About Administrative Jobs
Administrative Jobs: Overview
Most businesses, organizations, and government offices rely on administrative professionals to ensure that operations go smoothly. As an administrative employee, you’ll likely handle clerical tasks, take phone calls, schedule meetings, keep track of company invoices, create memos and reports, and do basic bookkeeping. If this sounds like something you’d excel at, you can look for administrative jobs on Monster.
To work as an administrative professional, you’ll need excellent communication, decision-making, organizational, and problem-solving skills. Plus, it helps to possess computer skills and the ability to operate standard office equipment such as a fax machine, printer, or copier.
The day-to-day duties of an administrative employee typically include:
- answering or transferring phone calls and taking messages.
- updating calendars and scheduling appointments.
- setting up staff meetings.
- handling incoming mail and faxes.
- preparing invoices, memos, and reports.
- updating and maintaining databases.
- editing documents.
- bookkeeping.
Administrative employees can work for private businesses, corporations, financial institutions, schools, hospitals, municipalities, and government agencies. As an administrative professional, you can expect to work a fixed, full-time schedule or during business hours.
Some administrative positions you may be interested in include:
Administrative Education and Skills
Many entry-level administrative positions require only a high school diploma and some experience with spreadsheets and word processors. More advanced positions typically require several years of administrative experience or at least an associate degree with coursework related to business, communications, or a related field.
Administrative positions typically require the following skills and qualities:
- the ability to multitask and prioritize tasks.
- strong organizational skills.
- excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
- working knowledge of Microsoft Office or similar programs.
- exceptional writing skills.
Update Your Administrative Resume
Your resume is the first step to proving your value to potential employers. Before you hit that “apply” button, make sure yours is updated with newly acquired skills and experience and written to perfection. Your final resume should be easy to ready, clear, concise, and error-free. Need more help? Check out Monster’s resume samples for midlevel administrative assistants and entry-level admins.
Many employers spend countless hours sorting through resumes. Sending a cover letter is a great way to get your resume noticed. A good cover letter should sell your skills and show potential employers that you’re a viable candidate. See our administrative assistant cover letter sample to learn how to write and format your cover letter.
Interviewing for Administrative Jobs
Once you’ve successfully grabbed the attention of a hiring manager, you may be offered an interview. If the anticipation of an interview gives you butterflies, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to prepare in advance.
Start by familiarizing yourself with commonly asked administrative assistant interview questions such as, “How do you handle stress?” and, “What computer skills do you have?” Don’t rule out basic interview questions such as, “Why do you want to work here” or, “What are your strengths?” We suggest taking the time to practice in a mock interview so you can get a second opinion and develop strong, smart answers that prove your competency.
How Much Do Administrative Jobs Pay?
Curious to know how much you can earn in an administrative job? It all depends on your years of experience, location, and job type. For example, office and administrative assistants typically make $15.96 per hour, while an administrative clerk earns about $33,638 per year.
What will you make at your new job? Just enter the job title and location into Monster’s Salary Estimator to see for yourself.
Want to Learn More About a Company You’re Interested In?
Got a specific company in mind or want to do research on employers looking for administrative professionals? Look them up on Monster’s company profiles. This tool gives you insight into a company’s culture and basic information.
Some of the details you may find include:
- company photos and videos.
- the number of employees.
- locations and headquarters.
- industry information.
Join Monster to Find Admin Jobs
Looking for administrative jobs? Monster is the place to find them. Just set up your profile and upload your resume to get started. We’ll make your job-seeking experience as efficient as possible by getting your resume in front of job recruiters and sending free job notifications directly to your phone.