Best Clerical Resume Examples for a Clerk

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What Should I Highlight in a Clerical Resume?

Attention to detail is one of the most important skills you need to highlight in your clerical resume. Clerical work is very detail-oriented because a single secretarial mistake can negatively impact a company. Proofread your office clerk resume thoroughly and pay attention to the specific skills in the job description for best results.

The Structure of a Clerical Resume

Your resume structure will depend on the resume template that you choose. If you have plenty of experience, choose the chronological format, which is the most common format, but if you don’t have much experience, the functional format or combination format might be better. Regardless of the resume format you choose, these are the sections you’ll typically use.

Contact information

The resume header is technically part of the resume design, but it is important. This header includes your full name and contact information with your phone number and professional social media links, like your LinkedIn profile.

Resume summary

The resume summary or resume objective is at the top of your resume. This is a 2-3 sentence paragraph. In a resume summary, you include your most important achievements. If you have little to no experience, use the resume objective, which features your top skills and states your career goals.

Skills

Here are a few related skills you should consider for this section:

• Data entry
• Communication skills
• Filing system knowledge
• Multitasking abilities
• Office management
• Problem-solving skills
• Managing spreadsheets
• Time management skills
• Answering phone calls
• Bookkeeping
• Computer skills
• Microsoft Office Suite, including PowerPoint
• Managing office equipment
• Ordering office supplies
• Record keeping
• High WPM
• Providing clerical support
• Management skills
• Writing and handling memos
• Organizational skills
• Handling accounts receivable

A clerk resume sample includes a wide variety of skills, including both hard skills (technical abilities) and soft skills (interpersonal and intangible traits), so it’s important to list both types of skills. Just match your own skillset with what’s listed in the job description.

Work history

Next is the work experience section. A strong work experience section shows a track record of success, allowing recruiters to see that you’ve had these skills for a long time and you’ve benefited other companies through your job titles. For each job, be sure to include the company name, your job title, and dates of employment, as well as 2 to 3 bullets listing your most important accomplishments while you worked there.

Education 

List your top academic accreditation (e.g., college degree) here. It’s also a good idea to list any certifications related to clerical work, such as certifications in common software like QuickBooks and MS Office applications. List these certifications in your education section as well.

Do’s and Don’ts for a Clerical Resume

Keep these additional tips in mind when writing your clerical resume:

Do:

• Showcase specific skills you excel at. Clerical resume examples often include many of the same types of skills, but including your best skills is a much better option in general.
• Include specific skills that are necessary for clerical positions. For example, a fast typing speed may be important in an office clerk resume.
• Add managerial skills and assistant skills to your resume. Not only does this show a wide range of clerical skills, but it also alerts hiring managers that you might be good for future promotions.

Don’t:

• Fill out your resume with basic skills. Including Microsoft Word or Microsoft Outlook skills doesn’t impress anyone.
• Be vague about past jobs you’ve held. Instead, showcase specific job duties and responsibilities you held.
• Write your resume without looking at resume samples first. Browse some of our examples to get a feeling for how people feature their qualifications for similar jobs.