Desk clerk vs general clerk

The differences between desk clerks and general clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a general clerk has an average salary of $33,254, which is higher than the $29,096 average annual salary of a desk clerk.

The top three skills for a desk clerk include reservations, front desk and customer service. The most important skills for a general clerk are customer service, data entry, and office procedures.

Desk clerk vs general clerk overview

	Desk Clerk	General Clerk
Yearly salary	$29,096	$33,254
Hourly rate	$13.99	$15.99
Growth rate	-	-5%
Number of jobs	113,183	141,570
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Average age	37	47
Years of experience	-	2

What does a desk clerk do?

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.

What does a general clerk do?

General clerks are responsible for a variety of miscellaneous and administrative tasks within an organization. These include answering and transferring calls, sorting and delivering incoming emails, and scheduling appointments. They are also responsible for providing information to clients and staff members, preparing and processing bills and office documents, and performing data entry tasks. General clerks are often employed in almost all industries. This position typically requires a high school diploma and basic knowledge of computer applications such as spreadsheet software and word processing.

Desk clerk vs general clerk salary

Desk clerks and general clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Desk Clerk	General Clerk
Average salary	$29,096	$33,254
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $26,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Deborah's Place	National Grid plc
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Government

Differences between desk clerk and general clerk education

There are a few differences between a desk clerk and a general clerk in terms of educational background:

	Desk Clerk	General Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Western Carolina University

Desk clerk vs general clerk demographics

Here are the differences between desk clerks' and general clerks' demographics:

	Desk Clerk	General Clerk
Average age	37	47
Gender ratio	Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%	Male, 33.1% Female, 66.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 10.0% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 9.2% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	13%	6%

Differences between desk clerk and general clerk duties and responsibilities

Desk clerk example responsibilities.

Manage customer service issues with ease and charm and train other co workers in daily operations.
Assist with setting up meetings using PowerPoint presentations.
Book keeping, check ins, paperwork, PowerPoint, enter information into database.
Communicate with previous shift, organize shift and review reservations and update contingency
Position require guest reservations to be coordinate with housekeeping and maintenance needs.
Register new patients and updates existing patient demographics by collecting patient detail patient information including personal and financial information.

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General clerk example responsibilities.

Excel, beginners & PowerPoint, beginners.
Have knowledge of CPRS navigation and ICD-9 codes.
Engage in transactions involving cash where constant math and arithmetic occurs.
Utilize PowerPoint to communicate daily, weekly contest, and training material.
Close money bags daily using math and also logic (when necessary).
Assist the 2010 CFC group with their video presentations to galvanize employee donations throughout entire FSA.

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Desk clerk vs general clerk skills

Common desk clerk skills

Reservations, 22%
Front Desk, 14%
Customer Service, 12%
Room Availability, 11%
Direct Calls, 6%
Telephone Calls, 5%

Common general clerk skills

Customer Service, 12%
Data Entry, 10%
Office Procedures, 6%
Veterans, 6%
Office Equipment, 5%
Citizenship, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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