Career profile City Clerk

Table of Contents

• What does a City Clerk do?
• What is a typical salary for a City Clerk?
• What personality traits are common among City Clerks?
  • Career Interests
  • Values
  • Psychological Demands
• What education and training do City Clerks need?
  • Typical educational degrees
  • Required knowledge and expertise
  • Important abilities
  • Critical skills

What does a City Clerk do?

City Clerks perform clerical duties for courts of law, municipalities, or governmental licensing agencies and bureaus.

In addition, City Clerks may prepare docket of cases to be called; secure information for judges and court; prepare draft agendas or bylaws for town or city council; answer official correspondence; keep fiscal records and accounts; issue licenses or permits; and record data, administer tests, or collect fees.

What kind of tasks does a City Clerk perform regularly?

City Clerks are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

• Evaluate information on applications to verify completeness and accuracy and to determine whether applicants are qualified to obtain desired licenses.
• Verify the authenticity of documents, such as foreign identification or immigration documents.
• Issue public notification of all official activities or meetings.
• Question applicants to obtain required information, such as name, address, or age, and record data on prescribed forms.
• Record and edit the minutes of meetings and distribute to appropriate officials or staff members.
• Record and maintain all vital and fiscal records and accounts.
• Prepare meeting agendas or packets of related information.
• Answer questions or provide advice to the public regarding licensing policies, procedures, or regulations.
• Prepare and issue orders of the court, such as probation orders, release documentation, sentencing information, or summonses.
• Prepare ordinances, resolutions, or proclamations so that they can be executed, recorded, archived, or distributed.
• Code information on license applications for entry into computers.
• Record case dispositions, court orders, or arrangements made for payment of court fees.
• Perform budgeting duties, such as assisting in budget preparation, expenditure review, or budget administration.
• Perform record checks on past or current licensees, as required by investigations.
• Prepare documents recording the outcomes of court proceedings.
• Examine legal documents submitted to courts for adherence to laws or court procedures.
• Perform general office duties, such as taking or transcribing dictation, typing or proofreading correspondence, distributing or filing official forms, or scheduling appointments.
• Perform administrative tasks, such as answering telephone calls, filing court documents, or maintaining office supplies or equipment.
• Respond to requests for information from the public, other municipalities, state officials, or state and federal legislative offices.
• Search files and contact witnesses, attorneys, or litigants to obtain information for the court.
• Coordinate or maintain office tracking systems for correspondence or follow-up actions.
• Answer inquiries from the general public regarding judicial procedures, court appearances, trial dates, adjournments, outstanding warrants, summonses, subpoenas, witness fees, or payment of fines.
• Train other workers or coordinate their work, as necessary.
• Perform contract administration duties, assisting with bid openings or the awarding of contracts.
• Research information in the municipal archives upon request of public officials or private citizens.
• Instruct parties about timing of court appearances.

The above responsibilities are specific to City Clerks. More generally, City Clerks are involved in several broader types of activities:

What is a City Clerk salary?

What personality traits are common among City Clerks?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a City Clerk are usually higher in their Conventional and Enterprising interests.

City Clerks typically have very strong Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Also, City Clerks typically have moderate Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a City Clerk tend to value Relationships, Support, and Independence.

Most importantly, City Clerks moderately value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Second, City Clerks moderately value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Lastly, City Clerks moderately value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as City Clerks must consistently demonstrate qualities such as attention to detail, dependability, and integrity.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of City Clerks, ranked by importance:

What education and training do City Clerks need?

Working as a City Clerk usually requires a high school diploma.

City Clerks need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among City Clerks

• 1.2% did not complete high school or secondary school
• 25.7% completed high school or secondary school
• 31.8% completed some college coursework
• 13.3% earned a Associate's degree
• 22.4% earned a Bachelor's degree
• 4.4% earned a Master's degree
• 1.2% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by City Clerks

Important Abilities needed by City Clerks

City Clerks must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, City Clerks need abilities such as oral expression, written comprehension, and oral comprehension in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for City Clerks, ranked by their relative importance.

Critical Skills needed by City Clerks

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

City Clerks frequently use skills like active listening, speaking, and reading comprehension to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for City Clerks, ranked by their relative importance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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