If you enjoy working in a busy environment and providing a valuable service to your coworkers, you might enjoy being an office clerk. In this role, you will perform various administrative tasks in the office. You will be a crucial part of the office dynamic, assisting your coworkers in the execution of their duties.
As an office clerk, you will be responsible for helping your coworkers with a range of administrative tasks. These can include scheduling, clerical tasks, data entry, and more. You may also fill a tech support role if you work in a relatively small office. In almost all cases, you will be working as part of a team and supporting several coworkers. In larger companies, you may be offering support to an entire floor.
While the exact schedule you keep can differ based on the company you work for, you should find that your hours will be quite stable. You will be working around 40 hours per week, mainly between 8 am and 6 pm, Monday to Friday. Overtime is not uncommon in this line of work and could be required if you work in an office that deals with deadlines regularly.
Preparation is often the key to success, and that's certainly the case for job interviews. You can't possibly know everything your interviewer will ask you, but there are several common interview questions for this role. Below you will find some of those common questions to help you prepare your answers:
Your cover letter and resume are your representation in the early stages of the job application process. They are all your potential employer has to go on when deciding whether or not to offer you an interview. For this reason, you will want to make sure your cover letter contains all the right elements. Make sure your letter is free of basic mistakes, formatted clearly and neatly, and is informative while still being to the point. Introduce yourself and talk about any highlights in your career. As for your resume, you want to avoid any common mistakes. You also want to make sure it includes all of the information your potential employer will need, including:
Currently, there is a reduced need for office clerks in the job market, but new roles are still available. In terms of your personal outlook, being an office clerk presents you with a great opportunity to gain experience. You will be working on several different aspects of administrative work, giving you a solid footing to move on to other areas in administration.
Being an office clerk is a catch-all administrative position, covering a range of different tasks as and when they are needed. However, there can be differences based on the industry you work in and the company you work for. Regardless of where the focus of your work lies, you will still have the usual suite of responsibilities for this position. Some of the ways in which your role as an office clerk can shift in focus include:
The typical salary for an office clerk in Canada is around $35,500 per year. This is based on an average hourly rate of $18.50 and a 40-hour workweek. This average falls near the lower end of the pay scale for this role, with entry-level office clerks making around $33,000 per year. At the other end of that scale, the most experienced and highest-earning office clerks can make as much as $46,000 per year.
Top paying areas for office clerks in Canada include: British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Alberta.
The duties and responsibilities of an office clerk are mostly the same regardless of which type of office clerk you are. Indeed, almost every office clerk job will include at least the following responsibilities:
As you might have guessed from the job title, an office clerk's work environment is entirely office-based. There may be some variations on this for certain roles, such as travelling, but you can expect climate-controlled offices for the most part. However, unlike many office-based roles, you will not be sitting at your desk all day. Your role will have you on your feet a lot as you dispense your assistance to your coworkers.
If you want to be an office clerk, there are some core skills you will need to develop. You shouldn't worry if you feel you are lacking in some of these skills, as they can all be worked on with a little patience and practice. The skills you will need include:
The requirements for being an office clerk are pretty low in terms of education. You will need a high school diploma or GED. In truth, even that isn't always a requirement. If you can present any certifications for relevant skills, such as word processing, that should help you stand out. However, these certifications are rarely a requirement.
Below are some of the most commonly asked questions about office clerk jobs.
You will not need any advanced qualifications to become an office clerk, though any certifications in relevant skills might help you stand out from other applicants. You should have at least a high school diploma or GED, however. Previous experience in an administrative role would be beneficial but not essential in most cases.
Locating new office clerk jobs is relatively easy these days. There are endless job sites to search, and the hirers looking to fill office clerk roles will know to use them. You can search through office clerk vacancies on Randstad's job seeker page for office clerks.
There are regularly new office clerk jobs on Randstad's job seeker page. After you locate one that you would like to apply for, just register with Randstad to register your interest. Creating an account is easy, and once that is done, all you have to do is log in and put in your application for the office clerk vacancy that interests you.
In today's interconnected world, it has never been easier to learn of new job vacancies. You can, of course, check out job boards for new jobs, but you can also make use of your personal networks, such as Facebook and LinkedIn. You can also follow companies you want to work for and people who work there on social media, where job opportunities will occasionally be shared. You can also sign up for our newsletter to get immediate notifications whenever we have new jobs listed.
The core duty of an office clerk is to assist their coworkers by taking on routine administrative tasks. These can include answering emails, typing up documents, and filing paperwork. Essentially, this role acts as a "catch-all" for administrative tasks.
The role of an office clerk is an administrative one, meaning it takes place primarily in an office environment. An office clerk will handle a broad range of tasks within that office setting and will often pick up plenty of experience along the way.
Office clerks will need to have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. You will be working closely with coworkers to assist them in their duties, which will also require an ability to follow instructions. The duties themselves mostly involve using office equipment and carrying out routine administrative tasks. That means computer literacy is another important skill.
Applying for an office clerk job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!