How long does it take to become an Office Clerk?

It takes 2 years of professional experience to become an office clerk. That is the time it takes to learn specific office clerk skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education. If you include the normal education requirements to complete a college degree, then it takes 5 to 7 years years to become an office clerk.

How much do office clerks get paid?

Office clerks get paid a median annual salary of $36,000. However, the top ten percent can earn over $63,000 annually. Generally, salary differences come down to a combination of industry and level of education and experience. Office clerks with an associate's degree and more work experience have the ability to earn more money than those with only their high school diploma.

What are the duties and responsibilities of a clerk?

The duties and responsibilities of a clerk are to handle organizational and administrative tasks. The role of an office clerk often involves ensuring that an office is operating as efficiently as possible.

How To Become An Office Clerk: What It Is and Career Path

What is an office clerk and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Dr. Darrin Cox

An Office Clerk works in an office and carries out administrative tasks. Working under the supervision of secretaries or executive assistants, office clerks prepare documents and sort mail, file and update company records, schedule meetings, answer phones, greet clients and make sure office supplies are in stock at all times.

You might be asked to make travel arrangements or book venues, take minutes at meetings, and maybe even do some basic bookkeeping tasks. Using photocopy machines and printers and being familiar with basic computer software, such as word processors or spreadsheets, will also be required.

If you want to be an efficient office clerk, you need to be diligent, reliable, and hard-working. You must be perceptive and easy to talk to, and experience with office equipment and procedures is always helpful.

What general advice would you give to an Office Clerk?

Dr. Darrin Cox

Professor of History, West Liberty University

Be open to new opportunities and be patient. Degrees in the humanities and social sciences don't just open a single door to a specific job like some others might. They open a wider array of doors that may not be as clearly defined in a recruiter's job placement or headspace. Remember, STEM fields might experience more initial salary, but overall they experience slower salary growth and higher attrition rates than those in the humanities and social sciences. Indeed, people specializing in degrees that train "soft skills" (like history) actually end up earning more than all other degrees on average, due in part to being able to slide more deftly into other positions because their skill set hasn't become obsolete as technology changed.*

*Nytimes

ScoreOffice ClerkUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,927

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.6

Growth Rate -5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.94%

Asian 7.91%

Black or African American 9.95%

Hispanic or Latino 23.74%

Unknown 4.48%

White 52.99%

Gender

female 76.66%

male 23.34%

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 an office clerk

Explore office clerk education requirements

Most common office clerk degrees

Bachelor's

32.4 %

High School Diploma

28.8 %

Associate

23.9 %

Start to develop specific office clerk skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	21.00%
Data Entry	18.08%
Telephone Calls	6.80%
Payroll	5.21%
Office Equipment	4.06%

Complete relevant office clerk training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New office clerks 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 an office clerk based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real office clerk resumes.

Gain additional office clerk certifications

Office clerk 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 office clerk certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for office clerks include Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

More About Certifications

Research office clerk duties and responsibilities

Complete medical records requests as specified under HIPAA regulations.
Scan EOB's and attach to payments in software system.
Perform electronic billing of Medicare, Medicaid, and HMO/PPO submissions.
Follow all HIPAA guidelines and safety rules as required within the healthcare policy.

Prepare your office clerk resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your office clerk 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 an office clerk resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Office Clerk Resume templates

Build a professional Office Clerk 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 Office Clerk resume.

Apply for office clerk jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an office clerk 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 office clerks rate their job?

-/5

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Office Clerk reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2024

Pros

Good work life balance, low stress and responsibility

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2022

Cons

Failure to comply with working hours, theft and fraud,

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020