Administrative Assistant Job Description
Administrative assistants and secretaries provide important clerical assistance to offices. Higher-level administrative assistant job duties may include more advanced work. Educational requirements vary, but some college is usually preferred.
Administrative Assistant Job Description
Administrative assistants, also referred to as secretaries, offer support for office personnel. Their responsibilities can vary greatly, depending on the size of the office and how many other assistants there are. Administrative assistants may schedule meetings or appointments, arrange travel accommodations and organize files. They need to be well-versed with office equipment, such as fax machines, scanners, videoconferencing systems and photocopiers.
Career Options
Executive assistants provide support for executives and managers. These assistants share some clerical duties, such as handling correspondence between high-ranking personnel, but may also conduct research and prepare reports. Executive assistants may train and supervise other clerical staff members.
Medical and legal secretaries need technical knowledge about their field. Medical secretaries may need to understand insurance claims, billing and medical procedures. Legal secretaries may need an understanding of the legislation relevant to the types of law their firms practice. Other administrative assistants who perform specialized duties may work in engineering or with schools.
Virtual assistants are freelance administrative assistants who work from home. They handle jobs similar to traditional assistants, except they work and communicate mostly online. Depending on their training, these individuals may perform the job duties of general, medical or legal administrative assistants.
Career Outlook
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), overall employment for secretaries and administrative assistants was expected to increase 11% from 2008-2018 (www.bls.gov). The outlook varied greatly depending on the industry in which an individual worked. The BLS indicated that growth for general secretaries was only expected to grow five percent, while the projections for executive, legal and medical secretaries were higher.
Salary Information
In May 2010, the BLS indicated that the median annual wage for a general secretary was $30,830, while legal and executive secretaries earned more than $40,000. Wages may depend on the years of experience or the size of the company that employs the assistant. Administrative assistants and secretaries may receive bonuses. Virtual assistants are often paid an hourly salary.
Educational Requirements
A high school diploma is the minimum requirement for most entry-level administrative assistant jobs. Relevant programs are offered at the associate's degree or certificate levels, which offer coursework in keyboarding, databases management and office administration. Programs specific to medical or legal administrative assistants are available, which include courses on the procedures and terminology specific to those fields. The BLS indicates that employers of executive-level assistants are increasingly seeking individuals with college degrees.
Certifications
Certifications are available for general administrative assistants and specialists. Some certifications, such as the Certified Professional Secretary and the Certified Administrative Professional, have experience or educational requirements. Both legal and virtual assistants have options for certification that may be based on the type of work they do. Passing a certifying exam is often required.
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29 Popular Schools
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
- California (6 campuses)
- Colorado (1)
- Florida (9)
- Michigan (3)
- Missouri (2)
- Ohio (1)
- Oregon (1)
- Texas (2)
- Utah (1)
- Washington (2)
Online and Classroom-Based Programs
- Bachelor
- Associate
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Non-Degree
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- Diploma in Administrative Assistant
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- Diploma in Business Office Administration
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
- Master
- Associate
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Non-Degree
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- Jack Welch Undergraduate Certificate in Becoming a Leader
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be 21 years of age or older and have completed some college or 24 years of age or older and a high school graduate for a Bachelor's degree
- Masters degree applicants must have a Bachelors degree
- Doctorate degree applicants must have a Masters degree
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
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Master
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- Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) - General Program
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- Bachelor
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- All programs require applicants to have graduated high school in 2008 or earlier
- Must be 22 years of age or older
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
- Alabama (1 campus)
- Arkansas (2)
- Arizona (6)
- California (24)
- Colorado (3)
- Columbia (D.C.) (1)
- Florida (6)
- Georgia (5)
- Hawaii (2)
- Iowa (1)
- Idaho (1)
- Illinois (2)
- Indiana (1)
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (2)
- Massachusetts (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (1)
- Missouri (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- North Carolina (1)
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico (2)
- Nevada (2)
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma (2)
- Oregon (1)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Puerto Rico (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- Tennessee (3)
- Texas (9)
- Utah (3)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (1)
- Wisconsin (1)
Online and Classroom-Based Programs
- Bachelor
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Associate
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- AA - Foundations of Business
- AA in Business Foundations
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School locations:
- Online Learning
- Arizona (3 campuses)
- California (16)
- Colorado (3)
- Florida (6)
- Georgia (4)
- Illinois (8)
- Indiana (2)
- Kentucky (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Michigan (1)
- Minnesota (1)
- Missouri (2)
- North Carolina (2)
- New Jersey (3)
- Nevada (1)
- New York (2)
- Ohio (4)
- Oklahoma (1)
- Oregon (1)
- Pennsylvania (5)
- Tennessee (2)
- Texas (7)
- Utah (1)
- Virginia (3)
- Washington (3)
- Wisconsin (2)
Online and Classroom-Based Programs
- Master
- Bachelor
- Associate
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Non-Degree
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- Certificate - Business Administration
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must be a high school graduate or have completed GED
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
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Minimum eligibility requirements:
- Must have either two or more years of college or active military status if you are under 24 years of age
School locations:
- Online Learning
Online Programs
- Bachelor
