How To Become A Clerical Associate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a clerical associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

If you're interested in undertaking some important tasks in an office setting, you should consider becoming a clerical worker. Clerical workers assist in the operation of a corporation by providing general office support. As such, your duties usually encompass reporting to an administrative assistant.

Photocopying, distributing mail, putting together mailings, sending faxes, responding to emails, and typing letters are all tasks you will perform as a clerical associate. Also, the company will entrust you with basic responsibilities such as filing and answering phones, ordering office supplies, communicating with employees, processing payroll, and managing conference rooms.

As a clerical associate, you should have strong communication skills, basic office abilities, and a minimum of a high school diploma. You also need to have an understanding of necessary software tools, such as MS Office, and be proficient in the use of email and the internet. You may expect to make roughly $30,000 per year as a clerical associate.

ScoreClerical AssociateUS Average

Salary

2.3

Avg. Salary $30,024

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.6

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.06%

Asian 7.66%

Black or African American 11.26%

Hispanic or Latino 21.98%

Unknown 4.66%

White 53.39%

Gender

female 79.73%

male 20.27%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.3

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a clerical associate

Explore clerical associate education requirements

Most common clerical associate degrees

Bachelor's

31.4 %

Associate

28.5 %

High School Diploma

22.6 %

Start to develop specific clerical associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	22.78%
Data Entry	10.86%
Customer Service	10.58%
Phone Calls	5.39%
Clerical Functions	5.19%

Complete relevant clerical associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New clerical associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a clerical associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real clerical associate resumes.

Gain additional clerical associate certifications

Clerical associate certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific clerical associate certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for clerical associates include Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) and Certified Medical Office Manager (CMOM).

More About Certifications

Research clerical associate duties and responsibilities

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Apply ICD-9, CPT and HCPCS codes for outpatient treatments.
Obtain and properly distributes messages using EMR.
Fax radiology reports and make calls regarding abnormal reports.

Prepare your clerical associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your clerical associate resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a clerical associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable clerical associate resume templates

Build a professional clerical associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your clerical associate resume.