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Career

Order Clerks

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure

What they do

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.

Kinds of work

  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $46,170 Median per year · $22.20/hr Most earn $35,530–$63,530

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Recommend merchandise or services that will meet customers' needs.
  • Receive and respond to customer complaints.
  • Check inventory records to determine availability of requested merchandise.
  • File copies of orders received, or post orders on records.
  • Collect payment for merchandise, record transactions, and send items, such as checks or money orders for further processing.
  • Collect payment for merchandise, record transactions, and send items, such as checks or money orders for further processing.

Job outlook

United States
18% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 6,300 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Merchant wholesalers, durable goods8.8%
  • Grocery and specialty food retailers8.2%
  • Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods7.2%
  • Warehousing and storage5.5%
  • Self-employed (their own business)4.8%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Order Clerk is an entry-level job you can reach with a high school diploma, but employers usually want about 1 to 2 years of related customer-facing or office experience first. Most people take roughly 5 to 6 years from starting high school to landing this role.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Build reading, math, writing, and basic computer skills, which you use every day when taking and checking orders.

  2. Customer Service Representative

    1-2 years

    Answer customer calls, emails, and questions while learning order systems, pricing, and how to handle complaints calmly.

  3. Order Clerk

    Ongoing

    Receive and process orders by mail, phone, fax, or electronic means, confirm prices and shipping dates, prepare contracts, and resolve customer problems.

Where it can lead

  1. Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerk

    1-2 years of experience first

    You move from taking orders to tracking how they get made and shipped, coordinating with production and suppliers to keep deadlines on schedule.

  2. Sales Representative of Services

    2-4 years of experience first

    You shift from processing orders to finding new customers and selling services, which usually requires strong persuasion skills and a track record of meeting sales goals.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take business, keyboarding, and computer classesThese teach typing speed and office software, which are everyday tools for order clerks.
  • Join a business or school clubClubs that practice presentations, teamwork, and business skills help you feel confident talking with people you don't know.
  • Get a part-time job in retail or food serviceHandling customer questions and transactions gives you real experience with service and accuracy under pressure.
  • Volunteer at a local business or nonprofit officeHelping with filing, data entry, or phone messages shows you what daily office work involves.

In college

  • Take courses in business, office administration, or supply chain basicsThese show how orders, shipping, and billing connect, which helps you understand the work you'd be doing.
  • Learn spreadsheet and data-entry softwareStrong Excel-type skills help you track orders, check numbers, and spot errors quickly.
  • Work a campus job that involves customers or recordsJobs at the campus bookstore, registrar, or help desk build the customer service and record-keeping experience employers want.
  • Look for an internship in operations, customer service, or sales supportAn internship gives you hands-on experience with order processing and a reference for your first full-time job.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for part-time or summer jobs in retail, restaurants, or front desk work. Those jobs build the customer and order-handling experience employers look for.
  • Get comfortable with spreadsheets and typing. Order clerks enter and check a lot of data, so speed and accuracy really matter.
  • Practice writing clear, polite emails and phone scripts. Many order clerks spend most of their day communicating with customers.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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