What Does an Office Technician Do?

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.

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Office Technician Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real office technician resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.
Interact with SCO divisions, other agencies and campuses and the public, to resolve distribution problems concerning mail and payroll.
Communicate payroll information with employees.
Verify eligibility and coverage with Medicaid and Medicare.
Certify to perform refraction to patients participating in clinical trials.
Provide patients with surgical and procedural information and instructions as appropriate.
Create presentation using PowerPoint to educate students about the department services.
Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Manage operational FedEx relationship through order fulfillment, shipment tracking, and communication with parties involve in shipment transaction.

Office Technician Job Description

When it comes to understanding what an office technician does, you may be wondering, "should I become an office technician?" The data included in this section may help you decide. Compared to other jobs, office technicians have a growth rate described as "decline" at -4% between the years 2018 - 2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, the number of office technician opportunities that are predicted to open up by 2028 is -110,600.

An office technician annual salary averages $34,956, which breaks down to $16.81 an hour. However, office technicians can earn anywhere from upwards of $25,000 to $48,000 a year. This means that the top-earning office technicians make $21,000 more than the lowest-earning ones.

It's hard work to become an office technician, but even the most dedicated employees consider switching careers from time to time. Whether you're interested in a more challenging position or just looking for a fresh start, we've compiled extensive information on becoming a support clerk, clerical aide, department secretary, and clerk typist.

Learn More About Office Technician Job Descriptions

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5 Office Technician Resume Examples

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Charles Stone Office Technician Contact Information Washington, DC (230) 555-1518 cstone@example.com Skills Personnel Files Customer Service General Public Office Setting Office Automation Software Positive Attitude Purchase Card Outgoing Correspondence Sales Goals Staff Members Employment History Office Technician 2019 - Present U.S. Census Bureau Washington, DC Process changes in personnel files, such as new hire, direct deposit, and withholding changes. Analyze information/Carry out employee selection and hiring process Maintain personnel files and administrative records Process time and attendance records Entered applicant & employee data into office database. Office Automation Clerk 2013 - 2019 U.S. Census Bureau Washington, DC Answer telephone calls in a friendly manner to assist computer users encountering problems. Corrected and entered information from Census forms into computer system Supervised two projects, in charge of 6 workers. Distributed incoming mail, telephone calls and directed visitors to appropriate co-workers. Sales Clerk 2012 - 2013 Macy's New York, NY Maintain orderliness of stock room and sales floor. Explain cuts, carats, color, and clarity in jewelry and gems to customers. Education High School Diploma 2012 - 2012


Richard Murray Office Technician Contact Info Jacksonville, FL (860) 555-0596 rmurray@example.com Skills DatabaseStudent LearningOutgoing CorrespondenceFinancial StatementsSpecial EducationCustomer OrdersScheduling AppointmentsPersonnel FilesFax MachinesCompany Policies Employment History Office Technician 2011 - Present Walmart Jacksonville, FL Provided customer service, company representation and promotion, and business services. Assisted Customer Service Managers with all monetary needs. Give change orders to Customer Service Supervisors. Worked with Customer Service Managers and management to ensure cashier accuracy. Handle customer orders with a positive attitude. Office Technician 2001 - 2011 D-R SERVICES Ashland, OH Scheduled patient appointments Submitted procedures for pre authorization to insurance companies and collected co pays Answered phones and filed patient charts Assembled patients medical records, pulled charts daily for scheduled appointments and made sure all documents were placed in charts. Optimized patients' satisfaction, provider time, and treatment room utilization by scheduling appointments in person or by telephone. Faxed files to pharmacies and insurance companies. Worked as a front office associate checking patients in/out, scheduling appointments, registering patients, and maintaining medical records. Student Office Assistant 2000 - 2001 James Arthur G Cancer Hospital And Research Institute Foundation Columbus, OH Trained and supervised student employees in personal payroll procedures. Collaborated with other student assistants to input graduate transcripts into a secure database. Established Internet Information Server, and Remote Access Server on Windows NT 4.0 Workstation. Coordinated meetings with childcare owners to enforce policies and procedures. Education High School Diploma 2000 - 2000


