Clerical Resume: Examples & Writing Guide [20+ Tips]

Juggling phone calls and merging spreadsheets are but two of your office superpowers. Prove it to the hiring manager with a powerful clerical resume and get hired in no time.

Jacques Buffett, CPRW

Certified Professional Résumé Writer, Career Expert

Updated 07/27/2021

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Most people don’t realize how self-sufficient an office clerk has to be, or that a clerk takes the meaning of multitasking to a whole new, unimaginable level.

But—

Even Superman needs help sometimes.

Take a deep breath, and we’ll show you how to craft a resume as if you came up with the concept.

Clerical Resume Sample

George Crawford

gerorge.crawford@gmail.com

847-948-9765

Objective

Efficient clerical professional with 6+ years of experience working for large corporate organizations. Designed an electronic filing system that decreased clerical errors by 15%. Increased customer retention by 22%. Seeking to increase office excellence at Spectrum Tech.

Work Experience

Human Resources File Clerk

Verizon, New York, NY

2016–

Created, formatted, and maintained employee files for 2500+ employees.
Performed training on office procedures and physical fitness to 6 new employees.
Provided 100+ employees with information on identification and retirement forms on a weekly basis.
Processed payroll data for 20+ employees.

Key Achievement:

Designed an electronic filing system that decreased clerical errors by 15%.

Administrative Clerk

Kiwi Paper, Los Angeles, CA

2013–2016

Managed incoming and outgoing correspondence, made photocopies and dispersed mail to correct recipients within the office.
Utilized the KAECSES database system to store, input, and retrieve files of 200+ clients.
Created and managed spreadsheets via advanced Excel functions to generate reports and lists.
Regulated over $10,000 in financial budgets and operations.

Key Achievement:

Increased customer retention by 22% via monitoring and responding to client email in a timely fashion.

Education

High School Diploma

San Marino High School, Los Angeles, CA

2013

Key Skills

Adaptability
Attention to detail
Problem-solving
Oral communication
Productivity
Time management
Conflict resolution
Multitasking
Organization
Customer service
VOIP phone systems
Data entry
Event planning
Typing 75 WPM
MS Office

Certifications

Certified Administrative Assistant (CAA)
Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)

Languages

French—Advanced

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You’re more than just an office clerk? Job titles matter! We have a bunch of resume samples for more specialized clerical jobs. Check them out:

Here’s how to write a clerical resume that will make employers throw job offers at your feet like rose petals.

1. Choose the Best Format for Your Clerical Resume

Clerical work involves common administrative tasks such as data entry, photocopying, sending and receiving faxes, answering phone calls, and minor bookkeeping. Since there’s a lot of competition, to get you this job your clerical worker resume must highlight your exact skillset and beam with attention to detail.

How to achieve that effect?

First, follow these steps:

Pick the ideal resume format. In most cases, it’s best to stick to chronological format of a resume, as it helps spotlight your achievements and professional clerical experience.
Start with a professional resume header that contains your name and contact info.
Ensure you split your clerical resume into easily navigable resume sections.
Pick the best fonts for your resume. Don’t use anything fancy like Comic Sans.
Break up the page by using white space and big headings.
Unless the job asks specifically for PDF, save your clerical resume as doc file. It’ll keep the layout intact.

2. Write a Clerical Resume Objective or Summary

You can make photocopies all while typing at 75 WPM.

But—

If you want them to know it, they need to read your clerk resume in full.

Otherwise, they’ll only spend seven seconds on your application before moving on to another candidate, as our 2021 HR statistics report shows.

Best way to do it?

Start your clerical resume with a professional profile. It’s a nice, sweet paragraph that explains why you fit the job like a pen in a cap.

But here’s the trick:

If you don’t have much experience, pick a resume objective. It’ll help show what skills you have in the drawer and how they can help you excel in the job.

If you have 2+ years of relevant clerical job experience, go with a professional resume summary. It’ll act as a snapshot of your killer accomplishments.

3. Create the Perfect Clerical Job Description for a Resume

Why most candidates applying for clerical jobs fail?

Because their resumes are so packed with managed a calendar, and performed photocopying that they immediately end up in a shredder next to the recruiter’s desk.

Good news?

You can make your clerical work resume rise above this noise.

Here’s how to describe your work experience in a resume:

List your current or most recent job first.
Mention your job titles, company names, locations, and dates worked.
Add up to 5 bullet points to showcase your primary duties. Quantify whenever possible. Numbers look impressive!
Throw in a Key Achievements resume subsection to prove your value proposition.
Use resume action verbs to pull the recruiter to the rest of your clerical resume.
Make sure to write a targeted resume. Focus on what the employer is after.

4. Make Your Clerical Resume Education Section Great

Do you need a degree to land a clerical job?

No.

A high school diploma does the trick.

But—

It doesn’t mean you should dump most recent education at the bottom of your resume for office clerks and move on.

A stellar resume education section can help you score extra points.

Here's how to write yours, so the recruiter sticks to your clerical resume like super glue:

List school name and graduation year.
List your GPA (if upwards of 3.5) if you’re new to the game.
List extracurricular activities the job wants. It’ll support the job description section and prove you’re the perfect candidate.

5. Highlight Your Clerical Skills

Looking for skills to throw into your office clerk resume?

There you have it.

Clerical Skills for a Resume

Soft skills:

Prioritization
Problem-solving
Written and verbal communication
Organization
Adaptability
Decision making
Multitasking
Planning
Sorting
Attention to detail
Time management
Teamwork
Conflict resolution

Hard skills:

Administrative skills
Making travel arrangements
Record keeping
Proofreading
Faxing
Data entry
Data management
Database fluency
Microsoft Office
Word processing
Billing
Accounting
Budgeting
Photocopying and collating
VOIP phone systems
Scheduling
Typing 75 WPM
QuickBooks

But—

Don’t just cram your resume with a list of clerical skills. Scan the job ad and cherry-pick the ones the employer wants.

6. Add Other Sections to Your Clerical Resume

At this stage you’ve got a decent clerical resume.

But if you want to come off as the next Alfred from Batman, you need to add additional sections to it.

Here are some ideas:

7. Attach a Clerical Resume Cover Letter

Would you like to lightsaber your application success rate?

Probably not.

That’s why you always need to write a clerical cover letter.

Why?

Almost half of employers expect to get a cover letter even if the job doesn't specify it.

So—

Here’s how to write a cover letter for clerical positions and 2x your success rate:

Pick the right cover letter format.
Open your cover letter with how you helped your previous employer.
Mention one-two wins from previous roles that show how you'll help the employer.
Close the cover letter with an offer they can't refuse (e.g., say how you can help XYZ slash clerical errors by 15%.)

Pro Tip: Just like with a clerk resume, you should always tailor your cover letter to the job description.

This is it!

This is how you make killer resumes for clerical positions.

Is this your first time writing a clerical resume? Not sure how to quantify your achievements on an office clerk resume? I’d love to hear from you. Leave your comment below!

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