Administrative Assistant

The core duties and responsibilities of an Administrative Assistant revolve around supporting others. Their job duties can vary widely, not just from job to job, but from day to day at the same job. On any given day, they may perform a variety of tasks, such as:

Answer phones and greet visitors

Schedule appointments and maintain calendars

Schedule and coordinate staff and other meetings

Collate and distribute mail

Prepare communications, such as memos, emails, invoices, reports and other correspondence

Write and edit documents from letters to reports and instructional documents

Create and maintain filing systems, both electronic and physical

Manage accounts and perform bookkeeping

Qualifications:

The minimum level of education for an Administrative Assistant is a high school diploma or GED. A few of the specific skills that all administrative assistants should possess include:

Decision-making: Administrative Assistants have to make independent decisions on a daily basis, addressing the best way to handle specific tasks.

Communications and collaboration: An Administrative Assistant must collaborate with other administrators and support personnel, management and clients on a regular basis.

Organizational skills: Organization and prioritization are the core elements of the Administrative Assistant’s responsibilities. You must know how to keep yourself and others organized and how to determine which tasks are the most important in a given list.

Writing: Spelling, punctuation, sentence structure and writing are essential to an Administrative Assistant, who must be proficient in a variety of styles, from creative to professional to technical to education and more.

Physical Requirements: Ability to sit for prolonged periods. Ability to utilize a computer keyboard, Computer monitor, adding machine, and telephone for prolonged periods. Ability to lift, carry, and transport work-related materials that frequently weigh up to 25 lbs. and that may occasionally weigh in excess of 25