for the adequacy of office supplies. An office secretary must have excellent time-management and multitasking skills to conduct tasks within a strict deadline and minimal supervision.

Office secretaries typically earn higher pay than clerical aides. On average, office secretaries earn a $3,692 higher salary per year.According to resumes from clerical aides and office secretaries, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "clerical support," "office equipment," and "purchase orders. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between clerical aides and office secretaries, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a clerical aide might have more use for skills like "computer data entry," "computer programs," "inventory control," and "quality customer service." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of office secretaries require skills like "data entry," "phone calls," "database management," and "financial reports. "

In general, office secretaries earn the most working in the telecommunication industry, with an average salary of $39,786. The highest-paying industry for a clerical aide is the health care industry.In general, office secretaries hold similar degree levels compared to clerical aides. Office secretaries are 3.5% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of clerical aide

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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