An administrative assistant is an important part of any office team, and is responsible for a wide range of tasks. Administrative assistants provide support to an office team by helping with daily operations. They often take on multiple roles within the office, providing administrative, clerical, organizational, and customer service support.
The expertise of an administrative assistant will depend on the individual office and the nature of the administrative tasks. However, some general expertise that most administrative assistants need to possess include:
● Possessing strong organizational and multitasking skills
● Showing great attention to detail
● Having excellent communication skills
● Being computer proficient, and familiar with common office software
● Being proficient with Microsoft Office Suite programs
● Being able to efficiently respond to customer service queries
● Being able to take accurate and concise notes
● Being able to prioritize tasks and follow up with deadlines
● Possessing good time-management skills
● Being able to work independently and collaboratively
Given the ever-evolving professional climate, administrative professionals need to develop new skills and expand their existing knowledge base to keep up. Additional, technical and specialized expertise in data entry, working with customer databases, preparing reports and presentations, managing projects, and providing web support might be useful for the role.
Overall, the job of an administrative assistant requires an individual to be smart, highly organized, and well-versed in a wide range of technical and interpersonal skills.