what is an admin assistant?
Administrative assistants are secretaries and assistants who focus on administrative needs. Organisations of all kinds use admin assistants to keep tabs on the managerial needs of an office space and its resources. These professionals, unlike a common secretary, work with management in mind. For managerial and executive leaders to work, they rely on assistants to do secondary tasks. By handling phones or printing copies, these professionals enable their managerial teams to work without distractions.
organising company resources
All administrative roles, which are not to get confused with subordinate roles, aim to bring organisation to a group of people or resources. Compiling data and keeping it accessible is a great way of empowering management. Keeping tabs on who is calling your team or for what reason is also administrative. Admin assistants are flexible and have a keen eye for detail. They produce original documents and confirm appointments via all channels. They are also responsible for saving business contacts and new leads.
promotions and advancements
Your work placement as an admin assistant paves the way for development into roles like an executive assistant. Your capacity to manage an office, fulfil a team’s need, and find a way to improve is what qualifies you. Admin assistants are also good with people.
admin assistant jobsaverage salary of an admin assistant
The average yearly wage of an admin assistant is about £19,000 a year. You earn above or below this average based on your professional experience. New data shows that professional assistants work careers with pay increases based on longevity. At the entry level, for example, admin assistants earn between £14 and £15 an hour. Once you obtain five or more years of experience, your wages will increase.
factors affecting salary
Where you live within the country and who you work for influence how much you’re compensated. Larger offices need more manpower, and as an individual, you’re likely to work more competitively in a larger space. Compensation is partly based on the competitive nature of your office and the business goals that your employer has set.
longevity and experience
As an admin assistant, each job you start positions you to build a career. Your options are to stay with the same employer or use the skills you acquire to assist another office. Longevity as an admin assistant is between 20 and 25 years. The longer you develop your skills and experience, the more reliable you are and the better your pay is.
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factors affecting salary
Where you live within the country and who you work for influence how much you’re compensated. Larger offices need more assistance, and as an individual, you’re likely to work more competitively in a larger space. Compensation is partly based on the competitive nature of your office and the business goals that your employer has set.
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longevity and experience
As an admin assistant, each job you start positions you to build a career. Your options are to stay with the same employer or use the skills you acquire to assist another office. Longevity as an admin assistant is between 20 and 25 years. The longer you develop your skills and experience, the more reliable you are and the better your pay is.
types of admin assistants
The type of admin assistant you become depends on the needs of your employer. The administration role is clerical by nature, so what you’re assigned is a result of company needs and organisation. Though greeting visitors is what admin assistants do, you will also focus on other internal needs. Your job is either for a specific department, an area of a building, or a single person. Your work resembles that of receptionists, office administrators, and data entry clerks.
working as an admin assistant
Being an admin assistant is within your reach, but planning to build a career starts with a simple decision today. As you prepare for interviews, portraying your qualifications is best done with a strategy and with brevity. This career puts you on an ongoing path of professional and personal development. Expect the best training, education, and mentoring as you earn at your full capacity.
Working as an admin assistant is satisfying when you can manage multiple tasks without losing track of any of them. Here are some of the core skills, duties, and qualifications that being an admin assistant requires:
duties & responsibilities
The capacity of an admin assistant is clerical in nature. Clerical tasks include document filing, tracking data, and handling internal communications. Your duty as an admin assistant is to complete clerical tasks so that others aren’t distracted. When management and other employees don’t have to focus on certain clerical tasks, they are able to achieve more within their assigned roles. By organising paperwork, taking phone calls, and scheduling meetings you help your business thrive.
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knowing all impacts on resources
Professionals who solely focus on enabling an organisation to function are supporting its administrative capacity. It takes time to fully learn the inherent needs of a modern office, and admin assistants must adjust to the specific employers they have. Each day, you’re responsible for securing the resources that office personnel need. When these professionals need to correspond but lack the contacts, you’re the one to find that data and to keep it ready for future use. Knowing who enters your office is your job.
