[su_dropcap style=”flat”]W[/su_dropcap]HEN WE’RE DISCUSSING glamorous job titles, admin assistant probably doesn’t crop up nearly as much as, say, rock star. But it’s a niche career that deserves plaudits in its own right. The term admin assistant has become sort of a catch-all for any kind of admin work. But, in truth, there’s so much more to it than that. It’s a specialized subject and requires a certain degree of skill to master.
Not everyone is cut out for a world of number crunching and spreadsheet taming. Only the world’s greatest organizers are going to have any chance of survival. It’s not going to be easy, and it’s not going to be a whole lot of fun, either. You might ask why, then, people would subject themselves to such a role.
You can study administration at Oxford University. Visit http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/mba for details.
It’s relatively simple. Admin assistants have an awful lot of career prospects. They aren’t necessarily tied down to any one particular area. They’re free to spread their wings and fly wherever their heart takes them. Pretty much every department in the world needs somebody of their ilk. Human resources, the medical sector, the accountant. They all need their own admin assistant, and they’re willing to pay top dollar for somebody of the highest caliber.
While you can certainly learn all of the skills required to make a real go of administrative work as a career, you can’t teach character traits. The simple truth is that many people are just born with them. And like any other job in the world, there are certain traits that are needed to find success as an admin assistant. Forget how good you are with numbers, your ability to multitask is of utmost importance. And in this life, you’ve either got it, or you don’t.
Check out the full job description at http://jobdescriptions.net/business/business-administration.
Here are just a few of the character traits you’ll need to earn top dollar as an admin assistant. How many of them tick your boxes?
Attention to Detail
How many times have you written those three little words on your resume? It’s pretty much become the most overused quality ever. But have you actually paid any attention to what it means? It’s a pretty massive endorsement of yourself. You might be able to get away with that white lie in other areas of work, but not here. Not now. Admin work involves a great deal of detail orientation. You’ll probably have three jobs on the go at any one time, and you’ll have to learn to cope with that pressure.
Common Sense
Believe it or not, that plays a significant role in the life of an admin assistant. And not everyone has been blessed with an abundance of it, or so it seems. If you’ve gotten any kind of respectable degree of education, you should probably do just fine. You wouldn’t have been able to navigate through your courses without it. It’s also a good idea to have basic office skills, so walk before you can run. Get a job as an intern in a big corporation somewhere nearby, so you can learn on the job. It might seem like a waste of time, especially if you’re degree educated, but you’ll pick up tricks that’ll stay with you forever.
Communication
Without a direct line of communication, any office would grind to a screeching halt. No work would ever get done, let alone done right. The business would fall to its knees and crumble. Sound dramatic? Good, that’s because it is. So, if you’re not good at conveying yourself in a simple and concise way, you may struggle. By and large, you’ll be working with ideas, concepts, and figures that aren’t going to make sense to everyone. It’s down to you to make sure they understand the information they need to process. Oh, and did I mention that you’ll probably spend half your time on the phone? Because you will.
You can improve your communication skills at http://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships/effective-communication.htm.
Judgment
Admin work can become a little bit of an isolated profession at times. The one downside is that there’s rarely anybody there to hold your hand or guide you through the process. Once you’ve learned the tricks of the trade, you’ll be expected to be able just to crack on with it all by yourself. That means it’s going to be important that you can judge situations with clarity and make the right decisions. How do you cope when you’re left to your own devices?
Motivation
You’re going to have to be a real self-motivator if you’re going to follow this career path. Nobody is going to be there to poke you with a stick if the work isn’t getting done. And the truth is, things can get a little bit boring at times. You’ll find yourself willing the clock to hit 5 PM as soon as you can. You’ll wonder why you’re bothering running these numbers. Hell, sometimes, things will stop making sense entirely. It’s going to take a great deal of discipline to motivate yourself in these circumstances.
Learn how to motivate yourself at http://time.com/2933971/how-to-motivate-yourself-3-steps-backed-by-science/.
Presentation
I’m talking about both the appearance of your work and yourself. Don’t be alarmed. Nobody is suggesting that you need to look like a fashion model. Not by any means. But you’ll have to, at least, look fit for purpose. That means business wear only. Good personal hygiene. Tidy hair. You’re probably going to be meeting and greeting a lot of external clients. You’ll be their first impression of the company. Don’t let the side down!
Time Management
You’ll likely be working on a whole bunch of different projects at the same time. Can you handle that? It’s going to take a pretty dab hand at time management if you’re going to succeed. You’ll have to learn to balance deadlines as a matter of urgency. If you don’t nail that, then you can expect to spend a lot of late nights playing catch up. Usually, while you’re not on the clock. Don’t subject yourself to that. Learn to manage your time efficiently and you’ll do fine.
Think you’ve got what it takes? Apply for admin jobs at http://www.learn4good.com/jobs/language/english/list/administrative/usa_united_states/.
