What is the job description of an administrative assistant?
This should be the first question to ask yourself when seeking and before taking up a job as an administrative assistant.
They are professionals who aid a company’s managers, employees, and visitors.
An administrative assistant job description also requires handling all interactions and transactions between the company and others.
They ensure that all tasks are productive and for the company’s benefit.
Taking their duties and responsibilities, there are certain skills and qualifications an administrative assistant should possess.
If you want your professional administrative assistant resume to meet your goals, use this job description guide to create that resume.
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What does an Administrative Assistant do?
Administrative assistants coordinate an organization or firm’s daily administrative and clerical tasks. They support managers, visitors, and employees to ensure that activities are positively and productively carried out.
Their job description includes booking travel, scheduling appointments, and answering phone calls.
What are the Duties and Responsibilities of an Administrative Assistant?
Your duties and responsibilities may depend on your employer as well as the size of the firm.
The duties and responsibilities of an administrative assistant are but are not limited to these:
1. Answering and Directing Calls to the Right Office or Person
Administrative assistants respond to calls and answer callers who need straightforward answers.
But redirect the calls to the appropriate office or person when necessary.
2. Organising and Scheduling Meetings and Appointments
Administrative assistants keep track of all scheduled meetings and appointments and ensure they are successfully held.
They plan, organize and schedule meetings or appointments.
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3. Taking Detailed Minutes During Meetings
During meetings or appointments, they take detailed minutes of the meeting.
In some cases, they may read the minutes of the previous meeting before starting a new one.
4. Typing and Distributing Emails, Memos, Letters, Faxes, and FormsÂ
Administrative assistants sort out mail, letters, forms, and memos and distribute them to the appropriate office of person.
Whenever it is necessary, they also type letters, memos, and other correspondence.
5. Making Travel Arrangements and Booking.
An administrative assistant must make all necessary travel arrangements.
From the means of transportation to the accommodation, booking must be planned and booked before or during the journey.
6. Placing Orders for Office Supplies when Necessary
As a part of the job description of an administrative assistant, they place orders for all office supplies.
Orders must be placed and delivered before the firm runs out of those supplies.
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Some other administrative and clerical tasks an administrative assistant undertakes are:
- Helping in the planning and preparation of scheduled reports.
- Developing a good system for keeping records
- Updating and maintenance of office policies.
- Agree with executive and senior administrative assistants on handling queries and requests from senior managers.
What Qualifications do I need to become an Administrative Assistant?
A bachelor’s degree in management or other related fields may not be Manda, but it is advantageous.
The minimum level of education an administrative assistant should have is a high school diploma or GED.
High school leavers may train in a vocational school in word processing and office procedures.
But bachelor’s degree holders make better admins assistants most of the time.
Often, employers prefer to employ those with some years of experience in office management or to work as a secretary.
What Skills and Personality Suit an Administrative Assistant?
To effectively carry out all your duties and responsibilities as stated in the administrative assistant job description given to you by your employer, there are some skills you should possess.
Considering the job description of an administrative assistant, here are some of those skills and attributes employers look out for.
1. Organisational Skills
Organizational skills are among the most valuable skills any administrative assistant should have.
You should be able to keep yourself and others as well organized.
2. Communication Skills
A good administrative assistant should possess excellent communication skills.
You should be able to communicate verbally and in writing.
Communicating well with words helps an administrative assistant relate well with colleagues and visitors.
Good writing skills are important for taking meaningful meeting minutes and keeping records.
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3. Decision-making Skills
At some point, while working, you may have to make independent decisions.
Therefore a good decision is one of those attributes an administrative assistant should possess.
4. Customer Service Oriented
The importance of good customer service skills cannot be overrated.
An administrative assistant will assist visitors and respond to their calls; while doing this, you must be kind.
5. Time Management Skills
A good administrative assistant should be capable of managing time in the best way possible.
This is the only way to attend to and complete all your tasks effectively.
