How To Become An Office Assistant/File Clerk: What It Is and Career Path

What is an office assistant/file clerk and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an office assistant/file clerk. For example, did you know that they make an average of $14.73 an hour? That's $30,645 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -5% and produce -130,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreOffice Assistant/File ClerkUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,645

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.6

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.03%

Asian 7.43%

Black or African American 10.91%

Hispanic or Latino 23.11%

Unknown 4.59%

White 52.94%

Gender

female 74.85%

male 25.15%

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 an office assistant/file clerk

Explore office assistant/file clerk education requirements

Most common office assistant/file clerk degrees

High School Diploma

32.7 %

Bachelor's

31.4 %

Associate

21.2 %

Start to develop specific office assistant/file clerk skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Entry	32.81%
Office Equipment	12.44%
Scheduling Appointments	5.82%
Front Desk	4.82%
Patient Charts	4.60%

Complete relevant office assistant/file clerk training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New office assistant/file clerks 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 an office assistant/file clerk based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real office assistant/file clerk resumes.

Research office assistant/file clerk duties and responsibilities

Manage front office check-in, insurance verification and certifications from doctors.
Create project materials and PowerPoint presentations for meetings.
Create and edit charts, insert pictures and graphics into program documents and produce PowerPoint presentations.
Restock office supplies, deliver offices' mail to the post office, and run any other necessary errands.

Prepare your office assistant/file clerk resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your office assistant/file clerk 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 an office assistant/file clerk resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable office assistant/file clerk resume templates

Build a professional office assistant/file clerk 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 office assistant/file clerk resume.