What Are the Different Types of Part-Time Clerical Jobs?

The types of part-time clerical jobs vary widely and range from receptionist, data entry, and general office positions to those involving accounting and even virtual duties. A receptionist clerk traditionally greets visitors and accepts calls to a main telephone line, while a data entry worker spends most of the time entering records into a database system. General workers provide additional administrative support, while bookkeepers, accountants, and auditors manage company or organizational finances. Virtual clerks may complete a variety of all these tasks, with typical responsibilities involving appointment setting and outgoing or incoming calls, all from a remote location.

Reception part-time clerical jobs most often involve interacting with guests or clients while working a front desk and telephones. The clerk greets and processes guests depending on the place of business. Telephone duties may range from answering one line to 100 or more in a high call-volume situation at a large company, for instance. Receptionists and information clerks announce guests or clients, take messages, and provide visitors with information as needed.

Data entry most often involves using a computer, adding machine, or specialized machine to digitize records and information for storage and use by a computer’s database system. This type of clerk reads and types information from documents like client records, utility or credit bills, or sales records, among others. These part-time clerical jobs typically entail keying large volumes of different data into identical or similar templates, so attention to detail is a must for success.

Part-time clerk jobs may include a variety of other duties, especially when they take place in an office setting. Copying, filing, and envelope stuffing are common entry-level duties. Higher level clerks may take on more responsibilities, like vendor relations, database setup, and supply inventory and purchasing, among other things.

Other part-time clerical jobs include those dealing with a company or organization's finances. A bookkeeper typically records and updates all financial transactions, while an accountant verifies and calculates that information to produce statistical and analytical documents. An auditor checks that bookkeepers, accounting clerks, and all other financial workers have produced accurate reports.

Virtual part-time clerical jobs take on many different forms. Data entry clerks work in a similar fashion to in-office workers, relying on receiving and submitting assignments using software, email, and online information systems. Appointment setters and phone representatives make outgoing or receive incoming calls for sales, customer service, and technical support for a wide variety of businesses. Transcriptionists specialize in typing medical, legal, or business documents, typically from recorded audio or video.