In any office job, clerical skills are imperative, even as a clerk or non-clerk. Skills are needed for any task, even as little as picking up a paper. Clerical skills testing is always done during interviews. So, you need to understand the concept of clerical skills and how their presence on a resume will increase the possibility of landing a job, especially in office work, for example, in an administrative office.
Who Is a Clerk?
A clerk is a person whose job is to keep track of records and documents for a business. Now, what are clerical skills? They are skills related to office work.
Lets’s explain in detail below.
What are Clerical Skills?
Clerical skills are the abilities one has to promote efficiency in an office. It is mainly used by office employees to keep things running efficiently. They are important if you want to apply for jobs like secretary, personal assistant, administrative assistant, or bookkeeper.
Clerical tasks include typing, photocopying, sending emails, sorting documents, and data recording.
Importance of Clerical Skills in an Office
- It increases productivity.
- It ensures efficiency and accuracy.
- It consumes less time.
Examples of clerical skills
Clerical skills include:
#1. Communication Skills
These are required as communicating with clients, managers, and colleagues is a daily routine. It is inevitable. Communication skills are needed to understand people better, and a variety of aspects are important in the context of these skills, such as listening, speaking, observing, and empathizing.
#2. Attention to Detail
This involves paying attention to even the slightest details to avoid costly mistakes, from scheduling meetings for your employees to sorting out papers.
#3. Time Management
This refers to how you finish a task or schedule within a restricted time frame.
#4. Data Entry Clerk
Data entry clerk involves tracking records and inputting data into a computer.
#5. Problem-solving
Being able to solve a problem is one of the major clerical skills. When faced with a problem, the ability to be able to overcome a problem shows your efficiency in carrying out a duty.
#6. Organization
Organization refers to the way of organizing and arranging in a logical order or the act of taking an efficient and orderly approach to tasks. How well you can organize materials when you clean up your desk and sort your papers alphabetically shows a level of experience and skillfulness.
#7. Typing
Typing is a clerical skill that entails productivity in an office. The ability to type can’t be overemphasized. Typing is the work of typing something using a typewriter or a word processor like Microsoft.
#8. Filing
Filing records refers to the act of classifying records and putting them into the correct location. It is another important clerical skill.
#9. Writing
Writing provides us with communication and thinking skills. It expresses who we are as people. It describes our thought on paper. Writing gives us the ability to explain and refine our ideas to others and ourselves.
#10. Teamwork
Teamwork skills consist of interrelated abilities that let you work effectively in an organized group. These skills are vital to employers, as teams are a basic organizational unit within many companies. This happens when people cooperate and use their skills to achieve common goals.
#11. Critical thinking
Critical thinking is a core skill that enables people to question or reflect on their knowledge and information presented to them. This skill is essential in an office when working on a new business prospect or performing research. It’s also an invaluable skill in many workplace scenarios.
#12. Multitasking
Multitasking refers to the ability to manage multiple duties at once by focusing on one task while keeping track of others.
#13. Social Skill
Social skills are the skills needed to interact and communicate with others. They include verbal and non-verbal communication such as speech, gestures, facial expressions, and body language.
#14. Adaptability
Adaptability is a soft skill that means being able to rapidly learn new skills and behaviors in response to changing circumstances. Adaptable examples include: being flexible to changing circumstances, rising to new challenges, and changing your actions when doing teamwork with coworkers to ensure the success of a project. People with adaptability skills are flexible and willing to change with changing circumstances.
#15. Active listening
Active listening is a way of listening and responding to another person that proves you understand what the person is trying to say. It is an important first step to handling a problem that might arise. Examples include demonstrating concern. I am paraphrasing to show understanding. Use nonverbal cues that show understanding, such as nodding, eye contact, and leaning forward. Brief verbal affirmations like “I see,” “I know,” and “Sure,
#16. Planning
Planning refers to the ability to manage your duties, and resources including time and surrounding circumstances to reach a specific goal
#17. Collaboration
Collaboration skills can be defined as the interpersonal and intrapersonal qualities and competencies we leverage to collectively solve a problem or make progress toward a common goal. They routinely top the list of skills companies need most, and, like any group of skills, they can be developed.
#18. Customer Service
Customer service skills are the skills necessary to communicate with others, solve problems, demonstrate patience and understanding, ensure customer satisfaction, and resolve customer complaints. Employees with excellent customer service skills can have a massive impact on a company’s bottom line.
These examples of clerical skills can be developed with time, constant practice, and consistency after all the most important skill is loving our jobs.
Read Also: Job Shadowing: Definition, Benefits, and Purpose.
Clerical Skills Testing
Clerical professionals are essential to helping a business run smoothly, and the employer wants to make sure they are hiring the right people for the job, which is what brought about the existence of clerical skill testing.
What Is Clerical Skills Testing?
Clerical skills testing is used to know if job applicants are qualified for the job. Clerical aptitude tests assess a person’s abilities in areas relating to office work, such as typing speed and accuracy, organization, multitasking, and critical thinking. These tests help employers determine which candidate has the essential knowledge and abilities for the role. An employer may require applicants to complete these tests and pass with a certain score before making an offer of employment.
Some employers may want candidates to take the test at a given location, but others prefer applicants to take the test online. But job interviews have different sections, and this is one of them.
