Keeping track of documents is challenging yet important, especially for business owners. Some experts specialize in the organization and management of documents. They’re called document control specialists, and they can make a huge difference in improving workflow efficiency. 

So, what does a document control specialist do? Learn more about how they can improve a business's efficiency, and get some tips on how to hire one for your organization.

Key Takeaways

• A document control specialist develops document organization and distribution methods and establishes security protocols to keep them secure.

  
  

• Businesses that rely on the retrieval and distribution of documents should consider hiring a document control specialist. 

  
  

• Hiring a document control specialist is determined by what the business needs are and what minimum requirements they expect of their employees. 

What is a Document Control Specialist?

A document control specialist is an expert responsible for the management and organization of documents kept within the business. They’re also often responsible for ensuring they are up-to-date and accurate with the right information.

Document controller at Aquaterra Energy, Sarah Rostamzadeh, explains:

“A Document Controller controller job consists of managing all the documents, technical and commercial for a company.”

She emphasizes:

“Some of them [companies] have hundreds or sometimes thousands of employees, so they have high production and massive amounts of documents, so they need someone or sometimes a software to manage all these documents.”

Document control specialists are important for businesses that require precise document control management. Businesses often waste time and resources trying to find displaced documents. Documents pertaining to customers or clients can lead to lawsuits if improperly treated.

The document control specialist must know all the business regulations and standards to be up to date with document management. They also collaborate with other departments of the business, ensuring those sectors are well organized and maintained.

It’s a technical job, as they use software to help manage their work. These types of jobs are commonly found in healthcare, construction, engineering and manufacturing.

What Does a Document Control Specialist Do?

A document control specialist performs a variety of tasks within a business pertaining to handling physical and digital documents. Here are the most common tasks they typically do under administration:

Document Management.

Document control specialists manage documents, which involves classifying, labeling and storing them correctly.

They need to be somewhat tech-savvy. Most documents are digital, which means working in digital libraries and filing documents within an online database. They may also assist with other basic administrative tasks, such as emails, scanning and issuing of physical documents.

As mentioned, they work with other departments, especially within a larger business. Their overall goal is to organize data to maximize efficiency and less wasted time searching for files.

Updating and Editing Documents

Version control refers to the upkeep and revisions of documents. Whenever there’s a new version of a document, it should replace the old one with the new information.

However, replacing the document with a new version isn't that straightforward. Before proceeding, they must verify the new information is correct. The specialist must also maintain all quality control, meaning information is formatted correctly with no mistakes.

The document control specialist is also responsible for ensuring old and outdated documents are deleted, thrown away, or stored away separately from the new ones to reduce clutter and free up storage.

Archival of Documents

Whenever something gets changed, revised, accused or deleted, it’s documented for record keeping.

Archival procedures are an important duty of a document control specialist because they provide accountability and transparency. Documenting is essential for stakeholders, regulators and investors to help build trust among these parties.

It can also help in maintaining risk management. By observing if there were any changes to a file, the document control specialist determines the risks involved if an unknown person viewed it.

Distribution of Documents

A document control specialist is also responsible for engaging or moving documents to other locations inside or outside the business.

Whenever a document gets added, the control specialist will set up permissions for who can access it. For example, some documents may only be viewable to upper management.

Whenever documents are sent to another person outside the business, the document control specialist runs risk management assessments to verify if transferring that information outward is safe.

Ensure Business Compliance

Following laws and regulations on managing data is very important to the document control specialist role.

They’re required to follow procedures that the business establishes, which is usually a result of a regulatory law forcing them to do so. Following the procedures helps keep the business compliant with important stakeholders, such as public opinion investors and shareholders.

Training

Sometimes, a document control specialist may be required to train other employees on business procedures and regulatory standards.

Document control procedures, such as proper management and distribution functions, may be one of the few things the specialist will have to train on with new employees. Having knowledge of proper document management can help bring awareness to all other parts of the business as an added benefit.

Do Businesses Need a Document Control Specialist?

A document control specialist is essential for many industries that handle important documents and require easy retrieval through organized means. There are some major benefits a document control specialist can provide for a business.

Enhanced Document Protection

A document control specialist is like having another security guard who oversees the processing of all important documents.

