Administrative Careers Offer a World of Variety
Deciding to pursue an administrative career has an enormous amount of benefits. Administrative careers offer a lot of flexibility, allow you to work in a variety of fields, and can be done almost anywhere in the country, or even the world. You can become an administrative specialist in a particular industry and be in high demand, or remain a generalist and have the ability to work in different fields with a lot of variety. When you choose this career, the opportunities are endless and the options are wide open.
Industries that Provide Administrative Jobs
If you have the organizational skills necessary for this career, then you can work in just about any industry that interests you, because every industry hires administrative assistants. A sample of industries that hire in this field includes medicine, law, finance, consulting, education, non-profits, and even the government.
Types of Careers, Jobs and Titles
Just as this career field covers a broad range of industries, it also covers a broad range of specific jobs and titles. When you are looking for a job in the field, you need to know what those titles are and which one might be appropriate for you. Titles and responsibilities will vary by industry, but here are some more common ones that can help you on your job search.
Receptionists and Administrative Assistants
Many people who choose this career start off as either a receptionist or an administrative assistant, also known as an office assistant. At this level, you can expect to answer phone calls, take messages, create general correspondence, file documents, and complete other general organizational duties. In this position, you'll learn the basics and can expect to take on more and more organizational duties as you master the basic tasks.
Executive Assistants and Beyond
Those who want to move up the career ladder and take on a wide variety of responsibilities strive for the executive assistant and senior executive assistant positions. Once you reach this level, your job will require you to be an expert at multitasking. Executive assistants often work for a manager or more than one manager and are responsible for their schedules, expense reports, travel arrangements, correspondence, and email. In addition, executive assistants may be required to create presentations, plan events, and oversee and train an entire staff of assistants.
Legal and Medical Secretaries
Those who want to gain specialized skills often gravitate toward the legal or medical fields. Having those specialized skills can put you in high demand and can often get you higher pay. Legal secretaries have to do all of the general organizational duties associated with being an assistant, but they also have to know their law. This includes preparing legal documents, such as motions, complaints, and subpoenas, as well as helping lawyers with legal research. Medical secretaries must also have a set of organizational skills, along with the specialized skills that apply to the medical field. Those include dealing with insurance and billing, filing and maintaining medical records, working knowledge of hospital procedures, and understanding medical terminology.
Jobs at Schools and Universities
When people think of working in education, they think of being a teacher or a professor. But schools need people with organizational skills as well, whether it's a small elementary school or a huge university with multiple departments. On top of the office and organizational skills needed, assistants in the education environment get to be involved in the school and sometimes work with the students.
General and Temporary Assistants
Many assistants prefer to remain general office assistants and like to work for temporary agencies. This provides them with an enormous amount of flexibility and variety, allowing them to experience various industries and not be tied down to one job. Some temporary agencies even offer their long-time employees benefits, such as health insurance, while still providing work at a variety of companies.
Assistant Jobs as a Stepping Stone
While being an assistant can be a career unto itself, in some industries it is also a stepping stone. Industries, such as advertising and marketing, will use the assistant position as a way to introduce entry-level employees to the company and the career. In the entertainment industry, virtually everybody starts off as an assistant, whether you have a BA or an MBA, and getting that assistant position can be extremely competitive.
JobsOnline Helps You Find Administrative Jobs
Regardless of what type of assistant position you're looking for, you will find it at JobsOnline. JobsOnline can help you find the executive assistant position in your hometown, or anywhere else in the country. You can also search for your desired position by industry. So if you're ready to look for an administrative job, you know you'll be able to find it with the help of JobsOnline. Get started today.