How To Become A Clerical Aide: What It Is and Career Path

What is a clerical aide and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

Do you have professional experience in office management and administration and are knowledgeable about optimizing productivity, effectiveness, and service across various environments? If being trustworthy, ethical, and responsible are the primary skills you possess, then you might be the perfect candidate for a clerical aide position. It is ideal for someone who is trained in support and a conductor that blends advanced organizational awareness.

Clerical Aides are in charge of carrying out different workplace duties for a business. Their main tasks require them to maintain a filing system and answering phone calls. They are also responsible for handling auditing duties, making copies of various documents when needed, and ordering supplies.

Clerical aides need to have administrative skills and attention to detail. Most employers prefer candidates to have good problem-solving abilities and have strong communication skills. Though requirements may vary depending on the employer, candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent.

What general advice would you give to a Clerical Aide?

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

Professor, West Virginia State University

I would say it's important to be very attentive to the way you communicate with your employers, managers, and co-workers. Even sending an e-mail can be an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism and communication skills. Some people think that no one knows how to write anymore, or how to communicate in a professional way. I don't think that's true. But we don't always think about how our writing can be a tool to communicate our competence and seriousness. If you know how to write and communicate professionally-which college grads do-then make sure to demonstrate that in the workplace.

ScoreClerical AideUS Average

Salary

2.3

Avg. Salary $29,426

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.6

Growth Rate -5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.11%

Asian 7.98%

Black or African American 11.71%

Hispanic or Latino 20.97%

Unknown 4.79%

White 53.44%

Gender

female 82.46%

male 17.54%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress Level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

4.3

Complexity Level is basic

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.1

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a clerical aide

Explore clerical aide education requirements

Most common clerical aide degrees

Bachelor's

32.9 %

High School Diploma

26.6 %

Associate

23.8 %

Start to develop specific clerical aide skills

Skills	Percentages
Clerical Support	11.65%
Computer Data Entry	9.57%
Computer Programs	8.88%
Office Equipment	8.68%
Purchase Orders	7.89%

Complete relevant clerical aide training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New clerical aides learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a clerical aide based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real clerical aide resumes.

Gain additional clerical aide certifications

Clerical aide certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific clerical aide certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for clerical aides include Advanced First Aid & CPR and Microsoft Office Specialist: Expert (Office 365 and Office 2019).

More About Certifications

Research clerical aide duties and responsibilities

Manage filing, photocopying, collating, and faxing public and seal case documents.
Process received payments into QuickBooks and make deposits.
Administer data entry and other forms of record keeping, need by the payroll and student services departments.
Ensure confidentiality of all medical records information and completes forms for release of information in compliance with HIPAA regulations.

Prepare your clerical aide resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your clerical aide resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a clerical aide resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Clerical Aide Resume templates

Build a professional Clerical Aide resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Clerical Aide resume.

Apply for clerical aide jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a clerical aide job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do clerical aides rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

Clerical Aide reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Pros

The interaction with people and running an office

Cons

the pay, the hours and no one I mean one gives you credit for doing a job well done.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019