INFORMATION CLERK / RECEPTIONIST

Information clerks gather information from, and provide information to the public. They are found in a variety of organizations and have many different job titles and responsibilities.

Hotel and motel desk clerks are a guest's first contact for check-in, check-out, and other services within hotels, motels, and resorts (see Travel and Hospitality).

Interviewing and new account clerks, found most often in medical facilities, research firms and financial institutions, assist the public in completing forms, applications or questionnaires (see also Medical Administration).

Receptionists are often a visitor's or caller's first contact within an organization, providing information and routing calls.

Reservation and transportation ticket agents, as well as travel clerks, assist the public in making travel plans, reservations and purchasing tickets for a variety of transportation services (see Travel and Hospitality).

SPECIAL WORKING CONDITIONS

Information clerks who greet customers and visitors usually work in highly visible areas, designed and furnished to make a good impression. Most work stations are clean, well-lighted and relatively quiet, and overall working conditions are usually pleasant. Reservation agents and interviewing clerks who do much of their work over the telephone, generally work away from the public, often in large centralized reservation or phone centers. Because a number of agents or clerks may share the same work space, it may be crowded and noisy. Occasionally, interviewing clerks may conduct surveys on the street or in shopping malls, or go door to door. Clerks may be on their feet most of the time, and prolonged exposure to a video display terminal may lead to eye strain.

Although most information clerks work a standard 40-hour week, about 3 out of 10 work part time. Some high school and college students work part time as information clerks, after school or during vacations. Some jobs—such as those in the transportation industry, hospitals, and hotels, in particular—may require working evenings, late night shifts, weekends and holidays. In many cases, employees with the least seniority are assigned the least desirable shifts. Interviewing clerks conducting surveys or other research may mainly work evenings or weekends.

The work performed by information clerks may be repetitious and stressful. Many receptionists spend all day answering continuously ringing telephones while performing additional clerical or secretarial tasks. Many reservation agents and travel clerks work under stringent time constraints or have quotas on the number of calls answered or reservations made. The current technology enables management to electronically monitor their use of computer systems, monitor or tape record their telephone calls, or limit the time spent on each call.

Because many information clerks deal directly with the public, good grooming habits and a pleasant personality are imperative, as are good problem-solving and interpersonal skills. A clear speaking voice and fluency in the English language are essential because these employees frequently use the telephone or public address systems. Good spelling, typing ability and computer literacy are often needed, particularly because most work involves considerable computer use. It also is increasingly helpful for those wishing to enter the lodging or travel industries to fluently speak a foreign language.

Although hiring requirements for information clerk jobs vary from industry to industry, a high school diploma or its equivalent is the most common educational requirement. However, good interpersonal skills and familiarity or experience with computers are often more important to employers. For airline reservation and ticket agent jobs, some college education may be preferred. Coursework useful to persons wanting to enter these occupations include basic math, English, geography, U.S. history, psychology, communications and public speaking.

New employees learn job tasks through on-the-job training under the guidance of a supervisor or an experienced clerk. They often need additional training in how to use the computerized reservation, room assignment, and billing systems and equipment. Most information clerks continue to receive instruction on new procedures and company policies after their initial training ends.

Receptionists generally receive on-the-job training. However, employers often look for applicants who already possess certain skills, such as prior computer and word processing experience. Some employers may prefer previous experience, some formal education, or training with office equipment or procedures. On the job, they learn how to operate the telephone system, computers, and the proper procedures for greeting visitors, and distributing mail, fax and parcel deliveries.

Advancement for information clerks generally comes about either by transfer to a different, more responsible occupation or by promotion to a supervisory position. Additional training is helpful in preparing information clerks for promotion. In many industries, a college degree may be required for advancement to management ranks. The more skills, experience, and additional training an employee possesses, the better their advancement opportunities. Receptionists, interviewers and new accounts clerks with word processing or other clerical skills may advance to a better paying job as a secretary or administrative assistant.

In 1996, median weekly earnings of full-time information clerks were about $345. The middle 50 percent earned between $279 and $447. The bottom 10 percent earned less than $213, while the top 10 percent earned more than $576. Earnings vary widely by occupation and experience. Weekly earnings ranged from less than $185 for the lowest paid hotel clerks, to over $710 for the highest paid reservation agents.

In early 1997, the Federal Government commonly paid beginning receptionists with a high school diploma or 6 months of experience, salaries ranging from $18,980 to $19,240 a year. The average annual salary for all receptionists employed by the Federal Government was about $21,240 in 1997.

In addition to their hourly wage, full-time information clerks who work evenings, nights, weekends, or holidays may receive shift differential pay. Some employers offer educational assistance to their employees.

Information clerks held almost 1.6 million jobs in 1996. The following tabulation shows 1996 employment for the individual occupations.

Although information clerks are found in a variety of industries throughout the economy, employment is concentrated in hotels and motels, the health services industry, banks and savings institutions, the transportation industry, and firms providing business or real estate services.

Overall employment of information clerks is expected to increase faster than the national average for all occupations through the year 2006. In addition to the many openings occurring as businesses and organizations expand, numerous job openings for information clerks will result from the need to replace experienced workers who transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force. Replacement needs reflect the relatively high turnover among these jobs. Many young people work as information clerks for a few years before switching to other, better paying jobs. This work is well suited to flexible work schedules, and many opportunities for part-time work will continue to be available, particularly as organizations look to cut labor costs by hiring more part-time or temporary workers.

Economic growth and general business expansion are expected to stimulate faster than average growth in the large number of receptionist jobs. Hotel and motel desk clerks are also expected to grow faster than the average as the composition of the lodging industry changes and services provided by these workers expand. Employment in other information clerk jobs, however, is projected to range from a decline to average growth, reflecting the impact of new technology and trends in the industries where their employment is concentrated.