A person responsible for providing various kinds of administrative assistance is called an administrative assistant (admin assistant) or sometimes an administrative support specialist. In most instances it is identical to the modern iteration of the position of

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

or is a sub-specialty of secretarial duties.

Job duties

Admin assistants perform clerical duties in nearly every industry. Some administrative assistants, like those in the legal industry, may be more specialized than others. Most administrative assistant duties revolve around managing and distributing information within an

office An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific du ...

. This generally includes answering phones, taking memos and maintaining files. Administrative assistants may also be in charge of sending and receiving correspondence, as well as greeting clients and

customers In sales, commerce, and economics, a customer (sometimes known as a client, buyer, or purchaser) is the recipient of a good, service, product or an idea - obtained from a seller, vendor, or supplier via a financial transaction or exchange for ...

. Bookkeeping Admin assistants in some offices may be charged with monitoring and recording expenditures. Duties may range from creating

spreadsheets A spreadsheet is a computer application for computation, organization, analysis and storage of data in tabular form. Spreadsheets were developed as computerized analogs of paper accounting worksheets. The program operates on data entered in ce ...

to reporting expenses to an

office manager Office management is a profession involving the design, implementation, evaluation, and maintenance of the process of work within an office or other organization, in order to sustain and improve efficiency and productivity. Office management is ...

. As such, some administrative assistants may be required to be knowledgeable in office bookkeeping software, such as

Microsoft Excel Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet developed by Microsoft for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. It features calculation or computation capabilities, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for App ...

. Planning and scheduling Planning events like board meetings and luncheons may also be the responsibility of admin assistants. This may require researching vendor prices or inquiring about participants' availability. Other duties may include scheduling appointments and preparing presentation materials. Documentation Admin assistants may also help office members with documentation. Aside from storing, organizing and managing files, assistants may need to type, edit and

proofread Proofreading is the reading of a galley proof or an electronic copy of a publication to find and correct reproduction errors of text or art. Proofreading is the final step in the editorial cycle before publication. Professional Traditional ...

documents. Some assistants may need to take dictation or record the minutes of meetings.

Specialized job duties

Administrative assistants in some fields may be required to have extensive professional knowledge. Accordingly, duties for these assistants may be more specialized. For example, legal administrative assistants may need to have a thorough understanding of legal terminology and procedures, while medical assistants may need to be well-versed in dealing with

insurance companies Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

and reading medical reports. In this role they are also referred to as administrative support specialists.

Employment outlook and salary information

Average employment growth of 12% was expected for secretaries and administrative assistants, from 2012-2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). General secretaries and administrative assistants, not serving as legal, medical or executive secretaries, earned an annual median wage in 2018 of $52,840, according to the BLS. *Providing

customer service Customer service is the assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services. Each industry requires different levels of customer service, but in the end, the idea of a well-performed service is that ...

* Managing inventory of assets and supplies, sourcing for suppliers (vendors) and submitting invoices *Scheduling and coordinating

meetings A meeting is when two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal or business setting, but meetings also occur in a variety of other environments. Meetings can be used as form of group decision making. Defin ...

and

presentations A presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product. Present ...

interviews An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" r ...

, events and other similar activities *Sending and receiving mail and packages *Sending faxes and emails *Managing documents and files *Sending and receiving documents for the company *Answering the phone *Assisting in various daily operations *Operating a range of office machines such as photocopiers and computers *Greeting guests and visitors

Employer expectations

Employers look for workers with knowledge, combination of skills, personal traits, and attitudes. They include: *Being well-organized *Being courteous *Reliability *Strong work ethic *Productivity *Professionalism *Problem-solving and critical thinking skills *Good technical, interpersonal and communication skills *Customer focus *Discretion *Multitasking ability *Teamwork and collaboration skillsThe Administrative Professional Fulton-Calkins Rankin Shumack *Time management

References

External links

iaap - International Association of Administrative Professionals
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216045433/http://www.iaap-hq.org/ , date=2015-02-16 Office administration Office and administrative support occupations