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What You Need to Know About Secretary or Administrative Assistant
Position Description Perform routine clerical and administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers.
Life As a Secretary or Administrative Assistant
- Coordinate conferences, meetings, or special events, such as luncheons or graduation ceremonies.
- Train and assist staff with computer usage.
- Create, maintain, and enter information into databases.
- Supervise other clerical staff and provide training and orientation to new staff.
- Conduct searches to find needed information, using such sources as the Internet.
- Collect and deposit money into accounts, disburse funds from cash accounts to pay bills or invoices, keep records of collections and disbursements, and ensure accounts are balanced.
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Secretary or Administrative Assistant Needed Skills
These are the skills Secretaries and Administrative Assistants say are the most useful in their careers:
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Types of Secretary or Administrative Assistant
- Administrative Support Assistant (ASA)
- Clerk Secretary
- Senior Administrative Assistant
- Administrative Clerk
- Alumnae Secretary
Is There Going to be Demand for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants?
There were about 2,536,200 jobs for Secretary or Administrative Assistant in 2016 (in the United States). There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Secretary or Administrative Assistant. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 244,300 job openings in this field each year.
The states with the most job growth for Secretary or Administrative Assistant are Colorado, Washington, and Utah. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Vermont, or Illinois. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
How Much Does a Secretary or Administrative Assistant Make?
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants make between $23,060 and $56,010 a year.
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants who work in District of Columbia, Massachusetts, or Connecticut, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $35,670 |
| Alaska | $42,450 |
| Arizona | $36,050 |
| Arkansas | $30,860 |
| California | $43,670 |
| Colorado | $38,810 |
| Connecticut | $46,470 |
| Delaware | $39,930 |
| District of Columbia | $50,140 |
| Florida | $35,080 |
| Georgia | $34,520 |
| Hawaii | $40,290 |
| Idaho | $32,380 |
| Illinois | $37,930 |
| Indiana | $32,720 |
| Iowa | $35,210 |
| Kansas | $33,820 |
| Kentucky | $32,950 |
| Louisiana | $31,880 |
| Maine | $37,150 |
| Maryland | $40,870 |
| Massachusetts | $46,940 |
| Michigan | $36,980 |
| Minnesota | $40,580 |
| Mississippi | $32,160 |
| Missouri | $35,010 |
| Montana | $33,380 |
| Nebraska | $34,100 |
| Nevada | $40,060 |
| New Hampshire | $37,230 |
| New Jersey | $42,600 |
| New Mexico | $34,710 |
| New York | $41,190 |
| North Carolina | $36,630 |
| North Dakota | $38,580 |
| Ohio | $36,320 |
| Oklahoma | $32,090 |
| Oregon | $39,460 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,080 |
| Rhode Island | $43,120 |
| South Carolina | $35,510 |
| South Dakota | $29,300 |
| Tennessee | $35,000 |
| Texas | $35,550 |
| Utah | $34,400 |
| Vermont | $36,780 |
| Virginia | $39,390 |
| Washington | $43,260 |
| West Virginia | $31,980 |
| Wisconsin | $36,840 |
| Wyoming | $38,130 |
What Tools do Secretaries and Administrative Assistants Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Secretaries and Administrative Assistants:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Hypertext markup language HTML
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- Microsoft Access
- Data entry software
- SAP
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Project
- Spreadsheet software
- Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Microsoft Visio
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
- Microsoft Dynamics
- SAS
- Linux
Becoming a Secretary or Administrative Assistant
What kind of Secretary or Administrative Assistant requirements are there?
How Long Does it Take to Become a Secretary or Administrative Assistant?
Related Careers
Career changers with experience as a Secretary or Administrative Assistant sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
- Concierges
- Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping
- Gaming Surveillance Officers and Gaming Investigators
References:
Image Credit: Jace Armstrong via public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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