Administrative Assistant Job Description and Qualifications / Tips

It's Not Your Parent's Secretarial Job Anymore

One occupation that is increasing in both prominence and influence is that of the administrative assistant or executive assistant. While this role was once thought of as primarily of secretarial nature, administrative assistants today are multi-skilled business professionals who perform a catch all function for their manager, boss, or executive. The types, varieties and frequencies of duties varies from position to position but you can be certain that several skills will be called upon on any given day.

Some of the Typical Duties an Administrative Assistant Might Include:

• Office management with limited budget or petty cash responsibilities
• Gatekeeper for the manager
• Scheduling meetings
• Meeting materials preparation
• Staff manager (rarely)
• Dictation
• Limited analysis (expanding role)
• Travel coordination
• Office organizer / Supplies / Flow coordinator
• Act as additional set of eyes and ears for the manager

It’s Not A Secretary’s Job Anymore

As a result of this diverse and demanding variety of tasks, it is understandable that the qualifications to become an executive assistant or administrative assistant have grown over the years as well. While in the past a high school diploma with a couple of courses in business might have sufficed in the past, today’s administrative assistant needs to be versed in all the latest office software packages, have the ability to trouble-shoot small office IT issues, understand and proof work-products, and still maintain a pleasant attitude in the face of unwelcome invaders who want a piece of the manager’s time.

Qualified Candidates Need to Be Skilled to Keep Up with Job Demands

These increased demands on the administrative assistant increasingly require the qualified candidate to have a four year degree rather than a two-year degree, with the business emphasis still very important. I wouldn’t be all that surprised to learn that graduates with certain specializations in hospitality would have skills specifically desirable to multi-national business executives with regional or global responsibilities as well.

Suggestions on How to Start a Career as an Administrative Assistant

Getting a job as an administrative assistant means being located in or near business centers, a.k.a cities. Your high skill / higher wage administrative assistant jobs are not going to be found out in the sticks somewhere where the local factory or business is the only game in town. Prospective administrative or executive assistants need to go where their skills are in the greatest demand in order to actually financially receive the rates of pay typical of the position ($35K+ annually).

Don’t Overlook the Medical Administrative Assistant Field Either

The medical field is increasingly relying more on technically savvy individuals to keep doctor’s offices in order, maintain patient records, and manage office scheduling.  In addition to the growing field of medical transcription (covered elsewhere) there are also a good number of administrative assistant jobs in the hospital management and medical sales fields as well.  Doctors and pharmaceutical companies also have need for qualified candidates with high technical skills but have experience in related medical fields as well.  The medical field tends to pay above average wages for skilled laborers – if you can get in.

Secondly someone seeking this sort of job needs to have developed skills with the latest office software. The more the admin assistant can do to make his or her boss look good, the better odds both manager and assistant will advance in the company. While we’re on the topic of advancing in the company, we should mention that targeting large companies is an important factor in receiving compensation commensurate with level of education and skill set. Smaller companies need to be leaner and squeeze as much as they can out of their limited resources. Don’t put yourself in a position where you get squeezed.

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