A good specialist should implement layers of security protocols to access documents. They may set certain permissions to authorized users. They also use encryption techniques so documents stay in one place. Plus, they use tracking and monitoring techniques to show details of the origin of documents to alert them of any suspicious activities.

Efficient Document Organization and Retrieval

Organization of documents is highly important, especially if they need to be retrieved at a later time.

Document control specialists use software and techniques to manage and maximize the organization of documents. They use a Document Management System (DMS) to create a layout of structure and organization by making categories of where documents should go.

They may use other techniques, such as a file hierarchy system, and meta-tagging that utilizes keywords and phrases to find documents easily. Overall, a good document control specialist will use at least some of these features to make finding documents as easy as possible.

Improved Document Accuracy

Having a document control specialist can also help guarantee everything is accurate and up to date.

Because they’re in charge of handling, they look over documents and identify any errors. Mistakes are important to spot because they can hinder business processing. Plus, it takes time to correct them.

Efficient Workflow Management

One key reason to have a document control specialist on the team is to help a business improve its general workflow.

The document control specialist is an expert in identifying ways to improve document management that will translate into a more efficient workflow due to better ease of access and retrieval of those files.

Outside of document management, they can identify other areas of how the business operates and make suggestions for improving the workflow process.

How to Hire a Document Control Specialist

Hiring a document control specialist offers a wide array of benefits to your business. Here are some guidelines to follow to help ensure you find the ideal candidate.

Determine Your Requirements

Before you hire and commit to hiring a document control specialist, your business needs to determine the minimum and recommended requirements for the type of candidate your business needs.

According to the job market, the education experience to become a document control specialist ranges from requiring a high school diploma to a bachelor's degree in business administration or any other related field. 

After determining the educational background, your business should list skill sets important to the role. For example, if you expect the document control specialist to have to work mostly with digital files, then you should put computer skills or knowledge of specific software down as a requirement.

For every task you’d assign the specialist, develop a skill-check requirement to ensure the candidate has the skill to perform the given task.

Create a Detailed Job Description

Most candidates want to know exactly what the job requires before applying. Creating a detailed job description can help clarify any questions or confusing aspects.

When writing a job description, try to be very clear on the responsibilities. For example, you might say one responsibility is maintaining document version control. You can elaborate, indicating it involves updating and ensuring the accuracy of documents.

Advertise the Position

Advertising the job is important. Where you post the job can also mean the difference between having many applicants or few.

Websites such as LinkedIn, Indeed and Glassdoor are great to advertise locally and nationally. However, if the job requires the candidate to work at the office, be sure to note the position is on-site.

You may want to consider advertising on more local channels, such as job boards or local community websites.

Develop a Comprehensive Interview Process

Be sure to plan out how to conduct the interview process.

While talking with the candidate in person about their resume is efficient, you may also consider other ways to gauge their skillset.

You can conduct a technical skill assessment and have them complete a mini project to see how they approach it. You can also do a collaboration and communications assessment to test their ability to work on a project involving other individuals to show how they communicate.

Doing assessments benefits your business as well as the candidate. It gives them the experience of what it’s like to work in that environment.

References and Background Checks

Look at the candidates' references to validate past work experiences. Doing a background check is essential to know if a candidate has any sort of a criminal history.

Following up with references involves getting consent from the job applicant. If they consent, contact the references provided by phone, email or video chat.

Doing a background check also requires consent from the job applicant. After receiving the consent, verify past employment, education and criminal history. If there is anything unusual, follow up with the job applicant and ask questions to clarify.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the skills of a document controller?

A document controller should be organized and have attention to detail. They’re responsible for managing documents of physical and digital formats and organizing them for the business to allow easier, efficient access. They should also know when to identify mistakes within the documents and correct them as needed.

Is document controller a good job?

A document controller is a good job since it offers more opportunities for advancement. An entry-level document controller can work up to a senior management position in the field and make upwards of $63,000 or more annually.

What is the average salary of a document controller in the U.S.?

The salary for document controllers varies by state and prior education. However, the average salary of a document controller ranges between $30,625 and $49,125 a year, with options to advance their careers to earn even bigger salaries.