Basic Skills For An Administrative Role

An administrative job, like any other role, falls under the management umbrella; however, the distinction between a manager and an administrative officer is that the administrative officer concentrates on other resources rather than human resources.

Administrative positions differ in terms of their nomenclature and job descriptions, but the majority of administrative roles execute four major functions: coordination, planning, communication, and organization.

An administrative (admin from now on) officer can be referred to as a front desk officer, receptionist, secretary, personal assistant, or administrative executive; he or she can be everything in one person, sometimes handling roles outside of her functional limits such as customer service or quasi-public relations officer. It’s a lovely twist, but this position is pretty difficult because you have to be several different things at once.

Most administrative officers handle internal affairs, such as drafting letters, managing schedules, organizing payments, writing reports, proposals, business letters, keeping records, bills, and documents, managing the office environment, ensuring resources are properly utilized, planning for the future, staffing, and so on. They generally monitor the day-to-day operations of the organization.

These are some of the skills you need to effectively function in this role.

• Interpersonal skills: In addition to the customer service representative, an administrative officer is the primary point of contact for a client of an organization. Whether you are a geek who develops company software or a receptionist who occasionally meets with clients, having and honing interpersonal skills allows you to interact with people more effectively, build relationships by understanding people in different situations, and generally make it easier to reach a wide range of audiences.
• Numeracy: Paying bills, calculating expenses, establishing projections, and analyzing budgets all demand you to operate quickly and easily with numbers. Numeracy is more than just understanding numbers; it can be as simple as writing and rounding off decimals or as complex as interpreting charts and graphs or doing conversions using whatever tool you have available – a calculator, a pen, your head, anything. You have to enjoy working with numbers because you’ll be doing it a lot.
• Strong Communication skills: Communication is the lifeblood of business and the foundation of all human interactions, whether written or verbal. People in administrative professions handle a lot of paperwork, and something as simple as a client’s name spelled incorrectly might mean poor business for you. There are numerous reasons why this ability is important: you will need to share information with coworkers, make appointments, transfer calls, and communicate with suppliers, clients, and other external agencies. Many things can go wrong if you don’t have a solid understanding of this talent.
• Self-initiative/Decision Making: Working as an administrative officer does not make you a yes man (or woman). Many scenarios will require quick (and wise) decisions. Employers look for applicants that can hit the ground running, think on their feet, work with little supervision, and are eager to increase their knowledge base. The capacity to draw logical conclusions and make decisions in a variety of situations facilitates your work by preventing future occurrences.
• Problem solving/Analytical skills: Aside from the fact that an administrative function can encompass a variety of responsibilities, it can also be viewed as a micro-project management role. In other words, administrative officials are sometimes tasked with handling employee concerns and complaints. This necessitates paying attention to minutiae while understanding how they fit into the overall picture of the organization. So you can incorporate the nine required talents for a project management position.
• Organizing: As previously said, an administrative function entails a great deal of paperwork, including sourcing, filing, recording, bookkeeping, accounting, and other tasks. You must be able to recollect knowledge accurately or know how to obtain it. Aside from paperwork, practically all of the jobs you’ll undertake will include getting things together in the smallest amount of time feasible, which means you’ll need to plan and prioritise what’s necessary, be proactive, and overall ensure that operational activities operate well.
• Computing: maintaining records and tracking project progress would require a working knowledge in computer software packages like the Microsoft Office and any other form of technology that helps you work efficiently.