There are a various types of administrative assistants who work in the areas like human resource, marketing, finance, production, sales etc. their role and responsibilities change and vary with respect to the department they work for, the nature of work, and also the size of the organization they work in.
The major job responsibilities of an administrative assistant are to attend all the meetings with the employers, and they may also take up the dictation given to them by their employers. They also collect documents. They deal with internal and external correspondence. They also prepare letters, memos, agendas, presentations and reports.
The administrative assistant is also responsible for maintaining office equipment like the printers, computers, and Xerox machines. They also have to keep a track of all the stationery items and reorder them whenever required. The administrative assistant is responsible for maintaining all the files and updating the database.
In some of the organizations like universities, the administrative assistants may plan and work. They try and find out different ways of organizing some office tasks and bring in new changes. In case of research companies every project manager would have an administrative assistant. His job is to take care of all the routine chores. They have to keep a record of funds used up and also prepare a monthly budget report.
Administrative assistants may also look after the repair and maintenance of the office equipment and also for the charges with the supply vendors.
The academic requirement for an administrative assistant is a high school diploma. Apart from that the knowledge of basic typing, computers, basics of accounting, and business administration may be very helpful. But then again it depends upon the requirements of the organization and also on the level of work.
The administrative assistants should have a lot of skills related to their job. They should be skilled so as to work in an organization. The major qualities that are required for administrative assistants are:
- Should be highly organized
- Should have strong secretarial skills
- Good writing and analytical skills
- Must know to talk to clients and other office staff properly
- Must get adjusted and start working easily with other people
- Should have good communication and interpersonal skills
- Should have an interest in commerce and business
- Be able to achieve deadlines
- Work well with the personnel at all the levels in the organization
- Should have an adaptable nature
- Take initiative
- Should be acquainted with some technology
For further career prospects the administrative assistants may study for a foundation degree in business administration. A lot of studying options are available where in you can select any full-time, part-time, or distance-learning courses. A full time foundation course may take approximately two years. To get employed on higher posts in an organization after being employed as an administrative assistant it is advised to progress to the final year of related honors degree courses.
The actual rates and figures with respect to the salary of a part time administrative assistant may vary with respect to the size of the organization they are employed in and also the nature of job they do in the organization. All the figures here are subjective and thus no particular amount can be fixed. The salary may also depend upon their qualification and previous experience.
Individuals who are interested in working as a part time administrative assistant can find a job from a school placement office. They can also directly get to talk with the companies, visit job websites, or look out in the job classifieds column in the local newspaper. It is very important to find out what the exact duties are before joining an organization as the work profile and the job responsibilities differ from one business to another. For a government job as a part time or full time administrative assistant, it is compulsory to give a civil service test. State and private agencies can be of great help to find a proper suitable part time administrative assistant job for an individual.
