According to Shanna Hocking, principal of Hocking Leadership, associate vice president, manager of 45 employees, and multiple hires throughout her career, administrative positions constitute the backbone of the workplace. “They facilitate the company’s progress and keep things running smoothly.”
Any corporation must perform some support, often known as administrative, jobs in order to maintain commercial operations. Administrative tasks including phone answering, emailing, setting up meetings, and file maintenance are a part of almost any employment. Administrative professionals, however, are the ones whose attention is focused on finishing these kinds of jobs.
You can work practically anyplace if you want to work in administration.According to Kyle Elliott, a career coach at Caffeinated Kyle and a former hiring manager for administrative roles, “almost every industry and company needs effective administrators.” For instance, a software firm might employ an administrative assistant to manage conference spaces, greet guests and interview subjects, and take meeting minutes. Alternatively, a doctor’s office might hire a receptionist to manage patient requests for referrals, paperwork, letters, and medical records in addition to setting up appointments and checking people in.
According to Hocking, “taking on an administrative role is a great way to learn more about a company and get involved in all facets of the work that the company does.”Therefore, an administrative role could be a perfect fit for you if you enjoy being involved in the work of several departments or business activities or if you’re still figuring out what you want to do for a living.
See below for a list of popular administrative job categories, along with specific job titles and roles you may look for within them. Take a look at some of the essential administrative abilities you’ll need to succeed first, though.
Competencies for Jobs in Administration
The abilities required for a particular administrative role will vary depending on the team, organization, and role, but the following are some general abilities that will be useful in all situations.
- Attention to detail: In order to maintain a team, individual, or business operating efficiently, an administrator must pay close attention to the little things, identify mistakes, and maintain correct documentation. When others in your business are occupied with the “big picture,” having a sharp eye for detail may be extremely helpful in identifying errors before they arise and making sure that more ambitious ideas have the backing they need to succeed.
- Working together: Professionals in administration assist one individual or a whole company in their work. Employers therefore seek applicants who can collaborate well with others and who are able to offer, accept, and request assistance and ideas.
- Communication: Without effective verbal and written communication abilities, an administrator may accomplish very little of their job. Communicating effectively is essential, whether you’re speaking in person or over phone, email, or chat. You also need to grasp what other people want to know.
- Organizing your digital and physical workspace will be essential to your success as an administrator. It will help you do tasks more quickly and precisely. Along with keeping track of goods and updating records, you can also be in charge of arranging your employer’s physical office and paper, digital, and/or mixed files. Good planning and scheduling abilities will also enable you to effectively manage the workloads of many departments, workers, and even businesses or clients.
- Time management: Administrative staff members frequently oversee several projects for various teams or departments, so you’ll need to set priorities and develop long- and short-term plans for your calendar to ensure that everything gets done on time. It’s possible that you’ll need to remind them to fulfill deadlines.
- Technical literacy: Administrators are depending more and more on their computer and technical abilities to finish jobs. Make sure you understand some of the fundamentals, like how to use office suite software, read, update, and build a simple spreadsheet, as well as how to utilize email and chat tools.However, you’ll probably need to learn how to utilize specific software, databases, hardware (such printers or copiers), and other tech for each role, so being technically literate will help you catch up more quickly.
- Openness to acquiring knowledge:Whether you’re a seasoned administrator or an entry-level worker, you’ll need to pick up new skills about every business you work for, as well as any new personnel or teams you collaborate with, in order to determine how to effectively maintain operations.”The best administrative assistants I have worked with possess sufficient business acumen to anticipate the needs of those they serve,” says Diane Gallo, an HR specialist frequently employed in administrative capacities.”This includes small things like prioritizing schedules based on their knowledge of the work or printing out documents for a meeting.”
It is likely that employers will consider administrative personnel who possess some or all of these talents and attributes, regardless of the kind of position you are seeking. Here are some of the most popular job categories for administrators, along with links to job postings on The Muse and particular titles to search for.
