Stock Clerk
Stock clerks help protect against such losses by controlling the flow of goods received, stored and issued. They usually receive and unpack incoming merchandise or material. Stock clerks report damaged or spoiled goods and process papers necessary for obtaining replacements or credit. On outgoing orders, they may check the items for quality, quantity and sometimes make minor repairs or adjustments.
Stock clerks organize and mark items with identifying codes or prices so that inventories can be located quickly and easily. They keep records of items entering and leaving the stock room.
Stock clerks work in small and large firms and perform various duties. They can advance to more stock handling jobs such as invoice clerk, stock control clerks, or procurement clerk. Few may be promoted to stock room supervisor.
Employment of stock clerks is expected to increase about as fast as the average for all occupations through the mid 1980’s. Thousands of job openings will occur each as employment grows and as workers die, retire, or transfer to other occupations.
There are no specific educational requirements for beginning stock clerks. Employers prefer high school graduates. Reading and writing skills and a basic knowledge of mathematics are necessary. Typing and filing abilities are useful.
Usually a stock clerk works a forty hour week. They receive time and one half for over forty hours. Salaries usually depends upon where they work.
Stock clerks usually work in relatively clean, heated, and welllighted areas. Some stock rooms may be damp and drafty because of refrigerated goods and they may spend some time in cold storage rooms.
Salesperson
The success of any retail business depends largely on its sales workers. Courteous and efficient service, whether on the floor or behind the counter does much to satisfy the customer and build a good reputation.
The duties, skills, and responsibilities of sales workers are as different as the kinds of merchandise they sell. In addition to selling, most sales workers make out sales or charge slips, receive cash payments and give change and receipts. They also take care of returns and exchanges of merchandise and keep their work area neat.
Salespeople have to deal with pricing and sizes. They also must be knowledgeable about sales tax. When purchasing merchandise to be shipped out of state by the firm there is no tax charge.
In small firms a salesclerk may help order merchandise, stock shelves or racks, mark price tags, take inventory and prepare displays.
There are more than 2.7 million sales workers employed in retail business. Sales persons work in stores ranging from the small drug or grocery store employing one part time sales clerk to the giant department stores that has hundreds of sales workers. They also work for doorto door sales companies and mailorder houses.
Employers prefer high school graduates, especially those that have participated or taken courses in Distributive Education. Thousands of high schools across the country have distributive education programs. These programs generally consist of a cooperative arrangement between the school and business community. These programs allow students to work part time in local stores while taking courses in merchandising, accounting, and other aspects of retail selling. Subjects such as English, salesmanship and commercial arithmetic provide a good background. Math is essential. Salespersons earn approximately seven to fifteen thousand dollars and more depending upon the firm that they work for.
Retail selling will continue to be an excellent source of job opportunities for high school graduates even though employment is expected to increase more slowly than the average for all occupations through the mid 1980’s.
Sales persons work a five day, forty hour week. They usually work in clean, welllighted places, and many stores are airconditioned. They are usually paid by the hour. Some sales people receive a salary plus commission, that is a percentage of the sales that they make. Some are paid a straight commission and they find that their earnings are greatly affected by ups and downs in the economy.
Purchasing Agent
The purchasing agents job is to maintain an adequate supply of items an organization needs to operate. Purchasing agents called industrial buyers, obtain goods and services of the required quality at the lowest possible cost and see that adequate supplies are available. Because agents often can purchase from many sources, their main job is selecting the seller who offers the best value. The purchasing agent has to contact many sales people from different companies in order to compare prices, quantity and quality. He or she must compare price listings in catalogs, trade journals and compute the difference in savings. The salesperson makes telephone calls to suppliers to get information and meet with salespersons to examine samples, watch demonstrations of equipment, and discuss items to be purchased. It is very important that purchasing agents develop good business relationships with their suppliers.
Purchasing agents work in manufacturing industries, government agencies, construction companies, hospitals and schools. They also work in stores.
While there is no universal educational requirements for entry level jobs, most large companies now require a college degree, and prefer applicants with a master’s degree in business administration. Training requirements vary with the needs of the firm. Regardless of educational background beginning purchasing agents spend a considerable amount of time learning about company operations and purchasing procedures. Some high school courses which might prove especially helpful are civics, economics, business law, bookkeeping, typing, and shorthand. In college required courses are economics, accounting, statistics, and business management.
