In most industries, administrative skills vary. But it all depends on that industry. However, there are administrative assistant skills that every admin should possess.
Administrative skills are also high in demand in every industry, and any job candidate in possession of these skills is on the verge of getting hired.
So people with these administrative assistant skills ensure the smooth running of an office while also supporting the efforts of the managers.
In this article, we will be answering the question of who an administrative staff is and the must-have skills they should possess.
Let’s dive in.
Table of contents
Who is an Administrative Staff?
The administrative staff or workers are like the backbone of any company. They provide support, which includes office management, attending to clients, recording, and entering data.
Administrative Assistant
An administrative assistant is responsible for attending to clients and customers, greeting them, sending and also receiving correspondence.
An administrative assistant is someone who provides different kinds of administrative assistance in a company.
You can read this: Soft Skills vs Hard Skills: Differences, Similarities & Examples in 2021
Duties Of An Administrative Assistant
Most of their duties are mainly distributing information in the workplace.
They perform clerical duties, and therefore administrative assistant skills are required. Administrative assistants take memos and maintain files.
Asides from managing files, they type, edit and proofread documents. Some also record minutes.
Administrative assistants also schedule appointments, plan board meetings, and luncheons, and also prepare materials for presentations.
They also create spreadsheets to report company expenses to the manager. This requires them to be skilled with software like Microsoft excel.
With all these duties, administrative assistant skills are really important and are required of every administrative staff, not only the admin assistant.
10 Must-have Must-Have Administrative Assistant Skills
As an administrative assistant, for you to get all jobs done smoothly, you need to have some critical administrative assistant skills.
As an admin assistant, you have several responsibilities. This is why you need to cultivate some skills.
Below are ten administrative assistant skills you should have:
#1. Independence
As an administrative staff, you are to perform your task independently. That doesn’t remove the fact that you shouldn’t work with the other team to ensure the smooth running of the business.
In addition, independence is one of the must-have administrative assistant skills to have.
#2. Organization
One of the administrative assistant skills that are necessary for all industries.
Staying organized helps you keep your workplace tidy and neat.
Don’t forget you will perform duties like arranging files, folders and keeping them in order.
This would also help your colleagues to easily follow your filing system without misplacement. So, this skill should come in handy.
#3. Professionalism
You must act professionally at all times when attending to customers and clients because you represent your employer at all times
Be punctual, mature, polite, attentive, and organized. This is also one of the must-have administrative assistant skills.
#4. Time Management
This is one administrative assistant skill that cannot be joked with. Any admin staff could tell you how critical time is when it comes to their duties.
They schedule their tasks and ensure they stay on time.
To avoid stretching yourself, you need to allocate time properly to tasks. This will help you to be a good resource to the team.
#5. Interpersonal skill
Asides from organizing, storing, and arranging files, administrative assistants also interact with clients, colleagues, employers, etc, to create an enabling environment for all. Hence the need to master interpersonal skills.
#6. Written communication
Another must-have administrative assistant skill is ‘Good grammar.’
Since administrative assistants write emails and memos, they are required to have knowledge of writing good grammar or train them as regards themselves.
#7. Verbal communication
Verbal communication skill is quite important, just as writing skill is. There are several benefits to administrative assistants who have strong verbal communication skills while interacting with clients or employers.
Also, check this: How to Improve Communication Skills and be Effective in the Workplace
#8. Attention to detail
As an administrative assistant, you need to learn the art of paying close attention to detail and carrying out tasks without error.
You need to be attentive to grab grammatical errors when relating to clients. This will help to ensure your work is trustworthy.
#9. Knowledgeable in Microsoft word, excel, and PowerPoint
You are at an advantage if you are knowledgeable with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. So asides from typing and editing, you can as well present data using excel and PowerPoint.
As an administrative assistant, you should be comfortable with browsers and other software as they will help you at the workspace.
#10. Resourcefulness
You need to learn that you should be able to adapt to changes in the workplace. Anything can happen at the workplace, and this will require you to be creative or multitask as you adapt to assist others to make things work out.
You need to be able to bring up ways any crisis can be solved in your workplace.
This is also one of the must-have administrative assistant skills
Strengths of an Administrative Assistant
Asides from the administrative assistant skills, there are strengths you should possess. Both could work hand In hand, but they are very important for you to create an enabling work environment.
These roles are competitive as employers see an influx of CVs every day, but if you are interested in this role, you can make your application stand out by highlighting your strengths.
Below are a few strengths of an administrative assistant;
#1. Communication
Effective communication is also part of administrative assistant skills. Communicating with your team and employers will need you to focus and also listen.
Also, in most organizations, the administrative assistant is the first contact. So you need to be polite and friendly when greeting clients and guests.
So it’s proper to develop a great communication style to persuade others.
#2. Planning
No matter the administrative assistant skills you have, you also need to add this.
Planning helps you to deal with any problem that occurs. You prevent issues through planning.
#3. Teamwork
Have the ability to bring ideas to the table. Encourage your team members, build relationships, establish trust, and improve your work performance.
Conclusion
For you to be able to make a difference in your work environment, you need to develop administrative assistant skills. As an admin staff, you need to build your strengths as regards your role and perform your duties diligently.
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