A good administrative professionals’ job description should clearly and concisely state what the job entails, including the position’s purpose, responsibilities, duties, and qualifications. It shouldn’t be overly detailed or unduly simplistic, but the job description should be customized to the needs of the person or team who the assistant is supporting. An administrative professionals’ workload can vary significantly by company, but there are some general tips for putting together the job description.
Here are four areas you’ll want to include when writing a job description for an administrative professional:
1) Purpose of Position. Outline the basic role or function of the administrative position. You’ll want to include who the administrative professional is working for. Will the administrative professional be supporting a Manager, Director, or President of the Company? It’s essential to put into writing whether the administrative professional is employed to support one executive or a collection of positions to avoid confusion later on.
Include a general overview of the duties and responsibilities of the position, but don’t get too detailed — you’ll be providing the specifics in the “Duties and Responsibilities” section of the job description.
Take a look at this sample administrative professional position purpose: “To perform general administrative duties and provide support to the Executive Director as requested.
3) Minimum Qualifications. In the minimum qualifications section you’ll need to include the number of years experience working in an office environment or reporting to a particular management or executive level. Further, if the position requires educational credentials, such as secretarial training or an associates degree, you’ll also provide this information here.
- Warning! Be sure to exclude any statements that could be viewed as against the Equal Opportunity Employment (EEO) laws, such as those making references to race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, physical limitation, or mental disability.
4) Skills. Administrative professionals are often required to have extensive software skills, especially in today’s digital age. Make sure you list all required software skills, such as Power Point, Adobe, Photoshop, Word, Excel, Quicken, or any other software product unique to the business. Other skills typically required of Administrative Professionals include good communication skills, writing skills, dictation, transcription, records management, basic bookkeeping, basic website updating, and customer/client service.
After reading through the job description, administrative professional applicants should have a good understanding whether they have adequate knowledge, skills, and experience to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the position effectively.
