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Typist vs general office clerk

The differences between typists and general office clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a typist, becoming a general office clerk takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a typist has an average salary of $32,143, which is higher than the $30,034 average annual salary of a general office clerk.

The top three skills for a typist include data entry, WPM and real estate. The most important skills for a general office clerk are data entry, customer service, and office equipment.

Typist vs general office clerk overview

TypistGeneral Office Clerk
Yearly salary$32,143$30,034
Hourly rate$15.45$14.44
Growth rate-5%-5%
Number of jobs34,028160,597
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 30%Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Average age5047
Years of experience122

What does a typist do?

A typist is responsible for typing all of a company's documents and materials, including reports, policies, and correspondence. A typist may also be known as a word processor or copy clerk. They are a professional who may work for companies or individuals. Their job responsibilities may include typing up letters, filling out forms, creating transcriptions of audio recordings, or organizing documents. They may also have to answer phones.

What does a general office clerk do?

A general office clerk is responsible for performing various clerical duties to support business functions and ensure smooth daily operations. General office clerks respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, welcoming guests, and assisting in disseminating information across the organization. They maintain the adequacy of inventories, organize business and financial transaction reports, and perform basic bookkeeping tasks and banking transactions. A general office clerk must be highly organizational and analytical, especially in encoding account statements on the database and processing business reports required by the management.

Typist vs general office clerk salary

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

TypistGeneral Office Clerk
Average salary$32,143$30,034
Salary rangeBetween $21,000 And $48,000Between $23,000 And $38,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASeattle, WA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaWashington
Best paying companyErie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCESUSF Reddaway
Best paying industryGovernmentHealth Care

Differences between typist and general office clerk education

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

TypistGeneral Office Clerk
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 30%Bachelor's Degree, 28%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college-Western Carolina University

Typist vs general office clerk demographics

Here are the differences between typists' and general office clerks' demographics:

TypistGeneral Office Clerk
Average age5047
Gender ratioMale, 11.2% Female, 88.8%Male, 22.2% Female, 77.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.7% Asian, 4.7% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage7%6%

Differences between typist and general office clerk duties and responsibilities

Typist example responsibilities.

  • Process and obtain DoD secret level clearance.
  • Complete HTML coding for online versions of books and newsletters.
  • Assist in providing telephone help desk support to troubleshoot application questions.
  • Update title work from mark up commitment prepare by the escrow closers.
  • Type, copy, assemble and distribute policies to escrow officers and clients.
  • Type policies, endorsements, amendments and other miscellaneous materials for insure and their agents.
  • Show more

General office clerk example responsibilities.

  • Set up PowerPoint presentations using LCD projectors and computers.
  • Update and maintain PowerPoint presentations used for new hire orientation of management and employees.
  • Insert data accurately and expeditiously into the company payroll system for future retrieval.
  • Assist patients with sensitive and detail orient documentation, schedule appointments and verify insurance benefits.
  • Use QuickBooks for purchase order, inventory activities and sales order.
  • Bag groceries, assist customers in locating merchandise, cleaning of store floors, restrooms and shelves.

Typist vs general office clerk skills

Common typist skills
  • Data Entry, 19%
  • WPM, 13%
  • Real Estate, 8%
  • Telephone Calls, 8%
  • Computer Database, 6%
  • Escrow, 5%
Common general office clerk skills
  • Data Entry, 17%
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Office Equipment, 12%
  • Front Desk, 11%
  • Word Processing, 9%
  • Telephone Calls, 8%

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