Order Clerks

Also Called:

Materials Specialist,

Order Clerk,

Warehouse Clerk,

Warehouse Person

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.

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Business Management & Administration

Career Cluster

What do they typically do on the job?

  • Review orders for completeness according to reporting procedures and forward incomplete orders for further processing.
  • Obtain customers' names, addresses, and billing information, product numbers, and specifications of items to be purchased, and enter this information on order forms.
  • Recommend merchandise or services that will meet customers' needs.

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines.

Attention to Detail

Cooperation

Integrity

Self Control

Stress Tolerance

Dependability

Interests

Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.

Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz

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Conventional

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Enterprising

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Realistic

Knowledge

People who want to pursue this career have knowledge in these areas.

Business

  • Customer service

  • Administrative services

Manufactured or Agricultural Goods

  • Manufacture and distribution of products

Engineering and Technology

  • Computers and electronics

  • Product and service development

Education and Training

  • Teaching and course design

Abilities

Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.

Verbal

  • Communicate by speaking

  • Listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic

  • Notice when problems happen

  • Order or arrange things

Visual Understanding

  • Quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things

  • See hidden patterns

Skills

People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.

Basic Skills

  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions

  • Talking to others

Social

  • Looking for ways to help people

  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions

Work Values

Work values describe how your core beliefs align with those commonly needed for this career.

Support

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

Independence

Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Working Conditions

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.

Does this sound like something you'd like to do?

1. Do some research
  • Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
  • Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
  • Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career
2. Plan your next move

Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop