Many organizations rely on administrative assistants to perform and coordinate their office duties. Some administrative assistants do highly specialized work in law, medicine, science or engineering offices. Typical job responsibilities include:
- Scheduling appointments, meetings
- Answering telephones
- Maintaining files
- Booking reservations
Executive secretaries or administrative assistants usually perform fewer clerical tasks and often train and supervise other staff or coordinate projects. They must be able to juggle many tasks simultaneously. Individuals in this position must be extremely detail oriented, organized and able to stay on top of things. They also need to have a good personality, be outgoing and willing to work with difficult people at times.
Administrative assistants and secretaries perform clerical and administrative duties. They prepare correspondence, receive visitors, arrange conference calls, schedule appointments, draft messages, organize files, and support other company employees. Executive administrative assistants provide high-level administrative support and supervise lower-level clerical staff. Executive secretaries performs administrative duties for executive management and usually require strong computer and organizational skills.
Education and training can include office automation classes and formal training in secretarial science. High-school graduates with office and computer expertise can qualify for entry-level positions. Earnings vary widely and can range from $14 and $18 per hour. (Salary data is based on information from PayScale.com and varies based on experience.) Executive administrative assistants need several years of related work experience.
