What to Expect for Entry Level Administrative Assistant Jobs
February 16, 2022 | Career Blog
Administrative assistants play a vital in the life of any business by helping executives and managers stay organized, prepare for meetings, and prioritize tasks.
The best part is that administrative assistants are needed in virtually every industry, so you can always translate your experience from one company to another throughout your career. That’s why there is so much interest in entry-level administrative assistant jobs!
Whether you’re a recent high school or college graduate, starting over in your career, or entering the workforce late in life, we want to make sure that you are prepared to get started on this career path.
5 Things to Know About Entry Level Admin Assistant Jobs
To be successful as an administrative assistant, it’s important to understand everything involved, from the basics of what you will be doing all the way to where this career path could take you. Let’s examine.
1. The Basics of an Admin Assistant
Not every job is the same, but an entry-level administrative assistant has some fundamental aspects. Whether you are assigned to support one executive, manager, or an entire team, you will be asked to perform some basic tasks:
- Organize calendars
- Schedule meetings
- Check emails
- Relay messages
- Set up meeting agendas
- Take notes during meetings
- Send meeting notes to each party
- Follow up on meeting action items
- Utilize project management tools
- File paperwork
- Order supplies for the office
- Contact third parties
- Communicate with other executives and teams
- Perform other duties as assigned
2. The Skills Required to Be Successful
Successful administrative assistants need to possess certain skills to help them perform their duties. The most important skills include the following:
- Multi-tasking skills
- Strong organizational skills
- Clear communication skills
- Project management skills
- Computer proficiency
- Ability to think on your feet
- Able to quickly process information
- Understanding of how to route information to the right people
One of the advantages of taking this career path is that you can quickly develop key skills that will help you throughout your career. Perhaps you’re very organized, but you haven’t developed the ability to manage projects from beginning to end. This role is a great way to support the execution of a project to help you develop valuable new skills.
3. The Median Salary
In the U.S., the median salary for an entry-level administrative assistant is about $15 per hour, which translates to an annual salary of about $30,000 per year.
Numerous factors affect pay. Some of these factors include:
- The industry
- Size of the company
- Location of the job
- Your qualifications
- Whether the job is full-time or part-time
Another variable is that some companies will pay you an hourly wage, while others will offer you an annual salary (possibly with benefits). You will know upfront when you apply for the job, but you should expect to see a lot of differences from job to job that you pursue.
4. The Expectations from Your Superiors
Your ability to meet expectations will be critical to your short-term success in an admin assistant role. Then, your ability to exceed expectations will help you advance on the career path.
First, it’s important to start with understanding what will be expected of you in the role.
- Work similar hours as the executive/manager/team you are assigned.
- Work ahead of time to prepare everyone for success.
- Help alleviate stress by keeping everyone organized.
- Take very thorough notes and clearly relay the notes to the right people.
- Anticipate challenges and come up with solutions.
- Be a good representative of your executive/manager/team.
- Serve as a valuable liaison to the rest of the company.
- Plus, meet other expectations set by your employer.
5. The Future Career Path
An entry-level administrative assistant job will help you understand what you are good at, what you enjoy, where you want to grow, and where you want to go in your career. Some typical career paths for admin assistants include:
- Executive Assistant
- Project Manager
- Clerical Supervisor
- Office Manager
- Office Administrator
- HR Manager
- General Manager
- Executive
You could also combine your experience as an administrative assistant with your higher education pursuits to find a specific role in your chosen field. Starting out as an admin assistant offers a lot of options!
Find an Entry-Level Admin Assistant Job Today!
At Allegiance Staffing, we help professionals like you find new work opportunities in clerical roles such as administrative assistants.
You can view our latest job openings right now on our Jobs Board. As one of the leading staffing agencies in the U.S., we are constantly posting new jobs to our database of available jobs. If you don’t find a job in your area, then you can always apply to be considered for future positions.
You can also contact us directly to ask about the availability of entry-level administrative assistant jobs near you. Our staff is knowledgeable, helpful, and ready to support you on your career path. Let us help you find a new job today!