A Comprehensive Guide to Become an Office Administrator
Every office aspires to be as efficient as possible. To reduce inefficiencies and create a harmonious workflow. Office Administrators are the people who enable that, they work towards achieving maximum efficiency. After reading this article you will know the What, Why, How, the role and responsibilities and career opportunities of an office administrator. This is a comprehensive guide to become an office administrator. I welcome you to this article and hope you enjoy reading it. Let’s get started.
What is an Office Administrator? What is an office administrator? Great question! Here’s a simple answer. Machines require oil to run efficiently and smoothly, office administrators are like that, they are the oil that helps an office run smoothly. Yes, the machine will run without the oil, but it won’t run smoothly and may end up broken, similarly, an office can function without an office administrator but it won’t run efficiently and may end up costing the company a lot of money.
Why Work as an Office Administrator Why is a great question, I really like this question. So Why work as an office administrator? What’s in it for you?
The thing is if you want to become a key individual in an organisation if you want to become essential personnel in an office and want to gain experience in the corporate world then becoming an office administrator is one of the best career paths for you. As an office administrator, you will get experience in many sectors, from office maintenance to talking to clients, from payroll management to hiring of personnel. The position of an office administrator is a gold mine for gathering experience.
Office Administrator Roles and Responsibilities Include: What does an Office Administrator do? The answer to this question is quite long as the roles and responsibilities of an office administrator range from mundane tasks like replying to emails to crucial tasks such as preparing reports that will help upper management make important decisions and conducting their administrative duties properly. Here is a list1. Greeting clients and replying to their email and answering phones 2. Ordering and maintaining office supplies and services, including IT resources, facilities, and standard supplies 3. Maintaining and operating office equipment such as copy machines, fax machines and computers 4. Conducting research and compiling reports for supervisors and other employees 5. Scheduling meetings and events, and organizing any necessary materials for them 6. Assisting human resources with hiring and onboarding new employees 7. Oversees office financial administration, from handling expenses to implementing processes 8. Developing initiatives related to company culture and employee wellness 9. Handling travel calendars, itineraries, and bookings 10. Collaborating across departments to help plan events and initiatives 11. Assisting with staff schedules and executive calendars 12. Keeping shared office spaces organized 13. Handling incoming and outgoing packages and mail 14. Handling office communications
This was a brief list of some of the duties that come with the position of Office Administrator.
Being an office administrator also means you will have to deal with last-minute requests and tasks.
How to be a good office administrator As with any job, if you want to be good at it then you will need to have a set of skills that will give you a boost and set you in the right path towards success. Office Administrators need to have a knack for organizing and processing information, turning out smart, informed decisions and getting things done.
To be a good office administrator, to be efficient and to be able to get the job done there are a few things that you need to know. Here’s a list
Organization Skill: Office administrators usually perform tasks for more than one staff member or department within a company. You need to have good organizational skills and should be very organised in your work process. Organizational skills are vital for duties such as maintaining the company’s calendar of events and managing deadlines for different departments simultaneously.
Listening & Communication skills: You have to be good at active listening and communicating because a key part of being an office administrator means you will have to collaborate with staff and address department-specific needs for tasks and projects. You should be capable of communicating clearly and effectively
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Computer skills: Nowadays knowledge of computer applications and software is essential for any job. For office administrators, this is more so, as much of your time as an office administrator will be spent working on a computer. Typical duties include entering data, creating reports, answering emails and conducting research online.
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Research and analysis skills: You should have good research and analysis skills. As an Office administrator, you may be asked to research new software your company is considering using or to analyze data for staff, you may be asked to demonstrate company growth by comparing current year statistics with data from previous years. To do these tasks you will need good research and analysis skill.
An eye for detail: As an office administrator your tasks will require you to have good attention to detail, such as booking travel arrangements, entering data, proofreading documents and making sure company events go on without a hitch.
Flexibility: You will need to be flexible as the position of office administrator comes with a lot of responsibilities. You may be asked to put your current task on hold to complete a more urgent task.
Self Sufficient: You will need to be very confident and level minded. As an office administrator, you should have the confidence to make decisions without supervision and take the necessary changes that will increase efficiency in an office.
Creative thinking: You should have a creative mind and come up with solutions to problems in a creative way. In essence, you should have a can-do attitude.
Office Administrator Career Opportunity What are the career opportunities of an office administrator? You obviously want to know what kind of opportunities will be available to you as an office administrator. So here’s a simple answerThe clue is in the name “Office Administrator” as an office administrator you will get to know the ins and outs of an office, build great interpersonal relationships, gain experience in various departments of an organisation, become a master of organising and maintaining, get skilled at time management. And most importantly by working as an office administrator you will gain such a deep understanding of the business world and gain experiences that will pay you dividend throughout your career. If you have a particular career goal in mind then I would recommend you to pursue projects and responsibilities aligned with those goals to build stellar resumes that will help to boost your career.
Office Administrator Job Description The job description of an office administrator varies from office to office, but as a general guideline, here is a list of duties that are typically performed by an office administrator-
Greeting visitors and guiding them to the relevant office/personnel. Doing clerical tasks such as replying to emails, answering phone calls, preparing reports, documents and presentations. Coordinating and managing appointments, meetings, maintaining conference room schedule in order to prevent duplicate bookings. Doing bookkeeping tasks like monitoring accounts receivable, budget tracking, invoicing and managing payroll. Maintaining general office files, including job files, vendor files, and other files related to the company’s operations.
Purchasing office supplies, equipment, and furniture. Overseeing the maintenance of office facilities, and equipment and taking action to fix issues if need be. Performing other relevant duties when needed and help other departments to reach their goals and meet deadlines
Office Administrator Salary The average salary of an Office Administrator in the United Kingdom is £18,320. The average hourly rate of an office administrator is £8.70 These averages do not include other benefits such as equity, retirement benefits or healthcare.
After reading all this, you should have a pretty clear idea about Office Administrator and all the various aspects of the job. But reading about something is not the same as doing it. Nothing beats real experience. But here’s the catch, to get the experience you need to get the job. And to get the job you need to give an interview.
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There are many administration courses online that will teach you about various all the nitty-gritty of the position of office administrator . For example, there are many courses available that will help you familiarise yourself about the duties of an office administrator. You will also receive a certificate after finishing these courses which you can show off in your CV.
At the end of the day, the position of an office administrator is very exciting. If you are thinking about becoming an office administrator then I would encourage you to go-ahead. I believe you will enjoy your job and gain skills while doing it. Hope this article was helpful. Keep learning new things with iStudy.