Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant

There is no doubt that working as an office admin can be an exciting and rewarding experience. However, getting a job is not always a walk in the park. You’ll have to be the best candidate possible during interviews in order to beat the competition. Once hired, you’ll need to put your skills to work and assert your competency by running the office smoothly and effectively. Sometimes this might mean coordinating an executive’s travel itinerary on a moment’s notice, and other times it might simply mean fixing a paper jam.

 

If you’re searching for a career as an administrative assistant, here is all you need to know in terms of responsibilities, educational requirements, salary and everything in between.

Administrative staff having a phone call

Administrative Assistant Job Description

Admin assistants, also referred to as administrative specialists or admin coordinators, work under the supervision of a manager. They provide support to office visitors, the manager, and other employees by handling a variety of tasks to ensure office operations are positive and productive. Their main responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

Welcoming and assisting visitors

Anticipating their needs in order to ensure a positive and seamless experience

Maintaining polite and professional communication via email or phone

Using computers to conduct research, create presentations, transcribe minutes from meeting and generate reports.

Screening phone calls and directing callers to the appropriate parties

Providing real-time scheduling support by preventing conflicts while booking appointments

Handling other office tasks, such as recording supplies, setting up meetings, generating reports and filing.

Basic Educational Requirements

Most entry-level admin assistant jobs require a high school diploma or GED coupled with some basic office skills. Although postsecondary education is not a necessity, some employers, particularly law firms, have a high preference for candidates with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. For all admin assistants, higher education is actually the gate pass to a higher status and better pay.

Important Skills Required

To become a successful administrative assistant, you’ll need to be polite, professional and attentive while interacting with others. You must also have the ability to juggle a multitude of tasks simultaneously, as well as have creative problem-solving skills to ensure that the office runs effectively. Besides, you must have the ability to stay calm under pressure. That means you should not be easily frazzled. Instead, you should be able to remain cool, calm and collected under stress. Other important skills include attention to detail, organizational and management skills, typing skill, phone skills and computers skills.

Work Environments and Conditions

Office administration is a universal need. You can work in virtually every type of business, from small to large, across all sectors. That means your work environment will largely vary based on your interests and goals. Although you’ll be required to work from 9 to 5, the needs and culture of a specific company might force you to work on selected weekends, evenings or holidays.

How Much Do Admin Assistants Make?

According to 2017 BLS Statistics, the median annual wage for admin assistants was $37,870, with the highest 10% earning more than $62,870. However, this figure varied greatly based experience, industry, and location. In the state of Oklahoma, for instance, the salary range is somewhere between $34,310 and $43, 550. Those working in executive and legal offices were the highest paid. The median annual salaries for those sectors are $57,410 and $44,730, respectively.

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Whether you’re looking for your first or next administrative assistant job – temp or permanent – we’re here to help you get one. That’s what we do best at Certified Source.