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extent of your responsibilities
Depending on the space and its use, an administrative assistant can be the sole person to greet visitors. Being proactive is necessary because you need to anticipate your office needs. A competent assistant understands the timing behind their co-workers’ work and how resources get consumed. Your main goal is to work in line with the expectations of your executive members or executive assistants. Executive assistant role have larger responsibilities and lead a team of assistants like you.
work environment
Administrative assistants find themselves in a busy or quiet environment based on office needs. Speaking with employees and listening to their needs requires someone with social tact. You do need to build relationships and establish a reputable channel of communications within your office. What that office needs is only resolved when you know those needs or if someone told you. In each workspace, your job is to balance your focus between administrative benchmarks and your ability to reach them. People are looking to you for organisation; you must always be ready with solutions for them.
work schedule
In most cases, you can expect a full-time job as an admin assistant. The needs of your employer can never be foretold with exactness, so working late does happen at times. Finding solutions no matter what time of day it is makes an admin assistant useful to their superiors. The administrative input you have makes you a pivotal part of a functioning office. Admin assistants are prompt and show up to work on a consistent basis, understanding how sensitive their knowledge is to making an office operate properly.
being helpful to your employer
The needs of your employer are what dictates your access to overtime or not. Some department leaders can only release their workers once their quotas get reached, so supporting your team beyond work hours makes you valuable. Overall, you can look forward to having weekends off with the flexibility to take a few days off when needed.
job outlook
The outlook of admin assistants is positive because they bring additional order to businesses and organisations. For as long as companies need to remain competitive, they rely on the skills of admin assistants to scale their capacities. No one can do it all, and even new business owners get limited by time. Assistants who work in administrative roles acquire skills that give them qualifications for new admin roles and promotions.
education & skills
You can become an admin assistant with no prior qualifications. It helps to hold relevant GCSEs, however this isn't vital.
on-the-job experience
Understanding the duties and responsibilities of an admin assistant is a result of hands-on experience. For this reason, some of your qualifications get based on your prior work history. Some administrative assistants began their careers with internships, which qualify as prior experience. Employers prefer those with some experience because you have to know that this role is right for you. There are many cues and changes within an office that you have to pick up on without help, so experience is a must.
skills & competencies
Organisation is the core skill of an administrative assistant, and being able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously is a plus. Planning, which is the forethought of organisation, enables you to prepare for coming events. Anticipating the needs of your office and personnel leads to solutions that you can derive beforehand. For the benefit of you and others, time management is central to your work. Your deadlines and meetings only work when you’ve prioritised such for your team.
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data science and problem solving
Understanding data and how it operates within software is a skill that makes the data your office receives efficient. Collecting, storing, and labeling data enables others around you to work without confusion or delays. Being detail oriented is a soft skill, but it helps you to monitor changes and to make decisions logically. Problem solving comes into play as you figure out how to best achieve your administrative tasks. Each day is different, so your ability to adjust and think through challenges is a must.
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communications
At times, you’re situated as the sole representative for clients and visitors. Customer service orientation isn’t the bulk of your work, but being able to clearly and effectively communicate important details is a requirement. Your role puts you at the center of a group, making teamwork pivotal in ensuring your cooperation with others. Lastly, confidentiality calls for you to respect your office’s internal affairs and to manage yourself accordingly.
FAQs
FAQs about working as an admin assistant.
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What are the main duties of an administrative assistant?
Organisation is your core duty. Keeping things in order and making sure that required steps happen and everyone can communicate are initial requirements. You have to think of your work as the bridge between what managers need to do and what they actually have to do it with. Providing the times, bringing people together, and preplanning enable you to empower the team you’re administrating as an assistant.
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What are the top three skills of an administrative assistant?
Along with having a keen eye for detail, the top skills of an admin assistant are reading, writing, and listening. You need to absorb new information, using it to plan for any delays or obstacles you foresee. Being organised and tidy are the basic competencies that make reading, writing, and listening effectively work for you.
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What is an admin job role?
An admin plays an essential role in the functioning of a business by providing support to a person or team. This role typically includes taking telephone calls, receiving/directing visitors, creating presentations, and managing data files. An admin also is responsible for office projects in addition to overseeing daily tasks and the performance of junior admin staff.
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What makes a good admin assistant?
Promptness makes a good admin assistant an excellent one. Order is the focus you have, so being earlier or having more resources than necessary makes you effective. You must be sensitive to the needs of groups, individuals, and your entire company.
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What are four administrative activities?
Filing paperwork is an administrative task that keeps documents and company data in order. Correspondence occurs when outside parties need to communicate with your office, and you are the conduit. Research is necessary at times; it’s not uncommon to research new laws or regulations. Lastly, writing presentations and emails are other examples of administrative duties you perform.
