How to hire a support clerk

How to hire a support clerk, step by step

Here's a step-by-step support clerk hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a support clerk job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new support clerk
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a support clerk do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a support clerk, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A support clerk's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, support clerks from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of support clerks and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Support Clerk	Description	Hourly rate
   Support Clerk	General office clerks perform a variety of clerical tasks, including answering telephones, typing documents, and filing records.	$10-25
   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... Show more	$12-18
   Administrative Support	Administrative support specialists provide different types of governmental assistance. They carry out varied clerical duties in almost all industries... Show more	$12-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Data Entry
   • Patients
   • Clerical Support
   • Medical Terminology
   • Office Equipment
   • Word Processing
   • Front Desk
   • PowerPoint
   • Patient Care
   • Computer System
   • Inventory Control
   • Provide Clerical Support
   • Fax Machines

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
   • Inform eligible or potentially eligible individuals with Medicaid cover service and how to use them.
   • Assist in development and creation of provider workshop materials to include manuals, PowerPoint presentations, and registration materials.
   • Organize and locate inventory and update companies QuickBooks.
   • Prepare subpoenas for document production, deposition and trial appearance/testimony.
   • Record results in database from medical questionnaires complete by individuals presenting Medicaid claims.

   More support clerk duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your support clerk job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A support clerk salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, support clerks' average salary in new mexico is 45% less than in hawaii.
   • Seniority. Entry-level support clerks earn 59% less than senior-level support clerks.
   • Certifications. A support clerk with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a support clerk's salary.

   Average support clerk salary

   $35,159yearly

   $16.90 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level support clerk salary

   $22,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average support clerk salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$45,288	$22
   2	Maryland	$42,006	$20
   3	Arizona	$40,235	$19
   4	Utah	$38,720	$19
   5	Colorado	$38,669	$19
   6	Texas	$38,013	$18
   7	New York	$37,365	$18
   8	Virginia	$36,658	$18
   9	Washington	$36,002	$17
   10	Oregon	$35,820	$17
   11	Delaware	$34,509	$17
   12	Massachusetts	$34,432	$17
   13	Illinois	$34,270	$16
   14	Minnesota	$33,675	$16
   15	Ohio	$33,533	$16
   16	Pennsylvania	$32,991	$16
   17	New Hampshire	$32,787	$16
   18	Connecticut	$31,896	$15
   19	Florida	$30,702	$15
   20	North Carolina	$30,437	$15

   Average support clerk salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Los Alamos National Laboratory	$102,606	$49.33	4
   2	Catholic Health Care System	$54,394	$26.15
   3	General Electric	$44,357	$21.33	6
   4	United States Courts	$38,933	$18.72	59
   5	Alston & Bird	$38,356	$18.44	1
   6	PCC Community Markets	$38,263	$18.40	7
   7	Philadelphia Corporation for Aging	$37,940	$18.24	1
   8	Alignment Healthcare	$37,265	$17.92	1
   9	Cass Information Systems	$37,187	$17.88	2
   10	Weber County Library System	$37,045	$17.81	1
   11	ADM	$36,249	$17.43	14
   12	CCMSI	$36,050	$17.33	2
   13	Moda Health	$35,778	$17.20	2
   14	Vallarta Supermarkets	$35,413	$17.03	13
   15	Concord Group Insurance	$35,191	$16.92
   16	Change Healthcare	$34,940	$16.80
   17	Peraton	$34,749	$16.71	26
   18	The GEO Group	$34,065	$16.38	37
   19	Memorial Health Systems Corporation	$33,778	$16.24	6
   20	Firstsource Solutions Limited	$33,560	$16.13	2

4. Writing a support clerk job description

   A support clerk job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a support clerk job description:

   Support clerk job description example

   Kelly Services is now hiring for a Customer Support Clerk located in Delray, Fl. This is a temp to hire opportunity Mon- Fri 8am - 5pm paying $19 hourly.
   
   Greeting customers when they walk in, engaging in conversation while they are here and placing an order. Manage incoming phone calls by trying to help the customer and not just put them on hold. Handle orders from end to end, providing a single point of contact to ensure a consistent customer experience. Able to work in a warehouse setting: Putting products away, lifting up to 50 LBs, and organizing products. Multitasking, able to prioritize tasks in order of importance. Some computer knowledge. We use Microsoft.
   Apply for this great opportunity with an updated resume.
   
   \#P2
   
   \#CB
   
   **You should know:** Your safety matters! Vaccination against COVID-19 may be a requirement for this job in compliance with current client and governmental policies. A Kelly recruiter will confirm and share more details with you during the interview process.
   
   **Why Kelly** ** ** **?**
   
   As a worker today, it's up to you to take charge of your career and look for opportunities to learn, grow, and achieve your potential. Helping you find what's next is what we're all about. We know what's going on in the evolving world of work-just ask the 440,000 people we employ each year. Connecting with us means getting the support, guidance, and opportunities needed to take your career where you may have never imagined.
   
   **About Kelly** ** **
   
   At Kelly, we're always thinking about what's next and advising job seekers on new ways of working to reach their full potential. In fact, we're a leading advocate for temporary/nontraditional workstyles, because we believe they allow flexibility and tremendous growth opportunities that enable a better way to work and live (plus, did we mention we provide a ton of benefits ?). Connecting great people with great companies is what we do best, and our employment opportunities span a wide variety of workstyles, skill levels, and industries around the world.
   
   Kelly Services is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We welcome, value, and embrace diversity at all levels and are committed to building a team that is inclusive of a variety of backgrounds, communities, perspectives, and abilities. At Kelly, we believe that the more inclusive we are, the better services we can provide. Requests for accommodation related to our application process can be directed to Kelly's Human Resource Knowledge Center.
   Kelly complies with the requirements of California's state and local Fair Chance laws. A conviction does not automatically bar individuals from employment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right support clerk for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your support clerk job on Zippia to find and recruit support clerk candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting support clerks requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new support clerk

   Once you've found the support clerk candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new support clerk first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a support clerk?