what is an administrative assistant?
As an administrative assistant, you deliver general office support and complete a range of admin tasks, including scheduling appointments, making travel arrangements and preparing reports. Your duties are secretarial. Therefore, expect to take notes in meetings, answer phones and oversee the logistics of the office. You also collaborate with multiple supervisors about projects while overseeing other secretaries.
Administrative assistants working in specialised fields or promoted to the position of an executive administrative assistant often require additional training or education. In these positions, your duties exceed secretarial tasks and include logistical tasks like restocking the office with new supplies. You also send and open the mail and coordinate different schedules.
As an administrative assistant, you are a source of information for the public and the face of the company. This requires a high level of professionalism and the ability to remain composed in different circumstances and settings. You also manage and complete performance reports on other administrative assistants, especially if you work for a large corporation that has many teams of employees. When the company hires new employees, you help with their paperwork, training and setting up their workspaces.
An administrative assistant manages a complex calendar for several managers and supervisors for personal appointments and professional meetings. Your role also requires performing industry-specific research and creating documents for upcoming presentations or meetings. Daily tasks involve proofreading and preparing different types of reports.
Would working as an administrative assistant suit your organisational skills? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in an administrative assistant role.
average salary of an administrative assistant
Administrative assistants' salaries usually depend on their work experience and qualifications. According to National Careers, an administrative assistant receives a salary of £14,000 when working in a trainee position. When you improve your experience and skills, the amount increases to £28,000 per year. Most employers increase the salary yearly depending on the scope of your job.
Apart from basic pay, you also receive various benefits. Some of the most common benefits for administrative assistants include parental leave, paid holiday and sick leave and flexible spending accounts.
factors that influence the salary of administrative assistants
Your pay depends on the employer and your level of experience. Additional factors that influence your salary are education and certifications. Employers will increase your salary since you bring more hands-on skills to the company when you have better qualifications and skills. Additional competencies, like bilingual abilities, help the company deal with international clients better, and your compensation will reflect the extra qualifications. The location could also affect pay rates. Working in urban centres increases your salary prospects compared with small towns. Large cities have a higher demand for administrative assistants and can pay better salaries.
types of administrative assistants
The types of administrative assistant positions include:
- legal administrative assistants: as a legal admin assistant, you assist lawyers and paralegals with administrative work. You file clients' paperwork, conduct research and take notes during client consultations. You also receive correspondence and send letters on behalf of lawyers.
- executive administrative assistants: as an executive admin assistant, you help top-level managers accomplish their functions. You prepare their work schedules, organise appointments and write minutes in meetings. Other administration tasks may include hiring employees and bookkeeping.
- local government administrative assistant: as an administrative assistant in local government, you support council departments. You also help members of the public in receiving government services.
working as an administrative assistant
Working as an administrative assistant involves helping the company ensure all operations run smoothly. Let's explore some of the duties of an administrative assistant.
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administrative assistant job description
Some of the tasks of an administrative assistant:
- managing company documentation: as an administrative assistant, you manage the company's documentation. You create, edit and file documents from various departments and ensure administrative procedures are completed on time.
- completing clerical and secretarial work: as an administrative assistant, you perform clerical and secretarial duties like handling telephone calls, drafting letters and distributing mail to various departments. You also schedule meetings and appointments, organise business trips and manage diaries for senior employees.
- bookkeeping tasks: as an administrative assistant, you record sales and purchase invoices, prepare financial statements and ensure accurate accounting records. You also manage the company's petty cash accounts.
- human resource duties: as an administrative assistant, you assist with onboarding and filing the paperwork for new employees. You update company records to simplify the payroll process.
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work environment
As an administrative assistant, you generally work in an office setting. Your position may occasionally require travel, specifically to attend work-related functions and conferences the company hosts so you need to keep in touch with a travel agent. In some cases, you might travel to manage an event and help managers stay organised.
Administrative assistants are employed by a wide range of businesses, including hospitals, schools, private enterprises and government agencies. They rarely telecommute and are typically expected to fulfil their duties in the office. Your office will be near that of managers or executives. Often, you share office space with other secretarial staff. Some companies have remote working opportunities for virtual assistants.
