How To Become An Office Employee: What It Is and Career Path

What is an office employee and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

An office employee is anyone who works at an office, usually doing clerical work. Sometimes they are called receptionists or administrative assistants. They perform all of the administrative work that helps keep an office running so that the other workers can fulfill the company's purpose.

An office employee handles basic organizational tasks like keeping accurate records and opening customer accounts. They are the face of the office, welcoming visitors and answering any questions in person, via email, or over the phone. Office employees need to be highly organized and have excellent customer service skills to do their job.

About half of office employees have Bachelor's degrees in business or a related field. However, it is still possible to succeed in this position with only a high school diploma and some clerical work experience. This is usually an entry-level position, and office employees earn an average salary of $31,921 a year.

ScoreOffice EmployeeUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,825

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.6

Growth rate -5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.21%

Asian 7.88%

Black or African American 9.08%

Hispanic or Latino 17.68%

Unknown 5.04%

White 59.11%

Gender

female 65.60%

male 34.40%

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 employee

Explore office employee education requirements

Most common office employee degrees

Bachelor's

59.3 %

Associate

15.6 %

High School Diploma

15.3 %

Start to develop specific office employee skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	72.04%
Telephone Calls	4.52%
Customer Accounts	3.86%
Medical Billing	3.72%
Computer System	1.73%

Complete relevant office employee training and internships

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

Research office employee duties and responsibilities

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Complete payroll by compiling hours and verifying submissions weekly, via QuickBooks.
File paperwork, organize PowerPoint presentations, assist with typing correspondence and fax documents to appropriate destination.
Demonstrate ability to maintain composure and work efficiently in a fast-pace environment while following HIPAA guidelines.

Prepare your office employee resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your office employee 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 employee 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 employee resume templates

Build a professional office employee 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 employee resume.