8 Must Have Skills for an Administrative Assistant

Administrative assistants are vital assets of any organization. As of today, administrative assistant jobs are not only clerical or secretarial jobs, they have changes to include more duties and responsibilities.. These professionals are responsible to help with the  smooth running of the organizations. In order to be a successful admin assistant, it’s important to have a solid foundation that teaches you different skills. A well-rounded administrative assistant is ideal in any organization.

Business sectors, educational institutes, healthcare units, and legal services are among the few sectors where admin assistant graduates . Depending on which sector you choose to work in can vary your duties, but the skills required will be the same. In this blog, we will go through the 8 skills every great administrative assistant needs.

1. Be multitasking

Admin assistants are nowadays given many tasks and finishing it adhering to the deadlines makes you a multitasker. Earlier it was a myth, people doing more tasks at a time reduces the quality of work. But today finishing the tasks on time is only possible when you know how to prioritize it. This multitasking skill is required in any assistant job, letting you have a good impression on your employer. 

2. Remain calm under pressure

Handling multiple things at a time makes you feel pressured. Some (or most) of us panic, when assigned with so many things. The ability to remain calm in difficult situations is a key to success in your job field. First, understanding the thing and then reacting to it works well. Rather than feeling pressured and doing nothing will land you in a worse situation of not completing your assigned work. An effective admin assistant will always stay calm, think twice, prioritize the urgent work and then multi-task.

3. Attention to important details

Jotting down every important detail is vital and is necessary to complete the task efficiently.  Making notes is a good strategy to help administrative assistants keep on track and updated with their tasks. Many administrative assistants are even involved in data entry work and helping with budgeting sheets preparations. Because admin assistants can help with such detail sensitive work, this highlights the importance of focus on the small details. For example if data was entered incorrectly or mail was sent to the wrong client, it could cause serious repercussions for the company. 

4. Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Knowledge 

Technology and admin jobs go hand in hand these days. Today, they are not only restricted to emails, rather they are expected to have the technology knowledge as well. Being tech savvy can help you be proficient in a wide range of integrated apps and social media platforms. Apart from this, knowledge of ICT systems like Microsoft programs, handling printing and scanning machines, know to how to use tablets and smartphones is also must. With all this, one can handle the working place systems, softwares, applications, draft email to the clients and even manage the companies’ social media queries and do posting as well.  

5. Be a problem solver

Problem solving is another must have skill for administrative assistants. You must be a fast thinker and have a zeal to solve the issues. Usually, when employees have any issue, then they approach the admin staff for help. So, you should not hesitate to solve the issues like answering the complex questions, rescheduling the appointments, calming an upset guest and satisfying him with positive results. 

6. Organizing skills

Keeping the things organized and manageable makes it easier to find it on time like organizing the files and the important papers. Other than this, coordinating and managing the workload works wonders, for instance dividing the work between your team for any upcoming event. This skill will help you in better organizing everyone in your team and the event you are working on. 

7. Maintain good relationships

Maintaining a good relationship with your colleagues is crucial for smooth functioning of an organization. In addition to this, having good relations with other coworkers, employees, management, and customers will be a plus point for better understanding of organization culture and teamwork.

8. Communication skills

Admin assistants are usually the first point of contact in a business. If your communication skills are good and during the interview for an admin assistant, apart from your knowledge skills, it is mandatory to match your communication skills with the company’s culture and voice. Written and verbal, both play vital roles in it.

Final thoughts

Now, that you have learned what skills are must for an administrative assistant you might be thinking about what could be next. ABM College’s Administrative Assistant diploma program can help you get there. Working as an administrative assistant is a good, dynamic career, especially if you are someone who enjoys learning more about the behind the scenes of running a company.  

You can learn more about what is needed to be an administrative assistant by checking out other blogs or our program page! 

‍Contact us to learn more about this program.