What is an Office Assistant?
Office assistant is a term used to describe the general category of employees that do clerical jobs in an office setting. It is used to refer to employees such as secretaries, clerks, office administrative assistants and executive assistants.
They are usually charged with the responsibility of methodologically running the offices of their bosses (employers).
They are therefore entrusted with a number of tasks that make the process of decision-making and general running of the business smooth. Their work is not universally defined, but there are a few similarities in many working environments.
Where Can Office Assistants Get Employment?
Most organizations and businesses require the services of office assistants. Therefore, the places where the office assistants are likely to be employed are innumerable, but in a general sense, most office administrators or assistants find employment in the following areas:- Government offices – almost all government offices employ office assistants
- Educational institutions
- Pharmaceutical firms
- Financial institutions such as banks
- Hotels and travel agencies
- Hospitals
- Legal and advocacy companies
- Information Technology related businesses
- Call centers
- Non-profit organizations and agencies
- Most industrial businesses and many other places
Duties and Responsibilities of an Office Assistant
Office assistants are given tasks that have to do with the office environment. They may slightly vary from one employer to another due to differences in organizational set up and specialization. The following are the most common and general tasks of office assistants.- Reception duties such as greeting and welcoming the visitors coming to an organization
- Scheduling appointments and meetings for the managerial staff
- Posting outgoing mail correspondence
- Transcribing notes such as those taken during a meeting, or recorded during important events of an organization
- Receiving, sorting and distributing mails that come to an organization to the various offices, staff and departments
- Arranging travel details for the heads of departments, managerial staff and other senior employees in the organization
- Answering telephone calls
- Maintaining records in the organization, whether paper or electronic ones
- Processing checks and creating daily ledgers for deposits
- Performing daily office errands that are important for the running of the office
- Ordering and monitoring office supplies
- Replying mail correspondence as per instructions
- Typing and other data entry tasks
- Retrieving records when required
Academic Qualifications of an Office Assistant
Educational qualifications may vary depending on the type of organization the office assistant is likely to work in. Generally, you will be required to have a few or most of the following qualifications.- A high school diploma is a preference for most companies
- Two years worth of college education may also be required at some levels
- A secretarial degree especially where senior office assistants are required
Any of the following office assistant related courses may be relevant, although they are not a requirement in most office assistant job descriptions.
- Office Procedures Certification
- Bookkeeping certification
- Basic office information technology certification
- Secretarial studies
- Business records management for office assistants
- English composition and customer service certification
Other Aptitudes Required of an Office Assistant
- Good organizational skills for record keeping
- Cheerful presence
- Ability to follow directions with ease
- Ability to establish priorities and manage workload efficiently
- Technology literacy – being able to operate office machines and the computer
- Good communication skills, both written and spoken
- Event planning and scheduling skills
Salary Estimates of Office Assistants
As is the job description and the educational qualifications expected of office assistants, the salaries also vary a great deal.According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for administrative office assistants and secretaries for the year 2010 was around $16.66 per hour. This translates to $34,660 per year.
However, the figures can vary depending on the field you are working in, for instance medical, legal or general business environment. Paralegal or legal office assistants’ median wage for the year 2010 was $46,680 per year.
The wage per hour is likely to be higher than this, or slightly lower than this depending on the wage structure a company has.