General Office Workers (Excluding Receptionists)

Nature of work

General office workers are involved in performing general clerical and typing duties according to established procedures. Personnel clerks assist personnel officers and human resources specialists. They are employed in personnel departments throughout the private and public sectors. Court clerks call court to order, prepare records of court proceedings, and maintain exhibits. Court clerks are employed by federal, provincial and municipal courts.

Job duties

General office support workers perform some or all of the following duties:

• Prepare correspondence, reports, statements, forms, presentations, applications and other documents from notes or Dictaphone.
• Respond to telephone, in person or electronic enquiries or forward to appropriate person.
• Provide general information to staff, clients and the public regarding company or program rules, regulations and procedures.
• Photocopy and collate documents for distribution, mailing and filing.
• Sort and file documents according to established filing systems, locate and retrieve documents from files as requested and maintain records of filed and removed materials.
• Maintain and prepare reports from manual or electronic files, inventories, mailing lists and databases.
• Process incoming and outgoing mail, manually or electronically.
• Send and receive messages and documents using fax machine or electronic mail.
• Assist with administrative procedures such as budget submissions, contracts administration and work schedules.
• Maintain inventory of office supplies, order supplies as required and arrange for servicing of office equipment.
• May perform basic bookkeeping tasks such as preparing invoices and bank deposits.
• May sort, process and verify receipts, expenditures, forms and other documents.
• May organize the flow of work for other office support workers.

Personnel clerks perform some or all of the following duties:

• Process, verify and register documentation relating to personnel activities such as staffing, recruitment, training, grievances, performance evaluations and classifications.
• Maintain and update manual and computerized filing and registration systems, and compile and prepare reports and documents relating to personnel activities.
• Respond to telephone and written enquiries from staff and the general public regarding personnel matters.
• Arrange for advertising or posting of job vacancies, assist in screening and rating of job applicants, and conduct reference checks.
• Administer and score employment tests, such as keyboarding and proofreading tests.
• Arrange for in-house and external training activities.

Court clerks perform some or all of the following duties:

• Call courts of law to order; read charges; take pleas from defendants; swear in witnesses and perform other clerical functions in the courtrooms.
• Prepare court files, court dockets and other documents.
• Record main court proceedings, including pleas, names of witnesses, dates, times and rulings.
• Manage care and custody of court exhibits.
• Prepare documents for and participate in jury selection.
• Update and maintain court office paper and electronic indexes and files on actions taken by court or in response to court decisions.
• Receive, disburse and account for fines, fees and trust monies.
• Assist the public in court offices.

Sample job titles

• court clerk
• human resources assistant
• judicial clerk
• office assistant
• office clerk
• personnel clerk
• records clerk
• staffing assistant
• training clerk
• typist
• ward clerk - hospital

Skills

Good communication and interpersonal skills are important, along with a willingness to learn and adapt to continually changing equipment and software. Your work must be accurate, and you should enjoy repetitive tasks. Familiarity with computer software and other office equipment is needed. You should also be cooperative and able to work as part of a team.

Job requirements

• Completion of high school is usually required.
• Completion of high school or college business or commercial courses is usually required.

Other considerations

The widespread application of computer technology to the duties performed by many clerks means that a solid foundation in computer skills is often necessary for entry into these jobs. As well, workers should be able to adapt to changes in technology. Some clerical experience may be required and on-the-job training may also be provided. Progression to supervisory, office management or officer level is possible with experience and additional training.

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Contacts

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