Administrative Assistant Jobs | Career Opportunities

Administrative assistant jobs presents quite a wide range of future opportunities that allows you to use your transferable skills. From accounting to human resources, you are surely going to find a career path that suits you.

An administrative assistant is a specialist in office support who gives a business or organization clerical assistance. For both internal and external parties, this person usually acts as the initial point of contact.

You may decide whether becoming an administrative assistant is the right career choice for you by being conscious of the skills and responsibilities required.

Administrative Assistant Jobs

An administrative assistant assists with administrative duties like:

• Managing a complicated schedule of personal and business appointments, travel, and meetings for several people.
• Taking calls, transferring them, passing messages correctly, and responding to enquiries.
• Handling incoming mail, faxes, notes, emails, and other types of correspondence, occasionally demanding a high level of secrecy.
• Preparing supporting documents for presentations, conferences, and meetings by conducting industry-specific research, gathering crucial files, and arranging them.
• Composing and editing reports and other industry papers that are pertinent to the business, organization, or particular group; this work occasionally involves data analysis.
• Handling vendor contracts, buying supplies, scheduling delivery, and keeping track of office supplies.

Standard Salary for Administrative Assistant Jobs

Administrative assistants make $15.34 an hour on average, across the United States. The hourly wages of some employees in this field ranges from $7.25 to $30.35.

Although some may work part-time or as temporary employees, most administrative assistant jobs are taken up as full-time positions. Administrative assistant salaries vary based on your education and experience, the industry the employer is in, the size of the business, and the location of the company.

Requirements for Administrative Assistant Jobs

In order to get jobs, an administrative assistant frequently require a combination of education, training, and certifications.

Education 

In addition to skill certifications, entry-level administrative assistants should possess at least a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate. An Associate’s degree is preferred for various positions, and other employers may even demand a Bachelor’s degree.

With a degree in any subject, including business, communication, or the liberal arts, many businesses will recruit candidates. The university education in certain fields that better equip administrative assistants for specialized tasks, such as working with financial concerns and government agencies, may be preferred by some businesses and sectors, nevertheless.

The technical skills required for administrative assistant jobs include business writing, paperwork, filing and organization, data processing, and bookkeeping. Individuals without degrees can also enroll in technical courses to acquire these skills. For some positions, equivalent experience may be accepted in place of a degree.

See Also >>> Private Client Advisor Jobs | Private Banking

Training

Many administrative assistants receive their training on the job, where they pick up the specialized techniques and technologies relevant to their position. This training, which might take a few weeks to a month, can be a requirement for joining a new firm.

Internal administrative workers like office managers or receptionists are usually supervised throughout training. In the meantime, until they feel confident enough to do activities on their own, new recruits may also carry out jobs under supervision.

Certifications

Professionals can use certifications to demonstrate their capabilities to potential employers. In order to increase their theoretical understanding of the jobs, assess professional abilities, and advance in career, an administrative assistant may also work towards obtaining certificates. Two of the most usual certificates for this career are as follows:

• Certified administrative professional (CAP)

The CAP exam was developed by the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) and covers six topics related to the duties of administrative professionals, including business documentation and writing, technology, record keeping, event and project management, and business functions.

It takes around three hours to complete this 200–225 question, computerized multiple-choice examination. At testing venues across the world that have received IAAP approval, anybody can take the exam. On its website, the IAAP offers exam preparation resources.

• Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)

This certification evaluates technical proficiency using Microsoft software, which are often used by administrative professionals. For each individual program, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Microsoft presently provides associate-level certificates.

Test takers can pass the associate-level exam for each application to become a MOS associate. For Administrative Assistant jobs, you must first obtain the associate title and pass two further Expert-level tests in order to become a MOS expert.

Microsoft also provides certificates for programs like Skype for Business and Microsoft Office 365 in addition to these ones. Anyone who is interested in having their practical understanding of Microsoft’s software tested can obtain a MOS certification.

Skills

In order to succeed in the workplace, administrative assistants need a wide range of skills such as:

• Organization

To handle complicated duties and establish order in the workplace, this skill involves establishing easy solutions. Administrative assistants use their organizational abilities to create systems for carrying out daily jobs, precisely file papers, and filter incoming and outgoing information. Additionally, administrative assistants keep track of the tasks, deadlines, and schedules of each of the professionals they support.

See Also >>> How Many Jobs Are Available in Real Estate Investment Trusts?

• Time management

This skill involves planning a daily schedule of chores and ranking specific obligations according to priority, difficulty, and deadlines. To perform work in the right sequence and on time, administrative assistants utilize time management to organize their days, weeks, months, and quarters.

In order to better plan meetings, travel, and other appointments each day for each schedule they may handle, they also employ this ability while managing their calendars.

• Written communication

This crucial ability involves analyzing written communication and producing suitable answers. These professionals make requests, assign tasks, and plan events and meetings via textual communication. When composing messages, reports, and other significant paperwork, written communication also involves information synthesizing, applying business writing, and displaying professional composure. The ability to proofread and use excellent grammar are essential for efficient written communication.

• Verbal communication

In order to communicate clearly and with competence, one has to possess appropriate workplace manners. Additionally, it requires active listening in order to comprehend a speaker’s message and respond or act in the right way.

Speaking on the phone and in person, administrative assistant jobs also utilize verbal communication. They assess interactions and choose the proper response based on clues like tone and body language.

• Adaptability

Thanks to this quality, Administrative assistants can accommodate a variety of personalities and handle the preferences of many people. Individuals with a high level of adaptability can anticipate the requirements of the several people they assist and swap duties swiftly as priorities change.

Conclusion

Companies across a range of sectors are searching for employees with relevant training, skills, or experience for administrative assistant jobs. An essential part of every business, administrative assistants support others in their careers. It takes time and effort to polish the abilities required to manage administrative activities.