Companies of all sizes and missions need competent administrative assistants to keep their office operations running smoothly. While it doesn’t come with the autonomy or salary range of an executive assistant position, taking on the administrative assistant job title is an excellent way to begin your career and learn about a company‘s culture and values. It also helps you build valuable and meaningful work relationships while sharpening your interpersonal skills.
If you show your boss that you are diligent, organized, and efficient, you can quickly earn a promotion or gain opportunities to use on your resume for future jobs. As with any job, it’s essential to understand the ins and outs of being an admin assistant. Below, Pocketbook Agency discusses how much an administrative assistant makes, fundamental duties, best practices, and more.
While the administrative assistant role entails a wide range of responsibilities, you could sum up the primary purpose in a word: operations. Organizations rely on admin assistants to organize, manage, and keep an office running smoothly.
While providing administrative support, you might be responsible for organizational and clerical tasks like drafting messages, scheduling meetings, helping coworkers, organizing files, etc. You’ll probably manage databases, work with spreadsheets, produce reports and presentations, and tackle other computer-based duties.
Some administrative assistants work closely with executive assistants to purchase and manage supplies and vendor relationships. Most offices simply cannot run efficiently or smoothly without capable administrative professionals; in a sense, they are the lifeblood and backbone of a company.
Let’s take a brief look at some of the core responsibilities of an administrative assistant:
– Help coordinate administrative functions related to meetings, personnel, budget, and clerical tasks
– Conduct thorough research and keep records of pertinent information
– Help colleagues and managers with accounting and other budgeting activities
– Perform data entry and manage paper and digital files
– Take notes and minutes at meetings
– Implement surveys and fiscal reviews to gather information on administrative matters
– Prepare confidential reports and documents
– Coordinate conferences, meetings, and other events
– Coordinate purchasing, building, equipment, and property inventory operations
– Keep an accurate log of office supplies and inventory
– Assist with implementing new methods, systems, processes, and programs
The administrative assistant role is widely considered entry-level in the current job market, unless you land the position of senior administrative assistant or office manager. The expected hourly wage and average pay varies by the specific company and the size and scope of your desired position. Your salary also depends on your years of experience, certifications, skill set and experience level, and time spent full-time in the profession. The area of the country will influence your pay as well, as most companies consider the cost of living in their proposed salaries.
In many cases, an admin assistant’s salary includes base pay and additional pay. For example, the average administrative assistant salary in the District of Columbia, one of the highest-paying cities is $67,495 a year, including $36,742 in base pay and $30,752 in additional pay, which might include profit sharing, tips, cash bonuses, commission, and other payments. This base salary is far above the national average and does not include part-time work.Remember that you may not make as much money as an admin assistant and a small Midwest town as you would in a big city like Washington, DC or San Francisco.
Most administrative assistants work in big cities. Businesses need admin assistants to run smoothly, and major metropolitan areas tend to have more companies (especially large corporations). There are more than 2,000 job openings for administrative assistants in New York City, making it the most in-demand area in the country for job-seekers.
Washington, DC, and states like Alaska, Massachusetts, and Connecticut are also brimming with opportunities. But the good news is that the administrative assistant position is expected to sustain steady growth in the years to come, regardless of location. As the baby boomer generation ages, the healthcare industry provides more opportunities for medical secretaries and other assistants each year.
Furthermore, you can work as an administrative assistant in almost any industry, including government, legal, technology, finance, and education. Every organization can benefit from having competent admin assistants on staff, which means there will always be a need for the position.
An executive assistant focuses on improving the productivity of a high-performing leader. They handle various detail-oriented tasks on behalf of their boss, creating more time for the leader to focus on their most important work.
Many executive assistants juggle CRM support, information synthesis, travel and event management, email management, and other responsibilities. But a competent EA also knows how to implement strategic changes (e.g., discovering inefficiencies, suggesting new opportunities, optimizing operations, etc.) to help their boss maximize their potential. In other words, an EA serves as a strategic gatekeeper and thought partner in addition to tackling menial day-to-day tasks.
Contrastly, an administrative assistant works for an office instead of a specific person, focusing on more familiar and recurring tasks. You probably won’t be heavily involved in your company’s brainstorming, strategizing, and decision-making processes as an administrative assistant.
As with the executive assistant role, many responsibilities of an administrative assistant and secretary overlap. However, the administrative assistant role extends further.
The secretary primarily handles clerical tasks like call handling, transcription, taking minutes, typing documents, copying documents, and supporting the administrative assistant. An admin assistant works more independently and makes decisions on behalf of the office. In other words, administrative assistants cover all the responsibilities of a secretary while also working on larger projects.
As an admin assistant, you may be required to make sound judgments and decisions. You should also be ready to supervise other team members, review reports, arrange conferences, distribute memos, and prepare statistical reports.
So, you have an idea of what an administrative assistant makes and the typical job requirements. Let’s explore how you can prepare for and land your first job.
First, you must take all the basic steps toward preparing for your career, even if you plan for your admin assistant job to be a stepping stone to a higher-level position. The good news is that you can land a job with a high school diploma and a bit of training. You don’t need a college degree, but taking courses at a community college or technical school can give you an edge over other job-seekers.
It’s also essential that you can type on a keyboard quickly and accurately. Look to online, vocational, and technical schools for a keyboarding course that can teach you to touch-type, allowing you to type text while reading it without having to look down at the keyboard.
If you hope to work as an administrative assistant in a specific industry, you’ll need to learn the terminology and practices related to the industry. This is especially important for assistance in the legal and medical fields. You’ll want to learn information technology (IT) basics since you’ll be working with various software programs as an assistant. You can also find an IT course at a technical school or community college.
When it comes time to apply for jobs, make sure you have a top-notch resume. It should be concise and well-organized. Along with your name and contact information, it should include any relevant skills, experience, and training. Create clear sections and columns, and ensure the resume is easy to read from top to bottom.
Also, consider developing a cover letter template for all your applications. Every cover letter should express genuine interest in the administrative assistant position while showcasing unique skills that make you the right person for the job. Fortunately, most of your work will be done after creating a template; you’ll just need to research each company you’re applying to and fill in your template with information that shows you’ve studied the company.
Further, start networking with other professionals in your field. It’s hard to overstate the value of having someone in your corner who already works for the company. A personal recommendation can do wonders for helping you land a job, but developing professional relationships with other admin assistants can also teach you a lot about the position before you even start.
You’ve worked hard to prepare and have landed your first interview for the administrative assistant role. Now, you must knock the interview out of the park!
Your first priority should be to prove to the hiring manager that you can be trusted with sensitive, personal, and private information. As an admin assistant, you might regularly handle legal documents, medical records, and personal identification information — discretion is crucial.
If you have someone promoting you from within the company, you might have a leg up on other job-seekers in this area. Regardless, you’ll want to give the interviewer personal and professional references who will vouch for your ethics and trustworthiness.
Remember that interpersonal skills are essential for administrative assistants since you will be regularly interacting with clients and colleagues. Be prepared to communicate effectively during your interview and give your potential employer a sense of your skills.
For instance, actively listen during the interview by maintaining eye contact, nodding your head, and paraphrasing specific statements the hiring manager says. Also, try to stay calm and inject a bit of humor into the conversation to show your confidence.
There are higher-paying jobs, but the administrative assistant position is high in demand and can be an excellent stepping stone for your career. Continue researching the average salary and responsibilities of the admin assistant role. Follow the tips above for kickstarting your career on the right foot.
If you need help finding potential employers, connect with Pocketbook Agency today. We’ll match you with companies that align with your goals and values.
Sources:
Administrative Assistant Job Description [With Examples] | Forbes