Administrative support work is important in many industries. It is the work in the background that helps to keep things running smoothly and efficiently. It’s crucial that those who work in administrative support work be as organized and thorough as possible. But what is administrative work?
In my opinion, administrative work is all the behind-the-scenes tasks that allow organizations to keep running smoothly and efficiently.
Administrative roles within organizations can take different forms, depending on the company’s needs. These administrative roles can include secretarial, assistant, coordinator, and office manager.
Administrative support professionals also have a wide range of duties, which depend on the needs of the company or organization.
Examples include: providing clerical support, managing office information technology systems, event planning, expense reporting, and maintaining the office filing system.
Administrative Support Services Titles
It’s easy to misunderstand administrative support titles because it’s impossible to know every possible admin job in the world!
I think many of the employees feel like all administrative support roles are the same. I contribute this to the “grey area.” So, when you’re trying to pick which title is better for you – it’s important to think of the differences in skill levels, past work experience, industry, and responsibilities.
When you’re looking for a new job, it can be hard to grasp the role solely by the requirements of each posting. A way to help identify candidates is through understanding exactly what they are asking for and the skill level expected of you in this role.
For example, job description that only ask for basic administrative functions like only answering phones, filing/e-filing, and making copies would best for those who are newer to the field.
The “Administrative Assistant”
The definition of an administrative assistant is someone who provides assistance with administrative tasks to other employees in an organization.
Admin assistants handle a lot. From distributing mail and answering phones to managing calendars and booking travel. All while using valuable skills for day-to-day tasks. The best way to find the right person for this job is through the interview process, because “fit” is just as important as the technical skills themselves.
The “administrative assistant” title is used most often nowadays to mean a “step up” from a secretary.
According to SyN Learning Institute, “The International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) helped market a new job title and new image in the ’70s and ’80s and continues as a world-wide advocacy group. Its annual survey continues to provide insight into the ever-changing job descriptions, titles and salaries of administrative professionals.”
In Lynn Peril’s Swimming in the Steno Pool: A Retro Guide to Making it in the Office, she described a world where before the 70s, “secretaries” were often perceived as a tactic to get a husband rather than professional skills. She writes, “By the ’70s, when women were really starting to strike out for their rights in all sorts of ways, they asked to be called administrative assistant because that actually meant you were taking your job seriously. It’s a way to say I’m doing my work. I’m serious. I’m not a secretary.”
Sooo, while I agree and support the reason administrative professionals wanted to change the title, I believe the change wasn’t as significant to employers over the years.
What are the Basic Responsibilities of Administrative Work?
Administrative support professionals are an important part of any company. These professionals take on a variety of duties that keep a business running smoothly.
Administrative professionals are an integral part of any business. They have a wide range of duties which include working directly with clients, filing paperwork, corresponding with employees and more. These professionals are responsible for making sure that a company runs efficiently and can handle any given situation.
They may have secretarial duties such as answering phones, taking notes, and scheduling meetings.
All of these tasks are integral to a secretary’s role. They keep the office running smoothly and help their boss get more done in a day.
They may also have assistant duties such as arranging meetings, booking travel arrangements, and processing expense payments.
Grey Area Within Administrative Support Service
I have written about the “grey area” in the administrative support before. It’s a really tricky situation where it can lead people to become distrustful of one another and develop negative feelings – which is not ideal.
Let’s talk about the “grey area” in the administrative support service industry.
What I mean by the grey area is that every admin job is unique because every organization is unique. We do not base the role of an administrative professional on the product or service of an organization. Our focus is on the individual(s) who provide the service.
It can be hard for companies to put into words how they want to be supported by an administrative support professional unless they take the time to put dedicated thought into it. It’s just easier to write “other administrative duties as needed” and bind the admin to that vague clause.
So unless organizations are self-aware, they rarely realize how to describe what they need.
Just so we’re clear, should assist with accounting duties, event planning, marketing, and training. It shouldn’t be the sole responsibility of an admin to any or these tasks on their own.
Why is it so hard?
I can’t speak for everyone, but when I look at job descriptions for administrative roles, I find it’s difficult to conceptualize the full picture of the position by the description.
This can be difficult for many reasons:
- Company/manager might not fully understand the role or what it takes to execute the job.
- The company is asking for too much work under the wrong title and wrong pay
- Over thinking
Don’t Understand the Administrative Work or the Role
Have you ever actually heard someone try to explain an administrative support role who has never been an admin?
I have, and it’s painful.
For example, while working from home due to the pandemic, my partner was baffled a lot of times. He said I sounded more like a therapist rather than an admin. I mean, it’s not like companies put “being an ear” on the job description. Companies and managers don’t consider how often “being an ear” is a natural byproduct of being an admin, and the amount of effort it takes to accomplish this.
My point is that I want you, dear fellow admin, to understand some of the people who are writing these job descriptions. These people might not be admins or have never been an admin are writing these job descriptions you are reading and applying for.
TL;DR: the person interviewing you might not have any idea what it actually takes to do the job they are asking you to do.
Too Much for Too Little
Have you ever read a job posting where they are asking for an admin to be the accountant, manage the budget, secretary, office manager, marketing and communications, and event planner? They want you to have a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and 5 years of experience. You scroll down and the pay range is $15 an hour.
Jobs like these belong on r/choosingbeggars. If you don’t know what that is, on reddit.com, there is a place where people post stories when free is too much money to pay for services or products. It’s ridiculous and I love it.
When I look at job postings like this, it HURTS my heart to think there are people who are actually applying for these jobs.
If you end up getting this job, the sheer volume of work will get old very quickly. The company won’t understand why you deserve a raise, because they put it all out there from the beginning and you said you wanted to do the work.
If you see these job postings with a pay rate of anything under $20 an hour, it’s a ripoff.
Overthinking
It might surprise you to know that I am not perfect. I know, but it’s true. I am fully guilty of overthinking.
Don’t be your own victim. If you have an interest in a particular position, apply! Ask the company/manager questions in your interview to get a better understanding of the position. This is the time to clear up the doubts or concerns that you have regarding the position.
There’s nothing wrong with trying to interpret the meaning from a job description, but try not to assume you know everything about the job because YOU DON’T ACTUALLY KNOW.
There are so many steps in between applying for the job and accepting the job. Simply having an interest in the company, location, job and pay range is worth your application.
If you have had a bad experience in the past, try not to apply your past impact to future opportunities. It might hinder your chances of landing your dream job or opportunity.
In reality, there’s no guarantee that a job description will exactly match your interpretation, but you can definitely get an idea of what you’re deciding to apply for.
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