6. Multitasking Ability
All multitaskers may not be administrative assistants, but all administrative assistants should be great multitaskers.
Whenever multitasking is not possible, you should prioritize your activities.
Giving more preference to more critical tasks than less important ones.
Where do Administrative Assistants Work?
So many organizations always require the services of an administrative assistant.
The typical employers of administrative assistants range from government organizations to private firms and businesses.
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How much do Administrative Assistants make?
Your salary or wage as an administrative assistant depends on your employer and geographical location.
But on average administrative assistants make $15.42 per hour, according to Indeed.
More educated and experienced administrative assistants earn up to $32,25 per hour in the United States.
Apart from your geographical location and employer, it is evident that your qualification and experience also determines your pay.
The figures above show that more experienced administrative assistants earn more than their less professional colleagues.
What Should I Include in my Administrative Assistant Resume?
Creating a good resume starts with knowing and understanding the job description of an administrative assistant.
Some of the things you may want to include are your skills, experience, and qualifications.
Don’t hesitate to use this guide on the job description of an administrative assistant to create a professional resume that supports your goal.
What are Some Questions for an Administrative Assistant Job Interview?
Some questions interviewers may ask during an administrative assistant job interview include:
1. What are your Strengths?
Try to hit the nail on the head when answering this question as much as possible.
Tell them about your qualification and experience; for example, you could tell them about the Microsoft office course you completed.
Very briefly, you can also tell them about jobs you handled in the past that were given to you due to your strength in a specific area of expertise.
2. How do you Manage Time?
In answering this question, tell them about apps or tools you use to make time management possible.
You can also tell them that you always allocate time to all the tasks given to you.
And that you stay focused on each task until you have completed it.
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3. How do you Work with a Difficult Boss, Colleague, or Visitor?
This question is aimed at analyzing your problem-solving skills and also finding out how well you may work under pressure.
Briefly tell them about an experience without mentioning names to answer the question.
Tell them how your ability to stay calm during problems or pressure has helped you work better.
4. What is the Role of an Administrative Assistant in an Office?
Usually, the reason for asking this question is to know if you understand the job description of an administrative assistant.
When responding, feel free to use this guide on the job description of an administrative assistant.
5. What is the Best part of Being an Administrative Assistant?
Tell them what you enjoy or like about being an administrative assistant to answer this question.
Loving the job makes you more productive.
6. What are your Areas of Weakness?
When answering this question, you have to be very discreet.
The trust is your employer doesn’t precisely expect that you are 100% perfect. Therefore saying you have no weakness may be a blatant lie.
But then, you have to find a way to answer this question to avoid being disqualified.
Some answers you can give are:
- I pay too much attention to details
- Sometimes I find it hard to let go until I have completed a project
- Most times, I focus so much on my job that I give little time to other things.
- I find it difficult to say no
Click here to learn more about how to explain these points.
Is the Job of an Administrative Assistant Stressful?
The truth is, yes, sometimes the job of an admitted assistant may be stressful and demanding.
Although this may not be the case every day, some days may be less stressful.
The best way to handle stress is to stay motivated and see stressful situations as an opportunity to improve your skills.
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What is the Work Schedule and Environment of an Administrative Assistant?
Often, administrative assistants work in an office.
No part of the job description requires working in a field.
You may only have to leave the office if you have letters or errands to deliver to other organizations.
The working hours of an administrative assistant are the regular 8 working hours.
What are Some Other Job Titles for an Administrative Assistant?
Not all job postings or advertisements will use the title ‘administrative assistant’.
Some other titles that mean the same thing are:
- Administrative Specialist
- Administrative Coordinator
Whichever title is used, the job description is still the same.
Conclusion: Administrative Assistant Job Description Guide
This guide on the job description of an administrative assistant is well-optimized and answers all questions you may have.
Please, don’t hesitate to use it to reach your desired goal.
The job of an administrative assistant is good and doesn’t require high academic certification to obtain.
This should be an encouraging factor for high school leavers.
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