Data Processing Specialist

Information makes the world go ’round. This is especially true in the business world, where knowing what the customer wants even before she does can take the company from the red to the black. But simply having a lot of information doesn’t really do any good unless that data is accessible. Enter the Data Processing Specialist, whose job is to analyze, organize, and streamline the data that a company collects.

As a Data Processing Specialist, you’re computer, math, and people savvy. In fact, your job combines the skills of Information Analysts and Information Technology Managers. To understand the position, consider a post office that plans to send marketing materials to all the houses and businesses within the postal community. Your Data Processing Specialist job in this case involves scouring the current mailing information for each customer, creating an accurate and reliable database, and making sure each mailing label is ready to print without a glitch.

Advertising firms also hire you to consolidate information for use in advertising campaigns. In addition, universities and even entire cities count on you to make data accessible to employees or the public (think inventory levels or hours of computer usage).

Depending on the needs of the employer, your job responsibilities might focus on the technical support side of things. For example, you might handle hardware or software problems, or train employees on the use of new software.