How to get an Administrative Assistant Job

Do you need a change of pace? Tired of the old job where there is no room to grow? Or maybe you need to make more money for a growing family. Whatever your reason is, an administrative assistant position is a rewarding career to look into.

So, how do you go about getting an administrative assistant job?

Office Administration is the glue that holds a business together. You will need to know the proper procedures for taking care of files, client records, creating spreadsheets, data entry, phone and email etiquette, and many other daily tasks. Taking a community course at a nearby college to train in this practices would be the best course of action for you to learn the skills needed for this job.

Know You Software

You will be needing to be working with many office programs like Excel, Powerpoint, Word and more. If you have access to these on your own personal home computer, running through the tutorials and practicing until you know how to work them, will allow your prospective employer to have confidence in your knowledge. If you need to take courses for these, often they are given for free by your local library, community center, or government associations.

Create a killer resume

You can find free administrative assistant resume writing courses online if you are not sure of the format for an up to date resume. Highlight your skills, and detail your accomplishments. When writing down your previous job duties, make them sound interesting and not just boring facts. For example If your previous job was a bartender. Instead of just jotting down that you made drinks, served the customer and took his money, you could say something like "created delicious concoctions of alcoholic beverages, provides quality customer service to the clients ensuring satisfaction, and completed accounting transactions". In this way the prospective employer can see that you have taken the ordinary boring job description and made it sound more attractive while still highlighting your skills.

Why Should I Hire You?

This is the all time big question that employers love to use. Practicing what you will say beforehand, knowing what skills you will emphasize upon to sell yourself in the interview will allow you to remain calm and focused before going in. If you have dressed sharply, and look like a professional that can be trusted, the employer just wants to hear how you will do it. You know you can do it, or you wouldn't be applying for the position. So, take a deep breath, and wow the employer!

Learning skills such as organization and planning, help in both daily life and in the workplace. Often times you will need to schedule events, book travel arrangements, setup board meetings, or any number of things. An employer will be looking for a strong planner and organizer he can trust so he will know he will never miss an appointment, meeting, or be caught out in the rain in a strange city.

Strive for success in everything you do, and your attitude will carry over into the workplace. Take pride in your work and always put your best foot forward. If you follow these steps you should be a shoo-in for that next Administrative Assistant job!

- Gail Esparan