What Will I Be Doing?
The role of administrator involves a great deal of multitasking. You will work with teams, oversee the operations within your company, manage groups, coordinate with management and engage in planning according to the needs of your company. If there are office resource or administrative issues, you will be the person expected to deal with them.
Here is a quick list of typical administrator duties:
- Management of office equipment
- Maintaining a clean and enjoyable working environment
- Handling external or internal communication or management systems
- Managing clerical or other administrative staff
- Organizing, arranging and coordinating meetings
- Sorting and distributing incoming and outgoing post
Much of the work involves oral and written communication, word processing and dealing with email and telephone enquiries. Many people fail to acknowledge the importance of a good administrator within an organisation as this individual has a demanding job that is integral to the success of the business.
What Else Do I Need To Know?
Your work will take place in an office and you can expect to work 35+ hours a week. However, there are a number of organisations looking for part-time administrators too and one of the real perks of the job is the ability to maintain a healthy work/life balance.
If you work in a large company, you will probably have a clearly defined role. In smaller companies, you may be expected to act as a jack of all trades. This means being in charge of human resources, training functions and even accounting. This would extend to tasks such as hiring, training & assessing employees, procuring office supplies and developing financial reports & budgets.
What Are The Different Types of Jobs in Administration?
The sheer number of categories and levels in the administrative field may surprise you.
Here are some of the job titles that fall under the administrator job description:
- Receptionist: You are the first face clients and employees are likely to see each day so a friendly manner is essential. Your job includes reporting, data entry and keeping track of visitors as well as answering phone calls.
- Admin Assistant: This is probably the role you think about when someone tells you they are an administrator. It is deemed to be one of the less glamorous roles within a company but admin assistants are indispensible as they help the company run smoothly. It is a mid-level role that involves setting up meetings, making travel arrangements, sales support, accounting and much more
- Office Manager: If you are promoted to office manager, you will be in charge of bookkeeping, logistics, maintenance and facility handling.
- Executive/Personal Assistant: This is usually a role in larger organisations and involves supporting the company’s top executives. In smaller companies you may be the CEO or President’s assistant and will be trusted with confidential information. To get this far you often need up to 10 years’ experience in a major company
- Office Assistant: This is an entry level position that requires good quality typing skills and data entry but not on an advanced level. If you choose this role, you may also play a supporting role to the admin assistant or receptionist
- Record Officer: This is a specialised position that assists in identifying, maintaining and arranging the records of the company for risk management and legal purposes. This role requires a high degree of organisation as these records need to be stored and easily retrieved.
