Thinking about becoming an administrative assistant? Good choice! Administration is an ongoing, in-demand industry that always has open positions to fill. Not only that, but it can also be a gateway to other positions. It is also a relatively easy place to start if you’re looking to get promoted. For most assistant jobs, though, it takes a special kind of person to succeed. This person needs to have several qualities that will help them on the job, qualities that every administrative assistant should have.

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Attention to Detail

One of the most important qualities every administrative assistant should have is their attention to detail. Their primary duties all involve keeping track of information. This can come in the form of company data, filing, customer appointments, and meetings. In order for a company to run smoothly, all of this information should be as accurate as possible.

When something isn’t quite right, it’s the administrative assistant’s job to notice it. Being as detailed as possible means succeeding in this role.

Organization

Organization follows attention to detail closely. Due to the amount of information they deal with, administrative assistants must have their work and tasks highly organized. Information that is clearly labeled and presented is easier to find and reference. A disorganized pile of information does no one any good.

Disorganized administrative assistants may cause problems for the team. If they’re searching for something in a general pile of files and folders, they will use more time searching than doing something else more useful. Keeping everything in a nicely and clearly organized system means they can complete their job more efficiently.

Interpersonal Skills

Administrative assistants generally work directly with managers and other employees in a company. For an office to work like a well-oiled machine, assistants need to be able to interact with others in useful ways. As such, interpersonal skills are an absolute must.

Administrative assistants should cultivate several interpersonal skills for the job. These include:

• Verbal & written communication
• Problem-solving
• Teamwork & cooperation
• Dependability
• Responsibility

All of these interpersonal skills, and more, work together to make the best administrative assistant possible.

Are you interested in an administrative assistant job, but you don’t know where to start? Contact us today to learn how we can help!