Five Skills You Need to Land Most Clerical Jobs

Clerical workers are some of the most important employees in any company. By scheduling meetings, filing documents, answering phones and greeting visitors, they make sure everything’s running smoothly among day-to-day operations in addition to supporting leading team members to help them drive success. 

You can find a great career path in clerical work, with many jobs that are always in demand. It’s also a fantastic way to get your foot in the door at any company, opening up plenty of opportunities for career advancement. Here are five skills you need to land clerical jobs. 

Detail-Oriented

You have to pay close attention to details to be successful in a clerical position, handling the details your co-workers might overlook. You’ll be in charge of keeping accurate records, handling phone calls and emails, scheduling appointments, setting up meetings and problem-solving when there’s any type of conflict. Nothing can slip through the cracks on your watch! 

Be an Excellent Communicator

On top of paying close attention to all those little odds and ends that other people might forget about, you’re also in charge of making sure all relevant parties know about those details. If you book an appointment for a sales representative, for example, you need to make sure both the customer and the sales rep know when and where they’re meeting. If the president of the company calls a meeting for the marketing department, you have to get the entire marketing department on the same page.

Whether it’s over the phone, email communication, faxes, or face-to-face interactions, you have to sure that the information you convey is clear, concise and easy to understand. Miscommunications might cost the company in the long run! 

Prioritization Skills

Since you’ll have so much on your plate at once, you need to be able to determine which are the most important or time-sensitive tasks. For example, if your phone is ringing, does that take precedence if you’re busy filling in a spreadsheet? If someone comes and asks you for help creating handouts for a presentation they’re responsible for that afternoon, does that take precedence over a monthly report you’re preparing? Decisions might not always be as clear-cut as those two examples, so you’ll need to ask yourself what’s most important in any given moment. 

Basic Accounting Skills

Many clerical jobs require workers to work with financial numbers in come capacity. You might be responsible for handling the company’s petty cash or managing a bookkeeping spreadsheet that corresponds to a company’s credit card or expense account. Using technology, you’ll need to calculate sums quickly and accurately. 

Creative Problem-Solving

Problem-solving is useful in any field, but since so much of the company’s efficiency depends on you, you’ll need to be particularly adept at being flexible, adaptable, and creative. Imagine that two groups book the same conference room for a 10 o’clock meeting. In an instant, you’ll have to make a decision that appeases both groups with as little interruption as possible.

Find Your Next Clerical Job 

There are many paths to a position in the clerical field. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for new positions in this industry, the five skills above will help you find success in whatever opportunities you find. ICR Staffing Services helps job seekers find exciting clerical jobs in Victorville.