But like with every other test, you have to study hard and practice frequently. Some tips will be shared on how to pass clerical skill tests.
It’s necessary to know what to expect when preparing for a test in order to get a high score and impress your soon-to-be employers. Here are some tips for taking a clerical skill test:
#1. Practice
Just like they say, practice makes perfect. Constant practice is the key requirement needed to pass a clerical skills test. You can access websites to find similar practice tests. While practicing, take note of the time you spent on completing each section and make sure to pay close attention to details.
#2. Study Your Weakness
Whatever areas you have difficulties figuring out, practice more in those areas. For example, if you are having difficulties typing, practice more typing. The sky is your limit once you can work on your weakness and develop them to be more productive.
#3. Avoid Any Form of Distraction
On a secluded day for your test, prepare all the necessary items you will need, including a pen, paper, an identity card, and a pencil. Before you begin the test, take a moment to pray and review. If you are taking the test at home, look for the most comfortable place to take it. Avoid distraction by making adjustments to certain things that might make you uncomfortable. Start on time to avoid the missing question.
If you’re taking the exam at a specific location, be at the exam location on time so you can have enough time to ask questions before proceeding to write the exam. Communicate with the supervisor about what supplies you should have and bring everything you will need to complete the test, including a calculator. Dress modestly.
#4. Read Instructions Thoroughly
Before you begin the test, read the instructions repeatedly and ensure you are following all the instructions. Answer all your questions and go through them carefully to check for any errors you might see in your answers carefully to ensure you’re completing the exam correctly. Once you have finished, make sure you’ve met the requirements.
#5. Manage Your Time
Most aptitude tests have time sections, meaning that you must work through the exam questions as quickly as possible. It’s important to read each question carefully to avoid misinterpreting, which leads to mistakes, and you should pay attention to the time count. Don’t spend too much time on one question. If you don’t understand it, skip to the next question. When you are revising, you can check the question.
#6. Don’t Panic
Understand that tests can be challenging on purpose, so you should try to stay calm if you don’t know how to answer a few questions. Employers construct these tests to prove your efficiency in taking out tasks, know your capabilities, and trust it
You can practice here if you wish.
Putting Your Clerical Skills On Your Resume
The benefit of having clerical skills on your resume cannot be undermined. It gives employers an upper hand in selecting the best candidate for the position, and you could be the one if you have the necessary clerical skills. Jobs to include clerical skills in your resume include administrative assistants, office clerks, typists, bookkeepers, archivists, and other clerical workers.
Clerical Skills to List on a Resume
You can follow these steps to know which clerical skills you should list on your resume:
#1. Hard Skills Related to Clerical Work
When employers are looking through a candidate’s resume, they search for hard skills. Many of these skills can be taught on the job, but the less training an employer has to provide, the more desirable the candidate is. Add clerical skills that are relevant to your industry.
#2. List Out Your Computer Skills
While some computer skills are must-have skills, it is important to go into detail about your computer mastery. This will be included among other hard skills. Most occupations, especially office work, involve using computers in some way to make things easier, so now you see why having computer skills on your resume is good.
#3. Describe Soft Skills
Clerical skills can also involve abilities that transfer to other positions and industries. Skills like organization, time management, and multitasking are all important to completing clerical work. It’s important to add the soft skills you’re experienced with to show hiring managers you have skills that can be assigned to different roles.
#4. Write the Specific Demands of the Job You Applied For
Clerical skills are essential for just about every position, but they’re not always the most important skills. If you’re applying for an office clerk position, listing clerical skills first is essential, but if clerical work is only a part of the job, it shouldn’t take priority over more specialized skills. Tailor your skills list and resume to the specific job you’re applying for. Try adding the most relevant skills first, then listing your clerical skills toward the end of your list.
Best Clerical Skills to Add to a Resume
If you want your resume to stand out from the competition, consider adding the following clerical skills:
They include communication, organization, and computer skills.
How to Improve Clerical Skills
You can improve your clerical skills if you feel they are not enough. These are the following steps that can help you improve:
#1. Practice Your Typing Skills
You can achieve that by using typing software like Microsoft. Having a good and accurate typing speed can demonstrate your efficiency in a wide variety of tasks. There are typing programs available online that can improve your speed or help you develop good typing techniques.
#2. You Can Volunteer at a Local Organization
You can also improve your skills by practicing, and that is possible if you volunteer at nonprofits and community centers to assist with office duties. If you need to work on specific clerical skills or want to gain more experience in a clerical setting, seek volunteer opportunities where you can perform data entry, help with filing, and complete other office duties.
Conclusion
Having good clerical skills is essential to running a successful office. Including a section on your resume that highlights your clerical skills can help you stand out from the competition.
A clerical skills test is used by an employee to identify the best candidate for an office position. Examples of clerical skills include organization, filing, typing, attention to detail, and so forth.
FAQs
What is clerical skill test?
Clerical skills tests are used to evaluate a person’s ability to perform certain clerical tasks to ensure the productivity of an office.
What are clerical skills?
Clerical skills are abilities essential in the office to promote efficiency.
What are examples of clerical skills?
Examples of clerical skills include communication, organization, data entry clerk, typing, and filing.
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