How to hire correspondence clerks

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
• Compile data from records to prepare periodic reports.
• Compose letters in reply to correspondence concerning such items as requests for merchandise, damage claims, credit information requests, delinquent accounts, incorrect billing, or unsatisfactory service.
• Gather records pertinent to specific problems, review them for completeness and accuracy, and attach records to correspondence as necessary.
• Maintain files and control records to show correspondence activities.
• Prepare documents and correspondence, such as damage claims, credit and billing inquiries, invoices, and service complaints.
• Read incoming correspondence to ascertain nature of writers' concerns and to determine disposition of correspondence.
• Route correspondence to other departments for reply.

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: High school diploma or equivalent]
• Strong writing, active listening, reading comprehension, speaking and critical thinking skills
• Working knowledge of administrative, English Language, customer and personal service and economics and accounting
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $22.50 an hour ($46,800 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for correspondence 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.

1. Tell me about a time you had to compile data from records to prepare periodic reports. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to compose letters in reply to correspondence concerning such items as requests for merchandise, damage claims, credit information requests, delinquent accounts, incorrect billing, or unsatisfactory service. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to gather records pertinent to specific problems, review them for completeness and accuracy, and attach records to correspondence as necessary. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to maintain files and control records to show correspondence activities. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Describe something important you wrote at work, such as a report, notes or an email. Who read it and what happened next?
6. 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?
7. Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
8. 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 correspondence clerks do

• Compile data from records to prepare periodic reports.
• Compose letters in reply to correspondence concerning such items as requests for merchandise, damage claims, credit information requests, delinquent accounts, incorrect billing, or unsatisfactory service.
• Gather records pertinent to specific problems, review them for completeness and accuracy, and attach records to correspondence as necessary.
• Maintain files and control records to show correspondence activities.
• Prepare documents and correspondence, such as damage claims, credit and billing inquiries, invoices, and service complaints.
• Read incoming correspondence to ascertain nature of writers' concerns and to determine disposition of correspondence.
• Route correspondence to other departments for reply.

Skills that matter most

WritingActive ListeningReading ComprehensionSpeakingCritical ThinkingAdministrativeEnglish LanguageCustomer and Personal ServiceEconomics and Accounting

Education, experience and outlook for correspondence clerks

• Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 2 to 4 years (O*NET)
• Training on the job: Short-term on-the-job training (BLS)
• Job outlook: -5.6% over ten years, declining · about 500 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay correspondence clerks

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See correspondence clerks pay in every state

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Job 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.