How to hire bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Check figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematical accuracy, and proper codes. • Code documents according to company procedures. • Comply with federal, state, and company policies, procedures, and regulations. • Operate 10-key calculators, typewriters, and copy machines to perform calculations and produce documents. • Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information. • Perform financial calculations, such as amounts due, interest charges, balances, discounts, equity, and principal. • Receive, record, and bank cash, checks, and vouchers. • Reconcile or note and report discrepancies found in records. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Some college, no degree] • Strong mathematics, active listening, critical thinking, reading comprehension, speaking and writing skills • Working knowledge of customer and personal service, administrative and mathematics • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $24.36 an hour ($50,670 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to check figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematical accuracy, and proper codes. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to code documents according to company procedures. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to comply with federal, state, and company policies, procedures, and regulations. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to operate 10-key calculators, typewriters, and copy machines to perform calculations and produce documents. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Walk me through a calculation you do regularly at work and how you check it.
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks do
- Check figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematical accuracy, and proper codes.
- Code documents according to company procedures.
- Comply with federal, state, and company policies, procedures, and regulations.
- Operate 10-key calculators, typewriters, and copy machines to perform calculations and produce documents.
- Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information.
- Perform financial calculations, such as amounts due, interest charges, balances, discounts, equity, and principal.
- Receive, record, and bank cash, checks, and vouchers.
- Reconcile or note and report discrepancies found in records.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
- Typical education to start: Some college, no degree (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 1 to 2 years (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: -5.6% over ten years, declining · about 144,100 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $65,180 |
| Connecticut | $59,970 |
| Massachusetts | $59,830 |
| California | $59,230 |
| Washington | $58,620 |
| West Virginia | $42,890 |
| Mississippi | $42,840 |
| Arkansas | $42,840 |
See bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks pay in every state
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Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.