File clerk to archivist
A file clerk already meets 33% of what the archivist role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.1/ 100
1 How much of what an archivist is expected to do is already part of a file clerk’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the archivist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An archivist role treats 5 of its required skills as things a file clerk already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- digitization
- facilitate access to information
- manage digital archives
- perform records management
- respect data protection principles
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An archivist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a file clerk background worth leading with.
- already held perform records management information skills
- already held facilitate access to information information skills
- already held develop classification systems information skills
- already held respect data protection principles assisting and caring
- already held use software for data preservation working with computers
- already held digitization social sciences, journalism and information
All 9 carried skills, including the 5 the archivist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn appraise historical documents required
- still to learn create semantic trees required
- still to learn study a collection required
- optional, not held manage information access aids optional
- still to learn contextualise records collection required
- still to learn write scientific publications required
- still to learn manage archive users guidelines required
- optional, not held coordinate educational programmes optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage human resources optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- still to learn aid archive users with their enquiries required
- optional, not held perform customer management optional
- still to learn collection management required
- optional, not held digital curation optional
- still to learn conservation techniques required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an archivist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 aid archive users with their enquiries practise this
- 02 appraise historical documents practise this
- 03 contextualise records collection practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 9 skills that carry over
- already held digitization knowledge
- already held facilitate access to information skill
- already held manage digital archives skill
- already held perform records management skill
- already held respect data protection principles skill
- already held develop classification systems skill
- already held digitise documents skill
- already held manage digital documents skill
- already held use software for data preservation skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn store archival documents required
- optional, not held use databases optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held digital curation optional
- optional, not held manage information access aids optional
- optional, not held coordinate educational programmes optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage human resources optional
- optional, not held perform customer management optional
- optional, not held recruit employees optional
- optional, not held use databases optional
19 held skills the archivist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role document sharing procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure information transparency skill
- not needed by the target role ensure proper document management skill
- not needed by the target role file documents skill
- not needed by the target role fill out forms skill
- not needed by the target role health records management knowledge
- not needed by the target role information confidentiality knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep promotions records skill
- not needed by the target role keep records of customer interaction skill
- not needed by the target role keep records on sales skill
- not needed by the target role keep stock records skill
- not needed by the target role keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with typists skill
- not needed by the target role maintain museum records skill
- not needed by the target role maintain records of maintenance interventions skill
- not needed by the target role maintain service record book skill
- not needed by the target role organise business documents skill
- not needed by the target role perform clerical duties skill
- not needed by the target role use office systems skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn collection management required
- still to learn conservation techniques required
- optional, not held digital curation optional
Common questions about this move
Can a file clerk become an archivist?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A file clerk already covers 33% of what an archivist is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 5 of which the archivist role treats as required.
What skills does a file clerk need to become an archivist?
10 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is aid archive users with their enquiries.
How hard is the move from file clerk to archivist?
Its learning distance is 67.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.