Richard Murray Office Technician Jacksonville, FL (860) 555-0596 rmurray@example.com Experience Office Technician2011 - Present Walmart•Jacksonville, FL Provided customer service, company representation and promotion, and business services. Assisted Customer Service Managers with all monetary needs. Give change orders to Customer Service Supervisors. Worked with Customer Service Managers and management to ensure cashier accuracy. Handle customer orders with a positive attitude. Office Technician2001 - 2011 D-R SERVICES•Ashland, OH Scheduled patient appointments Submitted procedures for pre authorization to insurance companies and collected co pays Answered phones and filed patient charts Assembled patients medical records, pulled charts daily for scheduled appointments and made sure all documents were placed in charts. Optimized patients' satisfaction, provider time, and treatment room utilization by scheduling appointments in person or by telephone. Faxed files to pharmacies and insurance companies. Worked as a front office associate checking patients in/out, scheduling appointments, registering patients, and maintaining medical records. Student Office Assistant2000 - 2001 James Arthur G Cancer Hospital And Research Institute Foundation•Columbus, OH Trained and supervised student employees in personal payroll procedures. Collaborated with other student assistants to input graduate transcripts into a secure database. Established Internet Information Server, and Remote Access Server on Windows NT 4.0 Workstation. Coordinated meetings with childcare owners to enforce policies and procedures. Skills DatabaseStudent LearningOutgoing CorrespondenceFinancial StatementsSpecial EducationCustomer OrdersScheduling AppointmentsPersonnel FilesFax MachinesCompany Policies Education High School Diploma 2000 - 2000

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Office Technician Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 16% of Office Technicians are proficient in Data Entry, Patients, and Office Equipment. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Detail oriented, and Organizational skills.

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

Data Entry, 16%
Maintained and updated patients medical records through data entry into hospital based computer system.
Patients, 11%
Assisted physical/ occupational therapists by directing patients arm/hand exercises including light-weights, Thera-Puddy, Resistant Bands, and other tactile-hand-equipment.
Office Equipment, 7%
Maintained and upgraded office equipment and computers maximizing technical resources to support business operations and deliver excellent customer service.
Office Procedures, 7%
Analyzed and organized office procedures such as bookkeeping and clerical services.
Word Processing, 5%
Use computer applications such as spreadsheets, word processing, calendar, e-mail, and database software in performing work assignments.
Payroll, 4%
Communicated payroll information with employees.

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Some of the skills we found on office technician resumes included "data entry," "patients," and "office equipment." We have detailed the most important office technician responsibilities below.

Customer-service skills can be considered to be the most important personality trait for an office technician to have. According to a office technician resume, "general office clerks often provide general information to company staff, customers, or the public" office technicians are able to use customer-service skills in the following example we gathered from a resume: "transmit information or documents to customers, using computer, mail, or facsimile machine. "

Another trait important for fulfilling office technician duties is detail oriented. According to a office technician resume, "general office clerks perform many clerical tasks that require attention to detail, such as preparing bills." Here's an example of how office technicians are able to utilize detail oriented: "provided detailed instructions and guidance to the staff development clerical support staff. "

Office technicians are also known for organizational skills, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a office technician resume: "general office clerks file and retrieve records" We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "assisted in fulfilling the office by utilizing organizational skills and knowledge of computer software and office equipment. "

See the full list of office technician skills.

We've found that 35.9% of office technicians have earned a bachelor's degree. Furthermore, 4.3% earned their master's degrees before becoming an office technician. While it's true that some office technicians have a college degree, it's generally possible to become one with only a high school degree. In fact, one out of every four office technicians did not spend the extra money to attend college.

Those office technicians who do attend college, typically earn either business degrees or psychology degrees. Less commonly earned degrees for office technicians include criminal justice degrees or liberal arts degrees.

Once you've obtained the level of education you're comfortable with, you might start applying to companies to become an office technician. We've found that most office technician resumes include experience from CDM Smith, OHM Corporation, and AKS Engineering & Forestry. Of recent, CDM Smith had 281 positions open for office technicians. Meanwhile, there are 9 job openings at OHM Corporation and 6 at AKS Engineering & Forestry.

If you're interested in companies where office technicians make the most money, you'll want to apply for positions at Motorola Solutions, Boulder County, and Mayor Ethan Berkowitz. We found that at Motorola Solutions, the average office technician salary is $45,225. Whereas at Boulder County, office technicians earn roughly $44,094. And at Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, they make an average salary of $43,975.

View more details on office technician salaries across the United States.

