Highlighting Your Administrative Assistant Skills

Administrative assistant skills are the abilities that help you keep an office operating correctly. Those with strong administrative skills can keep an office organized and efficient. Although these skills are required for an administrative assistant role, they can be helpful in other office support jobs. You’ll see secretaries, receptionists, and office managers with this skill set.

A successful administrative assistant exhibits all of these skills:

Communication

An administrative assistant needs to have strong written and verbal communication skills. By being an effective communicator, you can make a good impression on clients and guests. Likewise, these skills are helpful when relaying a message to a coworker or supervisor. When doing these administrative tasks, your communication skills will be helpful:

• Answering the phone
• Calling clients or customers
• Explaining information to clients
• Greeting a guest
• Taking messages
• Writing an email

Organization

Having strong organizational skills is helpful for any role. An administrative assistant needs to know how to keep things like files, appointments, and messages in order. During especially busy times, you may get multiple incoming calls or emails at once. Having organizational skills can help you manage all these moving parts at once. These common administrative tasks require you to have organizational skills:

• Billing
• Bookkeeping
• Filing
• Sorting and sending mail

Technology

Much of an administrative assistant’s day is spent using the computer. You need to be familiar with appointment scheduling tools, email, Microsoft Office, and any other software that may help you do your job. Having a solid understanding of technology can help you do the following tasks:

• Attaching a file to an email
• Data entry
• Record keeping
• Typing

Time management

Much of the job involves scheduling appointments and ensuring meetings are running on time. By having time management skills, you’ll always be mindful of the timing of appointments and make sure things aren’t overlapping. As an administrative assistant, you’ll use time management skills for the following tasks:

• Making reservations
• Planning meetings
• Scheduling appointments
• Setting up video conferences

Problem-solving

Administrative assistants often have to problem solve on the spot. Whether you need to change an appointment or resolve an issue with a client, this skill will be helpful. You may notice you use problem-solving skills when dealing with the following things:

• Answering complex questions
• Calming down an upset guest
• Rescheduling appointments

Follow these steps to improve your administrative assistant skills:

1. Seek training

This is an especially helpful tip if you want to learn how to use administrative software. When trying to learn a program like Microsoft Excel or Slack, you can find tons of resources online. Completing an online course is quite helpful. YouTube tutorials or MasterClass videos can be useful too.

2. Find a mentor

If you know someone with a strong background in administrative work, see if they would be willing to be your mentor. Show that you are eager to learn and appreciative of their time. Finding a mentor is an excellent way to get hands-on support and learn from a master.

3. Try new challenges

You’ll never know if you can do a task until you try it. When applying for an administrative role, show that you have a strong willingness to learn and try new things.

Learn more: How to Identify and Develop Soft Skills

Use these tips to develop your administrative assistant skills in the workplace:

• Attend lectures or seminars: Many employers will sponsor your participation in a relevant seminar or lecture if it will help you improve your work. Look for presentations held by industry professionals or administrative software companies.
• Volunteer for unique projects: Whenever your employer asks for help on a project, volunteering can show that you take initiative. Likewise, your participation in a project can help you learn new skills.
• Join professional organizations: Having these connections and resources can help you learn a lot about being an excellent administrative assistant. Participate in any free courses or presentations they offer.

When applying to an administrative role, showcase your skills with this advice:

Administrative assistant skills for your resume and cover letter

Prior to applying to a job, make sure to scan the job description for any particular skills or qualifications the employer requires. Think about which of these skills you have and list them under the skills section of your resume. By including these, you can pass through applicant tracking systems and make a good impression on hiring managers.

When writing your cover letter, share a couple of examples that highlight your administrative assistant skills. For instance, discussing a time you needed to reorganize an entire filing system shows that you have both organizational and problem-solving skills.

Learn more: How to Write A Cover Letter

Administrative assistant skills for the job interview

Employers will ask you a series of questions to learn more about your administrative skills. The best way to prepare is by learning common interview questions they may ask and practicing your answers during a mock interview. Here are some questions to think about:

• What are some important skills for an administrative assistant to have?
• What is your ideal management style?
• What software and programs are you familiar with?
• What steps do you take to handle private information discreetly?