Depending on which calendar you have, April 22 is either designated as Earth Day or Administrative Professionals Day. Since the latter is a profession and I’m a careers columnist, I’m going to write about that one.
Formerly called Secretary’s Day, this was traditionally when secretaries (mostly women) could anticipate chocolates or flowers in lieu of the pay raise that would have truly signaled a boss’s appreciation. Even so, I can remember friends who counted themselves lucky to get the daisies instead of a strained lunch with a boss they could only barely converse with.
Times have changed. Since at least the 1990s, the title “secretary” has largely been replaced by the term “administrative assistant,” with the exception of executive, medical or legal secretaries. In smaller firms, an office manager may cover the administrative functions, and in very large companies and government, it’s still possible to find people with the title of clerk. For the most part, all of these variations are accounted for under the broader category of “administrative professional.”
For quite a while, I thought the field was shrinking to the point of extinction. It seemed like every year I saw the demise of more admins (the generic title that seems to have superseded all the others). Their numbers were being reduced while middle managers were being outfitted with computers and cell phones, and told: Write your own letters, make your own calls.
Then something interesting happened. Computers, as we’ve all discovered, didn’t exactly eliminate paperwork. Nor did cell phones and voicemail reduce call volume. Some companies never reinstated their clerical staff, but others came to their senses in time to save the profession from oblivion.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 4 million people worked as secretaries and administrative assistants in 2012, at a median salary of nearly $35,000 and a range of $22,000 to nearly $58,000. The occupation is expected to grow 12 percent by 2022, or as fast as average for all occupations. (For more information, go to www.bls.gov and enter “administrative assistants” in the search box.)
What interests me about this field is the potential for landing a job and moving forward with only the most minimal of education. This is a field where specific skill sets – using computers, answering phones, arranging meetings, etc. – matter more than degrees or certificates.
Which is not to say that education is not a good path to follow. Indeed, the surest way to gain the skills just noted might be a certificate or degree program designed for administrative professionals. But if you can demonstrate those skills without the training, you’ll still have a decent shot at getting the job.
And, while training will play an important part in advancing to other roles in the company – say, sales or accounting for example – the opportunity for increased responsibilities as an administrative professional are likely to be based on the quality of your work. It’s not a “sky’s the limit” kind of thing, but it’s a very decent pathway into the world of work for a person with the right qualities.
Which brings us neatly to the question: What makes a good administrative professional? If you understand that the role most commonly means providing support to others doing a higher-level position, then you’ll be able to fill in many of the blanks in a typical job description.
For tasks, an admin will frequently be entering or retrieving computer data, receiving or making phone calls, composing correspondence, organizing meetings or travel, and handling some level of bookkeeping or financial accounts. Hence, the ability to use computers and particularly word processing, databases and spreadsheets, will be essential. Writing and speaking well are also quite important, as is the ability to work with numbers.
An admin’s personality may be even more important than specific work abilities. Qualities such as integrity, confidentiality, reliability and adaptability are highly prized, while the job can scarcely be done at all without a strong bent toward organization.
Additional knowledge, such as project management or graphic design, or an understanding of a specific industry such as insurance or transportation, can give one candidate the edge over others for a particular opening.
If you’d like to learn more about this career path, consider starting with your local community college to see if they offer certificates or training to give you a leg up on the competition. Or, check out one of these professional organizations to see what career assistance they offer to new entrants in the field: International Association of Administrative Professionals (www.IAAP-hq.org), American Society of Administrative Professionals (www.asaporg.com), Association of Executive and Administrative Professionals (www.theaeap.com).
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