Committee Clerk Career Description
Committee clerks draw up reports and agendas, arrange meetings, attend them to take minutes of the proceedings, take care of and circulate the minutes and do correspondence and administrative work, usually covering a wide spectrum of the relevant administrative functions of the organisation.
What am I going to do in this occupation?
Committee clerks - known at some institutions as committee or council secretaries or administration officers - inform all the members of the councilor committee by whom they are employed of a meeting by means of an appropriate notice. The members notify them of all the matters they want to discuss and they see to it that the final agenda is circulated to all members of a committee/council before the meeting. Sometimes the committee members need information for their preparations for the meeting, for example earlier decisions or matters concerning policies, in which case committee clerks in view of their broad knowledge in that regard, will be the appropriate person to contact. Committee clerks must see to it that conference rooms are ready for meetings and that there are, for example, refreshments before or after the meeting.
During meetings committee clerks take notes to be able to prepare the minutes later. Tape recordings of the meetings are sometimes made and these are also committee clerks' responsibility. It is important that committee clerks know every person on the committee or council to note who said what, and that they follow the discussions closely in order to know exactly what decisions were taken.
After meetings committee clerks write the minutes with the help of their notes or tape recordings. They then reproduce and circulate it. Hereafter it is submitted to the relevant committee for approval, after which it is filed as an official document.
Committee clerks sometimes take care of correspondence that arise from the committee or council proceedings. It is often expected of them to correspond with members of the public concerning policy and decisions of the committee or council, or on general enquiries and certain applications.
Committee clerks' working environment is pleasant. They usually work in a team, and have their own offices and telephones. They work normal office hours, but sometimes meetings are held after hours. They may sometimes receive payment for this overtime depending on the policy of their employers. Depending on their specific employer, committee clerks must sometimes travel to attend meetings in other places.
Requirements
What kind of personality do I need? Prospective committee clerks must be able to work with people. They must have enough self-confidence, must be diplomatic and determined to solve problems.
Women, as well as men, with a language ability, a wide field of interest, as well as bilinguality, will be suitable for this career.
The successful committee clerk is a person who likes to organise, can work under pressure, has good perception and can concentrate. They must be able to use their discretion and handle confidential information with respect.
Where can I work?
Town councils, agriculture control boards, statutory, usually employ committee clerks.
Many town councillors and town clerks began their careers as committee clerks. Usually committee clerks are able to progress to senior and later chief committee clerks within the institution they are working in, but in view of the wide range of knowledge they can build up during their work, they will often be a favourite for almost any other administrative vacancy in the specific institution.
Can I work for myself in this occupation?
There are no self-employment opportunities in this occupation.
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