1. Virtual and administrative assistants
Support duties are managed by administrative, virtual, and clerk assistants in businesses across nearly all sectors. Although their precise responsibilities may differ, these individuals frequently handle chores like printing, mailing, filing, and scheduling meetings and conference rooms, among many other things.Though both roles might be entry-level, clerks often have less responsibility than assistants. Administrative assistants that operate only online, or virtual assistants, are growing in popularity. These positions are frequently filled by smaller companies, which frees up other staff members “to spend more of their energy on strategy, business development, and revenue growth, and less of their time on administrative tasks,” according to Elliott. It’s common to find both full- and part-time jobs, depending on your schedule.
Although you may still come across the term “secretary” from time to time, many businesses and professionals today view it as archaic.
While administrative assistant and similar terms acknowledge that the job is a vital support role, Gallo says the perception of a secretary was of a woman who was at the beck and call of a stereotypical male boss (getting coffee, for example) and probably didn’t do anything without being instructed to do so. Furthermore, the change aids in removing the gender-specific connotation that “secretary” has accrued throughout time.
The following are some titles of positions that are still in demand (click on each title to search The Muse for available positions):
- Assistant in administration
- Clerk for administration
- Administrative expert
- Assistant for administrative support
- Assistant in the office
- Cerk in the office
- Employee helper
- Virtual helper
2. Managers of offices, facilities, and administrative services
Office managers, facilities, and administrative services are in charge of the support tasks that keep the actual workplace operating smoothly. They may be in charge of organizing and making resource purchases for the company in addition to maintaining and fixing supplies, machinery, the office, the building, and any outdoor areas. They may oversee administrative assistants or other support workers in larger companies.
To get one of these positions, you will often require prior professional experience; the specifics of your experience will depend on the position and organization you choose to work for. Experience as an administrative assistant, for instance, may be beneficial if you’re looking for office manager roles, whilst a facilities manager would have experience with building maintenance or something similar.
Among the jobs you could discover are:
- Administrator
- Coordinator of administration
- Director of Administration
- Manager of administration
- Officer of administration
- Manager of administrative services
- Manager of businesses
- Manager of business
- Manager of the business office
- Manager of facilities
- Administrator of the office
- Manager of the office
3. Accounting clerks and bookkeepers
Accounting clerks and bookkeepers are responsible for creating and keeping a company’s financial records. In addition to maintaining track of financial records and verifying their integrity, they may also be in charge of documenting transactions, updating financial statements, handling payroll, creating invoices, paying bills, and reporting inconsistencies or errors to auditors or accountants. These positions can be held by employees of smaller companies without finance or accounting departments, or by those employed by larger companies.
Should you wish to secure one of these roles, you should possess some mathematics and accounting abilities along with some familiarity with accounting software like QuickBooks.
A post-secondary degree is sometimes required by many organizations, ideally with accounting curriculum. Be aware that jobs as an accountant or auditor are not administrative in nature; instead, they call for specialized training, frequently requiring certification.
Typical titles consist of:
- Accountant
- Assistant in accounting
- Associate in accounting
- Bookkeeper
- Expert in accounting
- Technician in accounting
- Clerk for accounts payable
- Accounts payable expert
- Clerk for accounts receivable
- Expert in accounts receivable
- Clerk for audits
- Bookkeeper
- Payroll clerk
FAQs
What is the difference between office and admin?
Office positions, in contrast to administrative roles, need specific expertise in several areas and are not solely focused on administrative activities. It’s critical to discover the perfect office job if you want to maximize your career and mold your life. Since office positions offer greater work-life balance than administrative jobs, many people choose them.
What are the works of office admin?
Control the channels of communication, including emails and phone conversations. Oversee office workers, such as secretaries and administrative assistants. Uphold filing processes and make sure that records are appropriately stored, safeguarded, and disposed of. Oversee the data input and other documentation duties.
What is another name for an office administrator?
Manager of Administration
The terms Office Manager and Head Administrator are other terms for the Administrative Manager. In order to guarantee that operations go smoothly and in accordance with the policies established by the senior administrative staff, this specialist oversees the organization’s administrative system.
