Approximately 1.7 million Americans work in clerical and administrative positions. Many have been particularly hard hit by advances in technology, automation and, in some cases, by cheaper workers overseas. While it may be bad news for US workers, these and other automation efficiencies have helped push up corporate productivity to its highest levels in 50 years.
The fact is, the world of clerical work is changing, or mostly leaving. The bad economy has forced many companies to downsize. And among the first jobs to go are clerical. This includes jobs like file clerks, bank clerks and ticket agents; in general, anyone dealing with people through windows and counters, or people who sort, file or compile using paper and file cabinets.
Many clerical jobs have simply gone the way of the dial phone—and will never come back. Some companies have decided to redistribute administrative tasks among existing employees rather than hire a new worker. Mangers are increasingly being asked to handle their own calendars, travel schedules and files via laptops and ever-more powerful mobile devices.
If you’re a clerical worker who has been out of work for over a year--even if you can type 120 words per minute--you’ll have to face the fact that both your job and your job description are history. Unless you plan to seek work in a small office in a mid-western town, the skills you spent years developing are no longer in demand.
What to do? Consider these survival tips to help you “get back in the game.”
Don’t rely on Uncle Sam. Don’t develop a dependency on jobless benefits and food stamps. These are simply stop-gap measures. They should not be used in place of an active job search program or retraining efforts.
Don’t wallow in self-pity or anger. Automation is here to stay and increasingly prevalent. Employers are under the gun to survive, so they’re working their junior managers harder and longer with clerical tasks that have been computerized. Realize that being unemployed is not your fault. That it’s just that times are changing and you will have to adapt.
Make yourself employable. Go back to school (computer school, if you can’t afford a four-year college) and build up your skills and knowledge to become a junior manager. Find out what companies are using in terms of computers and software. Retrain yourself to use these latest tools of automation. Become an expert.
Accept part time work. Put your new computer skills and knowledge to work on a part time basis if you can’t get a full-time offer of employment. Be sure to add your new work experience to your updated resume.
It won’t be easy for clerical workers in this new age of computers and downsizing, but you can adapt if you retrain and keep a positive attitude. Got any suggestions? Your comments are welcome below.
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!