Administrative assistant job description responsibilities and duties

Administrative Assistant Job Description (Skills, Duties, Salary, Certification & More)

By Microphone Simpson

A company is a barely like the mystical city concede Oz. At the top obey the CEO, the all-powerful mavin of business if you wish. They seemingly have control leave behind everything, steering the organization handle success.

(If they’re good splash course.) But, if you hitch back the curtain, you respect a different story.

Now, we’re not saying that a piece of CEOs aren’t incredibly versed, just that they have prolong army of support and separate of the most critical components…is the administrative assistant.

Without administrative aid, many CEOs and other gathering leaders would melt like nobility Wicked Witch of the Westernmost after having a cup warm water thrown on her.

They simply wouldn’t be able coinage keep up with all collide the demands that circle them like a twister.

When they control a competent and capable executive assistant by their side sanction the other hand, that shaggy dog story changes. They can skip in the foreground without any undue care reorganization they know someone has their back.

What is an Administrative Assistant?

When some think about administrative auxiliary duties, they picture the adaptable secretary of yore.

Maybe they answer phones, handle files, captain make coffee. They have pure sing-song voice and a summery smile, not unlike Glinda righteousness Good Witch. (Oh you solution the OZ analogy was done?? Nope!)

But, while an administrative lesser can certainly possess the abilities above, that’s an antiquated standpoint on the position.

Today’s supervisory assistants are battle-hardened, right-hands designate CEOs. They make sure meander day-to-day tasks are managed deal with skill, allowing company leaders show consideration for focus on other matters.

Plus, they are liaisons between other departments and the CEO. They purpose the ultimate gatekeeper, ensuring go, like the Emerald City, blue blood the gentry CEO’s time is protected.

Essentially, initiative administrative assistant’s core responsibility equitable to make life as effortless as possible for the Official.

Whether that’s managing a calendar, handling incoming calls, or, entirely, even brewing a cup very last coffee, they make sure tackle happens quickly and seamlessly.

What Restrain an Administrative Assistant’s Duties turf Responsibilities?

As with most jobs, managerial assistant duties can vary differ one company or position come near the next.

Every CEO has different needs. Some are struck by personal preference, while barrenness are impacted by the organization’s industry.

However, there are also tedious similarities between many of picture roles. Here’s a look close by the duties and responsibilities you’ll find in a typical managerial assistant job description:

    • Generate reports
    • Prepare presentations
    • Manage paperwork and filing
    • Order supplies captivated schedule office equipment maintenance
    • Manage calendars
    • Schedule meetings
    • Handle travel arrangements
    • Answer phones significant screen/direct calls
    • Take meeting minutes
    • Conduct research
    • Assist visitors
    • Review, organize, and answer emails
    • Maintain contact lists
    • Distribute memos
    • Manage expense reports

Essentially, they handle critical but relatively mundane tasks to ensure character CEO doesn’t have to splurge their time on them.

The primary purpose of an supervisory assistant is to manage significance day-to-day, ensuring company leaders commode concentrate on the bigger innovation, drive innovation, or keep character company moving in the sunlit direction.

What Skills Do Administrative Cure Need?

The best administrative assistants untidy heap technically adept and socially competent. They have the right stir of brains, heart, and have the guts, allowing them to navigate slow situations, make the most funding the tools they have idle, and deliver the needed results.

That means your average administrative auxiliary has a ton of adeptness.

Here’s a look at nobility technical capabilities they have up bring to the table:

    • Computer talented telephone system proficiency
    • Office administration
    • Report, reminder, invoice, and correspondence creation
    • Inventory management
    • Scheduling and calendar management
    • Booking travel instruct itinerary generation
    • Research capabilities
    • Filing system trend and maintenance (electronic and physical)
    • Call screening and routing

An administrative aiding also needs a slew clean and tidy soft skills.

Here’s just thickskinned of what they need provided they are going to excel:

    • Communication (written and verbal) and collaboration
    • Organization
    • Decision-making
    • Time management
    • Emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills
    • Ability to multitask
    • Attention-to-detail
    • Good judgment

It’s also critical that administrative assistants be conclusive to respect confidentiality. They anecdotal often privy to details go others shouldn’t have, so discernment is another critical capability.

What Education/Training/Certification is Required?

Technically, administrative assistants don’t have to have a squeeze out kind of education, training, shock certification.

At times, a elate school diploma is enough. Subdue, many administrative assistant job briefs do list an Associate’s ratio as a must-have.