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who are your colleagues?
Depending on your employer, your colleagues may include receptionists, typist, secretaries and personal assistants. You might also be working close to administrators and office managers as well as other specialists that could include project managers, sales managers and finance managers.
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work schedule
The typical work schedule of an administrative assistant is 9 am to 5 pm on weekdays. You're often expected to be present during the normal operating hours of the business to meet the needs of customers and fulfil managerial requests. Most administrative assistant positions are full-time. Small companies often have part-time positions, especially if there's less work to handle. The average position requires working 35 to 40 hours each week. Some administrative assistants have flexible work hours. Most companies don't expect administrative assistants to work overtime on the weekends or nights unless specific projects need to be completed.
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job outlook
As an administrative assistant, you can specialise in various industries like IT, accounting or payroll. You can become a legal administrative assistant or an executive assistant role with additional training. Some administrative assistants take up supervisory roles and become office managers or administrators. If you pursue management courses, you can move up to managerial roles.
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advantages of finding an administrative assistant job through randstad
Finding your administrative assistant job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
- a wide variety of training and development opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities in your area
- get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
- temporary and permanent contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as an administrative assistant is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!
education and skills
You need the following educational qualifications to succeed as an administrative assistant:
- college: a college course imparts the knowledge necessary for the role. For instance, most administrative assistants have a Level 3 diploma or a Level 2 certificate in business administration. For the Level 2 course, you need 2 GCSEs with grades 9 to 3, while the Level 3 diploma requires 4 to 5 GCSEs. T Level courses in management and administration are also available for administrative assistants.
- apprenticeship: pursue an advanced apprenticeship in business administration and gain skills and knowledge to work as an administrative assistant. You need 5 GCSEs and have to work at least 30 hours a week.
- work experience: you should have basic experience of working in an office setting to secure a job. For instance, you can become an administrative assistant intern or explore entry-level positions like becoming a receptionist.
skills and competencies
Some of the administration skills and competencies needed in the role include:
- technical skills: as an administrative assistant, you need technical skills to perform data entry tasks, manage calendars and prepare company reports. You need to be familiar with various software like spreadsheets, customer relationship management systems and virtual help desks. Technical skills help you complete your responsibilities efficiently.
- communication abilities: as an administrative assistant, you need exceptional communication skills. Your employer needs to trust you to be the company's voice when handling customer correspondence. You should speak to people professionally and have a friendly and positive attitude when talking to customers and guests.
- organisational skills: you require organisational skills to keep up with your schedules and ensure the office is organised. Your role often includes organising team schedules, files and events. Your fellow team members can follow your filing system when you have organisational skills. You also won't misplace important documents in the office.
- time management: since you are a resource for most workers in the company, your time is always stretched. Time management helps you properly allocate and plan your schedule to ensure you assist all departments. It also improves your productivity and performance and helps you become a better resource for your team.
FAQs
FAQs about working as an administrative assistant
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what are examples of administrative duties?
Some of the most common administrative duties include greeting visitors, scheduling phone calls and organising documents and files. Some administrative assistants also make travel plans for executives in the office or schedule meetings and appointments for supervisors.
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what are the top 3 skills of an administrative assistant?
The top three skills of an administrative assistant are communication, organisation and time management. The ability to remain productive and complete tasks at a specific time improves the operational efficiency of the workplace.
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what does an administrative assistant do?
As an administrative assistant, you manage and run the office. Your job is to schedule appointments, draft correspondence, organise files and take notes in meetings.
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how do I become an administrative assistant?
You can become an administrative assistant by completing a diploma or certificate course in business administration. Apprenticeship opportunities are also available for administrative assistants.
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what is the difference between a secretary and an administrative assistant?
As an administrative assistant, your work isn't just clerical tasks; you also work on projects and have decision-making responsibilities. Secretaries only do clerical tasks and often work under administrative assistants.
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how do I apply for an administrative assistant vacancy?
Applying for an administrative assistant job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our administrative assistant job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!
