Guide to Clerical Services

Using professional clerical services to build your business
By Micah Brown

Clerical services have always been an important part of business. Often synonymous with the term secretary or administrative assistant, a clerk is somebody who provides support to other office workers.

There are a number of specialties that office clerical help can fall into, including law clerks, data entry clerks and county clerks. The education and work experience of the employee will help dictate what specialty he or she may be proficient with. If you're currently seeking office clerical help, think about the following points:

1. Determine the level of clerical admin services experience needed to fulfill the job duties

2. If you only need clerical support for a special project, consider a clerical outsourcing company or temp agency

3. Test all interviewees on the basic skills required for the position

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find the right clerical service for your business There are a number of clerical positions and titles in the world today. Finding the right employee for your business can be tricky. Don't write off a potential employee just because they have experience in a different area, as it's possible that these additional skills may prove to be handy down the line.

I recommend: Use the available sources to look for clerical help locally. For example, you can place an ad in the local paper or consider putting out ads on local radio and television stations. However, if you're not particular about finding somebody in your area, or you're willing to wait for the perfect employee to move to you, then sign up at Admin Careers. They specialize in administrative and clerical jobs and even have lists of clerical and admin placement agencies. Alternatively, AdministrativeJobs.com offers a similar resource.

Consider virtual administrative clerical services It's possible that the position you have open doesn't actually require an individual to be at the office to fulfill the job duties. Advances in technology make it possible for admins and clerks to do their jobs from home. These individuals can answer phones, answer email, take dictation, compose correspondence and arrange travel.

I recommend: If all you need is somebody to answer the phone, DaVinci Virtual can meet your needs. They offer a variety of plans for phone answering services that you buy in blocks of minutes per month, like a cell phone plan. It's a great way to save money because there is no need to pay somebody a full salary. VirtualAssistants.com is a more robust option, offering full administrative services from off site.

Find clerical admin services for short term assignments Occasionally, you may have a project that's going to take a few weeks or a few months. During that time, you could use some clerical help, but after the project has completed, there won't be extra work for the admin to perform. The best thing to do in this situation is hire a temp.

I recommend: One of the best temp agencies out there is OfficeTeam. They offer a full range of services to their clients and will quickly have a qualified admin in your office and ready to work. Another great resource for temp work is AppleOne. They provide great clerical information to their clients so you will only the best candidates will learn about your opportunity.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

When searching for clerical admin services, don't toss out a resume just because they appear to not have enough experience. While they may not have the years of job experience, it's possible that their schooling and extra curricular activities will make up for it.