The industries that office technicians fulfill the most roles in are the government and professional industries. But the highest office technician annual salary is in the construction industry, averaging $38,498. In the transportation industry they make $37,108 and average about $35,391 in the government industry. In conclusion, office technicians who work in the construction industry earn a 7.2% higher salary than office technicians in the health care industry.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious office technicians are:

CDM Smith281 Office Technicians Jobs
OHM Corporation9 Office Technicians Jobs
WSB6 Office Technicians Jobs

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What Support Clerks Do

A support clerk is primarily in charge of performing administrative support tasks in an office, making the daily workflow easier. Their responsibilities typically include preparing and processing documentation, answering and forwarding calls, handling correspondence, disseminating and organizing files, and running errands as needed. They may also update databases, maintaining records of all transactions. Furthermore, as a support clerk, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with staff, coordinating to ensure efficient and smooth workplace operations.

In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take support clerk for example. On average, the support clerks annual salary is $203 higher than what office technicians make on average every year.

While the salaries between these two careers can be different, they do share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both office technicians and support clerks positions are skilled in data entry, patients, and office equipment.

As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because an office technician responsibility requires skills such as "office procedures," "payroll," "schedule appointments," and "vital signs." Whereas a support clerk is skilled in "customer service," "medical terminology," "patient care," and "inventory control." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

Support clerks tend to make the most money in the government industry by averaging a salary of $35,567. In contrast, office technicians make the biggest average salary of $38,498 in the construction industry.

The education levels that support clerks earn is a bit different than that of office technicians. In particular, support clerks are 1.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an office technician. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of a Clerical Aide?

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.

The next role we're going to look at is the clerical aide profession. Typically, this position earns a lower pay. In fact, they earn a $5,530 lower salary than office technicians per year.

A similarity between the two careers of office technicians and clerical aides are a few of the skills associated with both roles. We used resumes from both professions to find that both use skills like "office equipment," "office procedures," and "word processing. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that office technician responsibilities requires skills like "data entry," "patients," "schedule appointments," and "vital signs." But a clerical aide might use skills, such as, "computer data entry," "purchase orders," "inventory control," and "quality customer service."

It's been discovered that clerical aides earn lower salaries compared to office technicians, but we wanted to find out where clerical aides earned the most pay. The answer? The health care industry. The average salary in the industry is $30,265. Additionally, office technicians earn the highest paychecks in the construction with an average salary of $38,498.

In general, clerical aides study at similar levels of education than office technicians. They're 1.5% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How a Department Secretary Compares

A department secretary is responsible for providing administrative and clerical support to a specific department, ensuring smooth operations to maintain high-quality services to the customers and business partners. Department secretaries should have excellent knowledge of office management principles, especially on data processing procedures and customer service processes. They handle the scheduling of meetings and conferences, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, directing visitors to the appropriate personnel and department, sorting files, and submitting business transactions and financial reports. A department secretary also recommends strategic procedures to generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability.

The department secretary profession generally makes a higher amount of money when compared to the average salary of office technicians. The difference in salaries is department secretaries making $517 higher than office technicians.

By looking over several office technicians and department secretaries resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "data entry," "patients," and "office equipment." But beyond that the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers are a few of the skills necessary to fulfill responsibilities. Some examples from office technician resumes include skills like "office procedures," "schedule appointments," "vital signs," and "office machines," whereas a department secretary might be skilled in "customer service," "medical terminology," "patient care," and "secretarial support. "

Interestingly enough, department secretaries earn the most pay in the government industry, where they command an average salary of $36,935. As mentioned previously, office technicians highest annual salary comes from the construction industry with an average salary of $38,498.

When it comes to education, department secretaries tend to earn similar education levels than office technicians. In fact, they're 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of a Clerk Typist

A clerk typist is responsible for data entry procedures and document transcriptions, alongside other clerical and administrative duties as required by the employer. Clerk typists create reports and presentation materials, transcribe audio meetings, write business drafts, and send documents to appropriate office personnel or clients. A clerk-typist must show excellent organizational and time-management skills, especially with handling various typing tasks under strict deadlines and minimal supervision. They also respond and take calls from clients and customers, assisting with their inquiries and concerns.

The fourth career we look at typically earns lower pay than office technicians. On average, clerks typist earn a difference of $3,210 lower per year.

While their salaries may vary, office technicians and clerks typist both use similar skills to perform their jobs. Resumes from both professions include skills like "data entry," "office equipment," and "office procedures. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an office technician might have more use for skills like "patients," "schedule appointments," "vital signs," and "provides administrative support." Meanwhile, some clerks typist might include skills like "customer service," "input data," "scheduling appointments," and "purchase orders" on their resume.

In general, clerks typist make a higher salary in the education industry with an average of $32,312. The highest office technician annual salary stems from the construction industry.

In general, clerks typist reach similar levels of education when compared to office technicians resumes. Clerks typist are 1.3% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated October 2, 2020