Administrative Assistants are the invisible glue that holds the team together, the multitasking ninjas critical to the smooth running of a business entity, and the nerve centre with access to every aspect of the organisation. Continue Reading
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Explore Career What are the typical responsibilities of an Administrative Assistant?
An Administrative Assistant would typically need to:
Most Administrative Assistants work in comfortable office settings. Virtual Assistants typically work from a home office. Travelling is uncommon, though it may be required occasionally, depending on your work sector.
An Administrative Assistant’s workweek typically ranges between 35 to 40 hours and includes regular business hours.
Research suggests that flexible hours and generous telework policies appeal more than salary to the younger generation. There has been an incremental increase in employers willing to give promising employees a chance to adjust their schedules as per work pressure.
Secretarial and administrative work is so diverse that employment opportunities abound in virtually all sectors ranging from education and health to finance and marketing. If finding a new job seems challenging, Administrative Assistants can boost their job search by asking their network for referrals and contacting companies directly. Using job search platforms, attending job fairs, leveraging social media, and inquiring at staffing agencies also helps. Interim, part-time, and temporary roles are typical. Career breaks are possible if skills, especially IT, are maintained.
Administrative Assistants are generally employed by:
Professional associations and organisations, such as the International Association for Administrative Professionals (IAAP), are crucial for an Administrative Assistant interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation.
Professional associations provide members with continuing education, networking opportunities, and mentorship services. Membership in one or more adds value to your resume while bolstering your credentials and qualifications.
Relevant experience is often more highly valued than secretarial qualifications, although excellent IT and typing skills (a minimum of 45 words per minute is usually required) will always be an essential requirement.
Many temporary placement agencies provide formal training in computer and office skills.
Summer internships, part-time work at an entry-level position, or short-term paid/voluntary work offer a taste of the work, give valuable insight into how a company or institution operates, help build useful contacts, and improve one’s prospects of getting a permanent job.
The experience may also help you determine whether the public, private, or voluntary sector is best suited to realise one’s ambitions. Your educational provider’s career service department can provide information about viable opportunities for work placements, internships and voluntary work in diverse sectors.
Read about the profession and interview/shadow seasoned Administrative Assistants to prove your commitment to course providers and prospective employers.
Most Administrative Assistants have a high school diploma. The requisite skills may be gained through high school vocational education programs, post-secondary vocational-technical schools, and community colleges.
Roles with more responsibility require a bachelor’s degree in business management, government/public administration, law, or secretarial studies.
Secretarial training offered by community colleges and vocational-technical schools is helpful for entry to legal or medical secretarial roles requiring industry-specific terminology and practices.
Recommended high school courses include math, accounting, computer applications, introduction to business, and office procedures. English and speech classes will help you develop your research, writing, and oral communication skills.
While in high school, you can check with a teacher or counsellor about relevant work-based learning opportunities available in your school or community to help you connect your school experiences with real-life work.
Join some groups, try some hobbies, or volunteer with an organisation that is of interest, so you can have fun while learning about yourself and be directed toward a future career.
Remember that completing a particular academic course does not guarantee entry into the profession. Be that as it may, professional qualifications and transferable skills may open up more than one door.
Do your homework and look into all available options for education and employment before enrolling in a specific programme. Reliable sources that help you make an educated decision include associations and employers in your field.
Accredited certification in assisting, project management, payroll, human resources, and office software from an objective and reputed organisation can help Administrative Assistants stand out in a competitive job market and increase their chances of advancement.
A combination of education, experience, and testing is generally required to gain certification, though requirements differ from region to region. Successful certification programs protect public welfare by incorporating a Code of Ethics.
Administrative Assistants may also need to undergo an employment background check, including but not limited to a person’s work history, education, credit history, motor vehicle reports (MVRs), criminal record, medical history, use of social media, and drug screening.
Performance, experience, and the acquisition of professional qualifications drive the career progression of Administrative Assistants who may become Personal Assistants to senior executives.
You can move into a role that requires specialised skills, such as Legal, Medical or Bilingual Secretary. You could use your organisational skills as an Office Manager or Team Secretary, coordinating others’ work within a department or organisation.
It is possible to move up through internal vacancies or into other fields, such as sales or marketing, In the charity and property sectors. Opening one’s own business as a Virtual Assistant is also possible.
A highly competent Chartered Secretary can aim to become a Company Secretary or Chief Executive. Administrative Assistants may also use their shorthand skills to become Verbatim Reporters who attend and record court hearings.
The desire to accelerate career growth and personal development has an increasing number of millennials choosing to job hop and build a scattershot resume that showcases ambition, motivation, and the desire to learn a broad range of skills.
Studies prove that job hopping, earlier dismissed as “flaky” behaviour, can lead to greater job fulfilment. Employees searching for a positive culture and interesting work are willing to try out various roles and workplaces and learn valuable, transferable skills along the way.
Candidates who have completed accredited secretarial courses, acquired recognised certifications and gained significant work experience will have the best job prospects.
Continuing professional development (CPD) will help an active Administrative Assistant build personal skills and proficiency through work-based learning, a professional activity, formal education, or self-directed learning.
Initial training of an Administrative Assistant usually comprises company policies, procedures, and systems. Employers may sponsor further qualifications, or employees may undertake independent study to increase their chances of progression.
Administrative Assistants can obtain certificates and diplomas in subjects such as audio transcriptions, business & administration, IT, and typing.
Entry to more specialised areas, such as legal or medical secretarial work, may require additional qualifications. The range of IT skills Administrative Assistants need will depend on their specific role. Training in Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, Access, statistical packages, web authoring, and design will add definite value to your unique skill set.
Diversity is The Only Universality
The nature and variety of the work you undertake will vary according to the size of the business you work for. Large organisations may provide more routine work but could offer scope for promotion and experience in other departments.
Small businesses usually expect you to play a very traditional role. Sometimes, you may need to shoulder extra responsibility, particularly if the company is short-staffed, which could provide additional, helpful experience.
Not Always, but Sometimes…
Depending on the sector and company, an Administrative Assistant may also need to use various software packages (Microsoft Excel, Access, and Powerpoint) to manage data and produce documents and presentations.
You may use content management systems (CMS) to maintain and update websites/internal databases. Part of your job description would be managing and maintaining budgets, invoicing, and manipulating statistical data.
You may be the one to sort out/distribute incoming posts and organise/send outgoing posts. It may be you who will recruit, train, and supervise junior staff members, delegate work as required, or arrange in-house/external events and training sessions for staff members.
The Current Scenario
Employment of Administrative Assistants may be declining in organisations where technological advances make it possible to prepare one’s documents without help from secretarial staff.
In addition, many Administrative Assistants now support more than one manager in an organisation, and many managers now manage the tasks these professionals previously handled.
Medical Secretaries will see a rise in demand because of the growth of the healthcare industry. However, the need to replace Administrative Assistants who moved to other occupations or exited the labour force will herald new job openings.
For the endless phone calls they make and take, for the constant deadlines they keep, for answering questions all day long, for making sure nothing goes wrong, for the organisation beyond compare, for the cheerful and welcoming disposition, for holding everything together, Administrative Assistants are worth their weight in gold.
Enthusiasm spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment. No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another.
Administrative professionals are responsible for making important purchasing decisions for their organisations, which are worth up to $20,000 a year on average.
What do Administrative Assistants do?
An Administrative Assistant would typically need to:
Accredited
$71,737