Employment for purchasing agents is expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations through the 1980’s. Opportunities will be excellent for persons with a master’s degree in business administration. Persons with a bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, or business administration whose college program included one course or more in purchasing also should have bright prospects. Demand for purchasing agents will increase because of their importance in reducing cost.
The earnings of purchasing agents vary depending upon the firm that they work for.
Statistician
A statistician collects, analyzes and interprets numerical data in a particular subject area to provide help to business and governmental officials and professional workers in determining the best way to produce results in their work. The statistician works with numbers and symbols which have a special meaning. Mathematical statisticians use mathematical techniques for designing and improving statistical methods to obtain and interpret numerical information.
They also work with theory, devising new ways in which the work may be accomplished and statistical method may be applied. There are statisticians who design experiments and prepare mathematical modes to test a particular theory.
Statisticians work in private industry, primarily in manufacturing, public utilities, finance and insurance companies. They work for the Federal Government, in the Department of Commerce, Health, Education, Welfare, Agriculture and Defense. Others work in state and local government, Colleges and Universities.
A bachelors degree with a major in statistics or mathematics is the minimum educational requirement for many beginning jobs in statistics. A graduate degree in mathematics or statistics is essential for college and university teaching.
Employment opportunities are expected to be favorable through the 1980’s. Besides the faster than average growth expected in this field, additional statisticians will be needed to replace those who die, retire, or transfer to other occupations. Private industry will require increasing numbers of statisticians for quality control in manufacturing. Business firms will rely more heavily than in the past on statisticians to forecast sales, analyze business conditions, modernize accounting procedures, and help solve management problems.
Salaries for a statistician vary depending upon the firm.
Bank Teller
Most bank customers have contact with the teller, the man or woman behind the window performs a variety of duties.
The teller cashes customers checks and handles deposits and withdrawals from checking and savings accounts. Before cashing a check the teller must make sure that the written and numerical amounts agree, verify the identity of the person to receive payment and be certain that the payee’s account has sufficient funds to cover the check. The teller must carefully count out the cash to avoid errors. There are times when customers withdraw money in the form of a cashier’s check and the teller has to type it and verify it. When accepting a deposit, the teller checks the accuracy of the deposit slip and enters the total in a passbook or on a deposit receipt.
Some tellers use machines to do the math work, others use computer terminals, while some write and compute by hand. Their duties begin before and continue after banking hours. After banking hours, tellers count cash on hand, list currency received tickets on a settlement sheet, and balance the days accounts.
Tellers work in clean well lighted air conditioned places. They generally work a thirty seven to forty hour week.
A high school diploma is usually sufficient for hiring with a good background in math. The applicant must pass a basic math test. Maturity, neatness, tact, courtesy, friendliness and attentiveness are very important.
Thousands of openings will occur each year as a result of employment growth and the need to replace tellers who stop working for various reasons. The relatively high replacement needs in this career are expected to be an important source of job opportunities. Qualified applicants should find good employment prospects.
In general, the greater the range of responsibilities the teller performs, the higher his or her salary.
Chef
A person employed in the preparation and cooking of food, usually in large quantities. Chefs coordinate the work of the kitchen staff, and often direct certain kinds of food preparation. They decide the size of servings, sometimes plan menus, and buy food supplies. Many chefs have earned fame for both themselves and the firm for which they work because of their skill in creating new dishes and improving familiar ones. The work depends upon the size of the firm.
Chefs work in restaurants, hotels, colleges, hospitals, government agencies, factories, private clubs, schools, and many other organizations employ them.
Chefs work thirtyseven and one half to forty eight hours a week. Some work in airconditioned kitchens and have convenient work areas and modern equipment. Older and smaller eating places are often not as well equipped and working conditions are less desirable.
Chefs that work in famous restaurants earn more than the minimum rates and many chefs with a national reputation earn more than forty thousand dollars a year.
Persons interested in becoming chefs should take courses in business arithmetic and business administration in high school. They can get experience by working part time in a fast food restaurant or other food service operations.
After high school interested persons should attend a culinary vocational school. Some universities and junior colleges offers curricula in the area of becoming a chef.
The demand for chefs will increase as the population increases and people spend more money eating out. Higher personal incomes will allow people to eat out more. The working wives find it a welcome convenience to eat out.
