How to Succeed as an Administrative Assistant | Indeed Career Tips

Summary

The video script highlights the demand for administrative skills in various sectors, emphasizing the versatility of these skills. It outlines the essential hard skills, such as scheduling, filing, and expense reporting, and the importance of understanding one's principal. The script also stresses the value of soft skills like discretion, resourcefulness, empathy, and the ability to 'manage up'. It provides practical advice for aspiring administrative assistants to excel in their roles and offers a course to develop these skills.

Takeaways

• 📈 Administrative skills are highly sought after, ranking in the top five most in-demand jobs in the country.
• 🏢 These skills are applicable across various sectors including public and private education, corporations, small businesses, nonprofits, and the federal government.
• 🔑 Starting as an administrative assistant can be a fast track to understanding a particular field, including both glamorous and less glamorous aspects.
• 📚 The course aims to help demonstrate the administrative skills needed for many roles, focusing on both hard and soft skills.
• 🗓️ Hard skills include scheduling, filing, creating expense reports, reconciling receipts, transcribing meeting notes, creating briefs, and serving as a representative.
• 👀 Understanding your principal's preferences, such as meeting times and preferred communication methods, is crucial for effective administrative work.
• 💻 Learning the relevant software and digital tools is essential for efficiency in administrative tasks.
• 📂 Being organized is key, with a consistent system for managing tasks, files, and receipts.
• 🤝 Knowing the team and their roles is important for coordinating and collaborating effectively within the organization.
• 🕒 Availability is important, whether in-person or remote, to ensure timely communication and task completion.
• 🔒 Discretion is vital for administrative assistants, maintaining confidentiality and trustworthiness in handling sensitive information.
• 🔎 Resourcefulness is needed to troubleshoot and proactively find solutions, leveraging a broad perspective of the organization.
• 🥾 Empathy is crucial for understanding and anticipating the needs of your boss, enhancing your ability to support them effectively.
• 📈 Managing up involves aligning your working styles with your boss, focusing on communication, emotional resilience, and offering help when needed.

Q & A

What types of skills are in high demand for administrative roles?

Administrative skills such as scheduling, filing, creating expense reports, reconciling receipts, transcribing meeting notes, creating briefs, and serving as a trusted representative are in high demand.

In which sectors can administrative skills be utilized?

Administrative skills are needed in various sectors including public and private education, large corporations, small family-owned businesses, nonprofits, and the federal government.

What is the significance of starting as an administrative assistant in a particular sector?

Starting as an administrative assistant can be a fast lane into learning all about the field, including both glamorous and not so glamorous parts, and gaining a seat at the table.

What are some hard skills that an administrative assistant should possess?

Hard skills for an administrative assistant include scheduling and filing, creating expense reports, reconciling receipts, transcribing meeting notes, creating briefs, and serving as a trusted representative.

How can an administrative assistant learn about their principal's preferences?

An administrative assistant can learn about their principal's preferences by understanding their preferred times of day for meetings, their preferred medium of communication, and the type of digital tools they typically use.

Why is learning software important for an administrative assistant?

Learning software is crucial as it helps an administrative assistant to quickly become proficient with chosen templates, manage schedules on various platforms, and display information effectively.

What is the importance of being organized for an administrative assistant?

Being organized is essential for an administrative assistant to manage tasks, sort and file emails and reports correctly, handle receipts, and understand what tasks are complete and what needs rescheduling or adjustment.

What are some soft skills that can help an administrative assistant excel in their role?

Soft skills such as discretion, resourcefulness, empathy, and the ability to manage up are crucial for an administrative assistant to excel in their role.

How can an administrative assistant demonstrate discretion?

An administrative assistant can demonstrate discretion by clarifying what information is confidential, changing the topic when sensitive information is mentioned, and keeping confidential documentation secure.

What does it mean to 'manage up' as an administrative assistant?

Managing up involves understanding the best way to communicate with your boss, aligning your working styles, and demonstrating care by focusing on communication, leveraging emotional resilience, and offering help when needed.

How can an administrative assistant show empathy towards their boss?

An administrative assistant can show empathy by asking about preferences, shadowing their boss to understand their day, and showing interest in their professional development goals.

What is the role of resourcefulness in an administrative assistant's job?

Resourcefulness is important as it enables an administrative assistant to troubleshoot issues, proactively find solutions, and think creatively to solve problems within the organization.