Rather than performing a single specialized task, administrative employees perform duties that often change daily with the needs of the specific job and employer. They usually work in business settings for managers and executives and tend to spend time on both day-to-day tasks and long-range assignments. Administrative Assistants often help prepare reports, attend meetings, conduct research and collect facts/figures to edit into in-house publications and reports for managerial staff. In some organizations they may be involved with planning by identifying different ways of organizing certain office tasks and recommending changes. In research companies, project directors may need an administrative assistant to take responsibility for routine administrative chores such as tracking funds, producing monthly reports, tracking schedules and negotiating prices with office supply vendors.
Administrative Assistants must be highly organized and able to work both independently and with others. Employment growth and high replacement needs in this wide-ranging occupation is expected to result in many job openings. Prospects should be best for those with computer application knowledge as well as good interpersonal/communication skills.
Various administrative/office related occupations collected from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
This occupation is expected to be among those with the largest number of new job openings. As reliance on technology continues to expand in the office environment, the role of the office professional has greatly evolved. Office automation and organizational restructuring have led secretaries and administrative assistants to assume responsibilities once reserved for managerial staff. Secretaries and administrative assistants today perform fewer clerical tasks and are increasingly taking on the roles of information and communication managers.
Human Resources Assistants
This occupation maintains the human resource records of an organization's employees. Employment will grow as human resources assistants assume more responsibilities within an organization. About 17 percent work for Federal, State, and local governments.
Information Clerks
Information Clerks are charged with a responsibility that may affect the success of an organization: making a good first impression. Employment in this profession is expected to grow faster than average for all occupations. Information Clerks will have a very large number of new jobs arise, more than 200,000 over the 2006-16 period.
Next Program Start Date
October 1, 2012
