Auditing clerks are an organization's financial record keepers. They are employed in every industry, and at the moment there are around two million employed in the United States. Due to the consistent need for people in this position, there are always job openings and plenty of opportunities for temporary or part-time workers.
Auditing clerks maintain and update individual or groups of accounting records. These can include receipts, expenditures, profit and loss, and also accounts payable and receivable. These clerks must be comfortable with undertaking numerous data computations every day. He or she must also be familiar with using computers to calculate data.
Other duties may include checking records and verifying transactions posted by other workers. Auditing clerks also check documents to ensure that they are correctly coded and mathematically correct. Correcting or noting errors, and then passing these findings on to an accounting person, is another duty for the clerk. Nearly all of these duties are performed in an office environment.
Although many auditing clerks work a 40-hour week, high percentages work part-time, or on evenings or weekends. The end of the fiscal year, tax periods and monthly and yearly audits are very busy times for clerks. At such times, hey are often required to work much longer hours in addition to their scheduled work hours. Due to the long hours spent at a computer analyzing data, many clerks suffer from eyestrain, backaches and headaches.
Most people in this position are required to have some form of qualification. A high school degree is a minimum requirement. Having some college qualifications is also important, and some employers require an associate degree in accounting or business. Employers also prefer candidates with computer experience. Knowledge of spreadsheet software and word processing is also preferable.
Once employment has been found, auditing clerks usually receive on the job training. They will be trained under a supervisor or senior member of staff. They must be very detail-oriented, with a keen eye for figures in order to spot errors by others. They must also be detail-oriented in order to be error free in their own work. As they frequently come into contact with confidential material, auditing clerks should also be trustworthy and discreet.