A filing clerk (or file clerk) is a clerical employee whose primary responsibilities include sorting, classifying, labeling, indexing, and maintaining an organization's records, correspondence, invoices, and other vital documents in alphabetical, numerical, or chronological order.
Etymology
Origin: Latin / Old French
- filum — a thread (the root of 'file') (Latin)
- clericus — priest, scholar, or scribe (the root of 'clerk') (Late Latin)
A compound term combining 'filing'—which stems from the Latin 'filum' (referring to the historic practice of stringing papers onto a thread for safekeeping)—and 'clerk', which historically referred to literate church members who kept records for secular authorities. The specific compound arose in the modern corporate office era.
Example
- Before advancing to database management, she began her corporate career as a junior filing clerk responsible for indexing client invoices.
source: [CAPS LOCK]