According to a survey done in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Labor, around four million jobs in America fall under the label 'administrative assistant.' More than just a fancy renaming of the title office secretary, the administrative assistant has the essential task of managing information and communication that will enable an organization to run smoothly. They're the worker bees that keep the whole hive intact and orderly.
- Familiarize yourself with the tasks commonly handled by an administrative assistant. If you are not already familiar with the common tasks assigned to an administrative assistant, then by all means research on these first before considering working as one. Administrative assistants are mostly assigned to handle tasks such as answering or making phone calls, data entry, database management and schedule setting.
- Make sure that you know enough about computer software applications. Be knowledgeable about the computer software applications used in the office setting. Microsoft Office is a must so make sure that you learn every single function of every application in this software suite. Other applications you may need to study on would be Oracle.
- Do your job hunting on the World Wide Web first. Check out the many websites that post administrative assistant job openings in and around your area. Not only will you get to save money and time, but get to search many employment opportunities in half the time. This method is more efficient as compared to visiting each and every company out there hoping they'd have an opening suited for you.
- Make sure that your resumé and cover letter are impeccable. Have a catchy and neatly written cover letter prepared. Add to that a comprehensive resumé indicating all of your previous work experience and special skills and knowledge on various computer software applications if ever there are any.
- Time to submit your cover letter and resumé. Now that you've scoured the Web for administrative assistant job postings, then it's high time you send your resumé and cover letter in. The first way to go about this would be to pass them online through the company's official website. Your second option would be to mail them in. Lastly, you can choose to submit them yourself. The third option is still the more reliable one as you have higher chances of getting interviewed for the job that very same day. Just make sure that you come in proper office attire when you elect to choose the third option.
The administrative assistant position is a frequent employment entry point into most companies and it’s as good a place as any if you want to learn how the enterprise operates from the bottom.
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