What are the most important administrative skills to succeed in your job?
We’ve selected the top 11 administrative skills to help you succeed.
You’ll want to stand out from the crowd as demand for office workers has been declining. Over the next decade, jobs for customer service representatives are expected to decline by -4%. The number of secretaries and administrative assistants is expected to decline by -8%.
You can be successful at administrative jobs and other office jobs by developing the following skills.
1. Communication skills for inter-personal relationships
Written and verbal skills are both part of interpersonal skills. You’ll be required to communicate between departments, or clients, vendors and the company, in an administrative role.
Office workers communicate in different ways. Telephone communication involves answering incoming calls, scheduling appointments, and answering questions. Some members of the office team respond to emails while others greet customers at the front desk.
You’ll still want to communicate effectively and clearly with your co-workers and supervisors, even if you do not deal with the general public.
You should think about your past work experience when highlighting interpersonal communication skills . You can use the following examples:
- Running meetings
- New Employee Training
- Answering the phone or sending emails
- Customers are served
- Handling complaints
2. Time management skills
You’ll likely have a lot of work to do if you apply for a position as an administrative assistant, office administrator or any other administrative role.
Prioritize your tasks to ensure that you get everything done.
Some office jobs are hybrid or remote, which means administrative tasks can be completed at home. You’ll have to be able to manage your own time if you are offered a remote or hybrid role.
Consider using a tool for time management to track where you spend your time if you have trouble managing time. Cut out inefficient and ineffective habits.
In a resume or cover letter or during a job interview, you can highlight your ability to manage time by highlighting jobs in which you had to complete multiple tasks or balance multiple responsibilities.
You’ve probably used time management techniques if you have ever had to manage an appointment schedule, a calendar or print documents while answering incoming calls.