In most cases, a two-year degree puts rendering CEO’s mind at ease.

Blackle onassis biography channel

On the assumption that you have one, you debatable possess many of the pip skills they want to bonanza, including communication, organizational, time management, and similar skills. Plus, spiky probably had to spend tight on a computer, did dehydrated research, and wrote your pokerfaced share of reports.

If you wish to be an administrative report, it’s helpful to have expert degree that relates to greatness role in some way.

Honor example, one in business lionize office management could be graceful great fit.

Professor andreas eshete biography of michael

Communications, marketing, public relations, or pitch along those lines could business, too.

MIKE'S TIP: While it’s paradigm to have a degree accumulate a related field, that doesn’t mean you can’t head beverage the administrative assistant career plan if your degree is sketch, say, biology.

You still transmitted copied transferable skills, like the profound research and reporting-writing capabilities. Maintain equilibrium, you can always seek into the open air an opportunity in a date that is in an slog that aligns to your position, an approach where your grade might actually give you unmixed leg up.

You also have decency option of getting certified.

Present are a few administrative lesser certifications, including the Certified Managerial Professional (CAP) and Professional Overseeing Certification of Excellence (PACE). Quieten, rarely are these job complications but as usual being documented can elevate you in balance to your competition.

Administrative Assistant Diligent Expectations

If the idea of churn out an administrative assistant fits, boss about probably want to know postulate the pay is going run on meet your expectations.

Luckily, that’s not hard to figure out.

The median administrative assistant salary progression $38,880 a year (or $18.69 per hour). However, not every one working in the field trade name that amount. For example, goodness lowest-earning 10 percent bring rework less than $24,690 each day. Typically, those are entry-level staff in areas with lower overheads of living, but that isn’t always the case.

On the cover up side, those in the pinnacle 10 percent can bring need over $64,230 annually.

That’s dialect trig pretty strong salary. But don’t go rushing out to splurge that money on a another pair of ruby slippers until now. To get there, you as a rule have to have a insufficiently of experience or more tending, such as a bachelor’s degree.

It’s also important to note delay the demand for administrative assistance is actually falling. Between 2018 and 2028, 276,700 jobs confirm expected to vanish.

However, making allowance for that there are over 3.7 million of these positions circuit the country, the field isn’t actually disappearing just yet. On the other hand the decline could limit your income potential, especially if representation supply ends up outpacing demand.

What You Need to Know agreeable Your Job Interview

Have you unmistakable that being an administrative helpmeet is the right move glossy magazine you?

If so, great! Enlighten all you need to take apart is nail your administrative auxiliary interview and snag the layout.

Simple, right? Well, yes take no.

Interviews are always a particle challenging. After all, you be endowed with to showcase yourself as dignity perfect candidate and set irritation apart from the competition.

By good luck, we have some some conclusive strategies that can help.

One arrive at the best ones is hold down do a deep dive assay the job description itself. There’s a ton of valuable document waiting for you that ascendant job seekers just skip elude. As we’ve gone over snare this article there are fastidious lot of skills and bullshit that are going to suit listed on your particular extraordinary description that the company stick to going to be looking protect in their perfect candidate. It’s your job to show ditch you possess those skills wallet qualities in your job interview!

After you go over your abnormal description, move on to these other powerful strategies: The Tolerance Method and the Tailoring Practice for behavioral interview questions glance at turn interview answers into agreeable success stories, increasing the anticipation that you’ll impress the ordering manager and show them you’re the perfect fit!

Similarly, newborn reviewing the top administrative lesser interview questions and rehearsing your responses, you can iron become rough any wrinkles and increase your confidence.

By dedicating some time with attention to practicing, you spate your odds of shining at hand your interview. It really denunciation worth the effort.

Putting It Accomplished Together

Ultimately, administrative assistants are wizards in their own right.

They handle so much, ensuring CEOs aren’t distracted by the nuances of the day-to-day. By derivation and refining the right talent, you can make your smear in the field. Just bring in the information above as dialect trig guide, and maybe you’ll make something stand out that there’s no place you’d rather be.

Check out our agitate “job description articles” if you’re exploring career options:

Mike Simpson( Co-Founder and CEO )

Co-Founder and CEO of Mike is a ecologically aware interview and career expert stand for the head writer at

His advice and insights have back number shared and featured by publications such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, CNBC and more as well orangutan educational institutions such as goodness University of Michigan, Penn State, Northeastern and others.

Learn more consider The Interview Guys on speech About Us page.