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What They Do
About This Career
Computes, classifies, and records numerical data to keep financial records complete. Performs any combination of routine calculating, posting, and verifying duties to obtain primary financial data for use in maintaining accounting records. May also check the accuracy of figures, calculations, and postings pertaining to business transactions recorded by other workers.
This career is part of the Business Management and Administration cluster Administrative Services pathway.
A person in this career:
- Operates computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information.
- Checks figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematical accuracy, and proper codes.
- Complies with federal, state, and company policies, procedures, and regulations.
- Operates 10-key calculators, typewriters, and copy machines to perform calculations and produce documents.
- Receives, records, and banks cash, checks, and vouchers.
- Codes documents according to company procedures.
- Performs financial calculations, such as amounts due, interest charges, balances, discounts, equity, and principal.
- Reconciles or notes and reports discrepancies found in records.
- Performs general office duties, such as filing, answering telephones, and handling routine correspondence.
- Accesses computerized financial information to answer general questions as well as those related to specific accounts.
Working Conditions and Physical Demands
People who do this job report that:
- You would sit most of the time. There's some walking and standing. You may have to lift and carry things like books, papers or tools weighing 10 lbs. or less.
- Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
- Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
- Work in this occupation involves sitting more than one-third of the time
Working in this career involves (physical activities):
- Seeing clearly up close
- Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
- Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
Work Hours and Travel
- Regular working hours and limited travel
Specialty and Similar Careers
Careers that are more detailed or close to this career:
- Account Clerk — Performs a variety of duties which involve basic accounting and bookkeeping principles, including overseeing monies collected, posting to accounts and coordinating deposit activities.
- Accounting Assistant
- Accounting Associate
- Accounting Specialist
- Accounting Technician
- Accounts Payable Clerk — Reconciles and pays all approved expenditures for a company, and ensures all expenses are paid in a timely fashion.
- Accounts Payable Specialist — Receives and reviews invoices from vendors and makes sure the company's records match the cost of the bill and if everything is in order, pays the bill.
- Accounts Payables Clerk
- Accounts Receivable Clerk — Keeps track of invoices, purchases and money transactions within a company.
Every year the U.S. Department of Labor conducts national surveys of wage data by occupation in every state and in all industry divisions. These surveys are conducted through the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program.
The statistics collected for one year are published the next fall. For example, 2013 wage information was published in the fall of 2014.
There are over 800 occupations in the surveys, and these occupations cover the entire U.S. labor market. The surveys ask for reports in a scale of ranges for both hourly wages and annual wages.
In many cases, these occupations are broad enough to cover many more detailed specialties of an occupation. A specific occupation may be included in a broader occupational category for which labor market data is available. When you look at the statistics for a broad category, be aware that the salary data for a specific career may differ.
For more details about how wage information is collected and calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor, visit their website at http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm.
Every year the U.S. Department of Labor conducts a national survey of over 400,000
employers in every state and in all industry divisions. This survey is conducted
through the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program. Every other year the
department publishes outlook information based on these surveys.
Each outlook period covers 10 years. For example, in 2003 the outlook information
was published for 2004-2014. Employers are asked to report the number of employees
in about 770 different occupations that cover the entire U.S. labor market.
From this information, staffing patterns for different industries are established.
Industry growth is projected into the future based on past trends and current economic
conditions. Industry staffing patterns are then applied to the industry projections
to obtain occupational projections.
In many cases, these occupations are broad enough to cover many more detailed specialties
of an occupation. A specific occupation may be included in a broader occupational
category for which labor market data is available. When you look at the statistics
for a broad category, be aware that the employment data for a specific field may
differ.
For more details about how employment information is collected and calculated by
the U.S. Department of Labor, visit their website at http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.tn.htm.
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