What is an Administrative Assistant?

An executive assistant helps managers and executive planners plan their day and organize work. They help manage schedules and coordinate meetings. Their duties include handling employee benefits and payroll issues, taking direct phone calls, ordering office supplies and office equipment, they schedule appointments, and supporting HR departments.

They are often responsible for helping out with organizational tasks such as filing, cleaning offices, and answering phones. They assist with general office administration, like keeping track of supplies and equipment. They require basic administrative skills and a high school diploma for this role.

Administrative assistants work closely with human resource departments to handle employee benefits. They also support the organization with a wide range of duties, including scheduling, customer service, managing travel, and maintaining files. Administrative assistants are popular in a range of industries and remote admin assistants are becoming increasingly popular. Below are some typical tasks you can assign to your administrative staff.

1. Answering phone calls

Remote workers are expected to do many things that aren’t necessarily part of their job descriptions. One of those tasks is answering the phone. But it doesn’t have to be like this. There are ways you can train your employees to handle customer inquiries appropriately, without having to pay someone else to do it. Strong verbal communication skills are essential for this role.

2. Transcribing documents

Transcription work includes listening to audios, writing down what’s says, and formatting the written word into a readable document. There are many different ways you can do it. You could use a transcription tool like Dragon NaturallySpeaking or TypeWriter. It is important that your VA is familiar with these administrative systems. Or you could just write everything down yourself. If you’re working with someone else, either one of you could transcribe the meeting.

The best way to start is to make sure everyone knows how to turn off his or her phone during the meeting. Then ask people to speak up and repeat themselves. This makes it easier to hear clearly. Afterward, go over each person’s notes and make sure there aren’t any errors. Once you’ve corrected anything, you’ll want to save the transcript.

If you’re doing it yourself, you might choose to take notes on paper. But most professionals prefer to use a computer because it allows them to organize their thoughts better. Plus, computers are faster than pen and paper.

Once you’ve got your notes organized, it’s time to transcribe them. Start typing away. Make sure to keep track of where you left off. And don’t forget to check spelling and grammar.

3. Responding to emails to one of the common administrative assistant job duties

You’ve probably received hundreds of email messages over the course of your career. And chances are, you’re pretty good at responding to those messages. But how do you make sure you’re sending the best response possible? Here are some tips to help you craft better responses.

1. Make it personal. When you respond to someone else’s email, you want to take the time to understand what they’re saying. This way, you’ll know exactly what information you need to include in your reply. If you don’t feel like writing out a full explanation, try summarizing the issue in one sentence. For example, “I’m sorry I couldn’t meet with you today.” Or, “Thanks for reaching out about the project.”

2. Keep it short. You might think that longer emails are easier to read. However, shorter emails tend to be more effective because they allow recipients to digest the information quickly. Plus, people prefer reading less text overall. So, keep your emails brief and focused.

3. Use action words. In addition to being succinct, your emails should contain specific actions you plan to take. Don’t just say things like, “Let me look into this,” or “We’ll figure something out.” Instead, use verbs such as “I’ll contact you tomorrow,” or “We’ll send you our proposal next week.” These phrases show that you’re taking steps toward solving problems.

4. Include relevant attachments. Attachments can be great tools for getting things done. They can even save you money. But if you attach too many files, your recipients won’t be able to open them easily. Also, avoid attaching large documents unless absolutely necessary. People typically scan rather than download large documents.

5. Proofread everything. Even though we often type faster than we speak, it’s important to proofread every document you send. Spellcheck isn’t always enough. A professional editor can catch typos, grammatical errors, and missing punctuation marks.

6. Be consistent. Your emails should follow a certain format. Whether you’re replying to an individual or addressing multiple employees, stick to the same style throughout. Otherwise, you run the risk of confusing your readers.

What are the duties and responsibilities of an administrative assistant?

An administrative assistant is responsible for assisting a manager or supervisor in managing the office. While this administrative assistant job description varies, people applying for the role are required to have some knowledge of office management. This includes answering phones, scheduling appointments, being able to use different office management systems, liaising with office personnel, providing excellent customer service, scheduling meetings, taking minutes of meetings, greeting clients, updating legal documents, managing filing systems, coordinating travel arrangements, keeping track of expenses and helping with event planning. A typical administrative assistant works 40 hours per week, although some work 60 hours or even 80 hours per week.

The job description varies depending on the type of organization. For example, an administrative assistant might oversee a small team of employees in a large corporation, while another assistant might manage a single employee in a smaller firm. In either case, the main responsibility of an administrative assistant is to help keep things running smoothly within the office.

Administrative assistants typically earn $20-$30 per hour. Depending on experience, education level, and location, salaries vary widely. However, most administrative assistants make less than $25,000 annually. Salaries start out low because administrative assistants usually begin working part-time. As they gain experience and become more skilled, they move into full-time positions.