Administrative & Office Support

Job Description

Nearly every industry or business employs administration and office support personnel. They perform a wide variety of necessary tasks, like maintaining organized files, typing correspondence, sending faxes, and other basic office duties, including maintaining office equipment and office supplies inventory. They answer phones, schedule appointments/staff meetings, and insure the office runs smoothly.Making travel arrangements, including air travel and lodging, often for groups, can be an important part of the job. They are also responsible for coding invoices before submitting them to A/P for payment, maintaining databases, conducting research, and preparing reports. When requested, they fill in as a back-up.An administration and office support employee should be able to prepare routine correspondence, many times for the manager’s signature. They are often asked to work on special projects, prepare presentations, assist with the implementation of company policies and programs and to coordinate department-wide events.

Education & Training Requirements

Entry-level employment for administration and support is possible with just a high school diploma, but post-secondary vocational training is a plus. Upper-level positions, like medial and legal secretary, usually have completed post-secondary programs, and undergraduate degrees are typically required for executive secretary/executive assistant positions.Skills required for administration and support positions include strong written and verbal communication and knowledge and experience with common office software, databases and spreadsheets.

Salary Range

According to the figures for May 2018 from the Bureau of Labor Statics:The mean annual salary of administration and office support personnel was $38,880. The bottom 10 percent earned $19,070 or less, and the top 10 percent earned $54,350 or more.Mean annual salaries for the following categories from the same time period were:

• Executive Secretary: $59,340
• Legal secretary: $46,360
• Medical secretary: $35,760

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