Administrative Assistant Training

Every successful business needs a competent support team to assist those in managerial roles and facilitate the activities of its offices. Coordination of an office's administrative activities requires an efficient and organized staff of assistants to serve as information managers and perform a host of clerical duties. If you are a highly organized, detail-oriented individual, administrative assistant training can prepare you for a successful career in an office administrative role.

Administrative Assistant Training Overview

To be a successful administrative assistant, excellent organization skills are vital. Other important qualifications include good verbal and written communication, time management and interpersonal skills. Administrative assistants should also feel comfortable working independently as well as in a team.

An administrative assistant will often be called upon to wear many hats. Responsibilities often include:

• Using word processing and database management software to prepare documents such as invoices, reports, letters and memos
• Answering telephones and responding promptly to messages
• Scheduling meetings, preparing agendas and sometimes attending meetings to take minutes
• Maintaining pertinent office records and performing bookkeeping duties
• Operating office equipment and handling maintenance needs as necessary
• Making travel arrangements for other staff
• Transcribing handwritten material or electronic dictation
• Serving as the main point person for one or more company executives

Once you complete your administrative assistant training, you are likely to be employed in an office environment. In 2008, slightly more than half of those employed as an administrative assistant were in medical, legal or executive secretary roles. The remaining individuals were employed as secretaries in other office settings.

Administrative Assistant Training: Degrees and Coursework

Office skills can sometimes be obtained without any formal administrative assistant training and high school graduates can occasionally qualify for some entry-level secretarial positions. However, well-developed word processing, writing and communication skills are considered essential by employers and most administrative assistant training programs will focus on these skills.

If you are seeking formal administrative assistant training, you have several options:

• Associate Degree. Some vocational schools and community colleges offer one- to two-year training programs in office administration. These are beneficial for developing basic office skills and improving your chances of employment at entry-level positions.
• Bachelor's Degree. Executive secretaries and higher-level administrative positions will sometimes require a college degree, preferably in a business discipline or in a field related to the company's business.
• Specialized Training. Those seeking employment in specialized fields, such as medical and legal, may be required to attend an administrative assistant training program that is specific to that field.

After completing your administrative assistant training and landing yourself a job, there are opportunities for continuing education and advancement, mostly through experience and being proactive about staying on top of new office and organizational technologies. As you advance to higher-level administrative positions, the responsibility assigned to you is likely to increase.

Administrative Assistant Career Outlook

Finding employment as an administrative assistant should not prove to be too difficult in the foreseeable future, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that secretary and administrative assistant positions should grow about as fast as the average job growth rate for all occupations (roughly 11 percent) between 2008 and 2018. Subsectors that are expected to see greater than average employment growth include the medical and legal fields as well as growing industries such as construction, educational services and scientific services.

In May of 2009, the median annual wage for those employed as executive secretaries and administrative assistants was $41,650. The highest paid individuals earned upwards of $64,000.

The industries with the highest levels of employment of secretaries and administrative assistants were institutions of higher education, local and state governments, company and enterprise management, and grade schools (elementary and secondary). Regionally, the highest-paying metropolitan areas were the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City, with respective annual mean wages of $55,870 and $55,250.

Resources for Administrative Assistants

• Bureau of Labor Statistics, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

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