What Are My Career Options in Clerical Support?

Find out about the types of jobs you could pursue in clerical support. Read on to learn more about career options along with information on salary, job growth and key responsibilities.

What is a Clerical Support Job?

Jobs in clerical support can be found in almost every industry. Clerical support involves providing a variety of administrative and financial assistance to a business or organization. This article focuses on three job areas in clerical support, including financial clerks, human resources assistants and general receptionist. As a financial clerk, you may work in auditing, bookkeeping or accounting and help keep track of a business' financial records, make sure they stay on budget and help file taxes. Another option is becoming a human resources assistant, which entails providing support to the HR department of an organization. Duties may include reviewing job applications and keeping track of personnel records. Finally, a job as a general receptionist is a possibility. You could work as a receptionist in a variety of industries. As a receptionist, you may answer phones, keep track of meetings and appointments, and keep various files organized. See the table below for a brief overview of the facts presented in this article.

	Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks	Human Resources Specialists	Receptionists and Information Clerks
Training Required	On-the-job training, coursework in accounting	On-the-job training	On-the-job training
Key Responsibilities	Posting and reviewing transactions in general ledgers and creating reports or financial statements	Review job applications, maintain employee records and process employee documents	Greet visitors, answer phones and schedule appointments
Job Growth (2020-2030)*	-3%*	10%*	4%*
Median Salary (2020)*	$42,410*	$63,490*	$31,110*

Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

What Options Are Available for Clerical Support Jobs?

Almost every industry requires the execution of administrative tasks to support operations. You might, for example, work as a clerk in the finance industry, a human resources assistant or a general receptionist. Such personnel performs a range of tasks from general information management to specialized activities. Clerical workers are often required to have at least high school diplomas, though some positions entail some postsecondary coursework.

Finance

In the finance industry, you might find work as a bookkeeping, accounting or auditing clerk. You can expect to work as a gatekeeper for a company's financial records, and these positions require you to be familiar with finance or accounting. You may perform tasks like posting transactions to a general ledger, reviewing transactions posted by other employees and creating reports or financial statements. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks earned an annual median wage of $42,410 in 2020 (www.bls.gov). Employment of these professionals was expected to decrease by 3% between 2020-2030.

Human Resources

As an administrative assistant in human resources, you'll perform a range of duties focused on employee file maintenance. You might review job applications, maintain employee records and process general employee documentation. According to the BLS, human resources specialists earned a median salary of $63,490 in 2020. Job opportunities in this field were expected to increase by about 10% according to the BLS between 2020-2030.

General Reception

Receptionists work in a wide range of office settings performing a variety of duties according to their employers' needs. You might, for example, greet visitors, answer phones and schedule appointments. You may also distribute mail and other packages as well as accept, review and file paperwork. Receptionists earned a median salary of $31,110 in 2020, according to the BLS. Employment of these professionals was expected to increase by 4% between 2020-2030.

What Are Some Related Alternative Careers?

There are a number of related clerical support jobs available and you may be interested in a career as a paralegal or legal assistant. This career may require some post-secondary training and entails providing assistance to lawyers and legal professionals by researching legal precedents and preparing legal documents. You could also pursue a job as a teller at a bank, which requires a high school diploma. These individuals process transactions, like deposits and withdrawals, for customers at a bank. Another option is a job as a customer service representative. In this role, you may answer phone calls on behalf of an organization or company and handle customer questions and complaints. This job also requires a high school diploma.