Brokerage Clerks Onet SOC Code 43-4011.00 Career Description: Perform clerical duties involving the purchase or sale of securities. Duties include writing orders for stock purchases and sales, computing transfer taxes, verifying stock transactions, accepting and delivering securities, tracking stock price fluctuations, computing equity, distributing dividends, and keeping records of daily transactions and holdings. Related Clusters: Business, Management, and Administration Finance Programs of Study Brokerage Clerks

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Career Summary:

• Experience- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
• Education- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some may require a bachelor's degree.
• Job Training- Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers.
• Examples- These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include funeral directors, electricians, forest and conservation technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents.

• Correspond with customers and confer with coworkers in order to answer inquiries, discuss market fluctuations, and resolve account problems.
• Record and document security transactions, such as purchases, sales, conversions, redemptions, and payments, using computers, accounting ledgers, and certificate records.
• Schedule and coordinate transfer and delivery of security certificates between companies, departments, and customers.
• Prepare forms, such as receipts, withdrawal orders, transmittal papers, and transfer confirmations, based on transaction requests from stockholders.
• File, type, and operate standard office machines.
• Monitor daily stock prices, and compute fluctuations in order to determine the need for additional collateral to secure loans.
• Compute total holdings, dividends, interest, transfer taxes, brokerage fees, and commissions, and allocate appropriate payments to customers.
• Prepare reports summarizing daily transactions and earnings for individual customer accounts.
• Verify ownership and transaction information and dividend distribution instructions to ensure conformance with governmental regulations, using stock records and reports.

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

• Many of the tasks performed by brokerage clerks are clerical and require only a high school diploma, while others are considered entry-level positions for which a bachelor's degree is needed. Technology is changing the nature of many of these jobs. A significant and growing number of brokerage clerks use custom-designed software programs to process transactions more quickly. Only a few customized accounts are still handled manually. Furthermore, the rapid expansion of online trading reduces the amount of paperwork because brokerage clerks are able to make trades electronically.

  All brokers' assistants must be knowledgeable about investment products so that they can clearly communicate with clients. Those with a "Series 7" license can make recommendations to clients at the instruction of the broker. The Series 7 license is issued to securities and commodities sales representatives by the National Association of Securities Dealers and allows them to provide advice on securities to the public.

  For related information and recommended courses to prepare for this occupation, Tennessee high school students may visit the Business and Information Technology Standards online.

• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Number Facility - The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

• Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point - Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point - Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

• Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
• Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
• Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
• Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
• Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
• Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
• Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
• Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
• Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
• Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
• Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
• Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

• Working Conditions - Workers on this job have good working conditions.
• Activity - Workers on this job are busy all the time.
• Security - Workers on this job have steady employment.
• Co-workers - Workers on this job have co-workers who are easy to get along with.
• Moral Values - Workers on this job are never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
• Company Policies and Practices - Workers on this job are treated fairly by the company.
• Supervision, Human Relations - Workers on this job have supervisors who back up their workers with management.
• Working Conditions-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
• Support-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
• Relationships-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
• Achievement - Workers on this job get a feeling of accomplishment.
• Compensation - Workers on this job are paid well in comparison with other workers.
• Social Status - Workers on this job are looked up to by others in their company and their community.
• Achievement-Mean Extent - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Wage and salary data provided by:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee Department of Labor website
• TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development website
• Bureau of Economic Analysis website