Order Clerks
Receive and process incoming orders for materials, merchandise, classified ads, or services such as repairs, installations, or rental of facilities. Generally receives orders via mail, phone, fax, or other electronic means. Duties include informing customers of receipt, prices, shipping dates, and delays; preparing contracts; and handling complaints.
- Median pay
- $46,170
- Doing it now
- 78,900
- By 2035
- Down 17.5%
- Usually needs
- Some college, no degree
a year
across the country
6,300 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Obtain customers' names, addresses, and billing information, product numbers, and specifications of items to be purchased, and enter this information on order forms.
- Inform customers by mail or telephone of order information, such as unit prices, shipping dates, and any anticipated delays.
- Receive and respond to customer complaints.
- Verify customer and order information for correctness, checking it against previously obtained information as necessary.
- Check inventory records to determine availability of requested merchandise.
- Review orders for completeness according to reporting procedures and forward incomplete orders for further processing.
- File copies of orders received, or post orders on records.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesSee 44 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Organised and precise
Leading and persuading
Hands-on and practical
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $46,170 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.