Get Tech Savvy

One of the primary things that administrative employees have to do is handle company documents, memos, and records. Doing this efficiently and correctly requires the administrator to be proficient in various office software programs, typically Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint. This is because the administrator is expected to write the documents for company use, keep company records for certain levels of administrative jurisdiction, and make presentations for staff meetings. Proficiency is required today of even basic employee levels, and even more so for the potential administrator. E-mails are another thing that administrators need to understand: how to write them, send them, and how to manage e-mail communication with subordinates and colleagues alike. Administrators should practice constructing official letters for the company to use in certain circumstances, like organising an employee to the office, or writing a memo about a holiday in the company. Record keeping should be as immaculate and accurate as possible, so as to avoid problems caused by false records. Presentations for the staff should be as engaging as possible, but should also keep the necessary information on screen for visual aid and objective setting for your staff. Technological proficiency is an absolute must for anyone who wishes to follow an administrative path, or office communication today would be impossible to follow.

Keep It Clean

It shouldn’t need to be said that if a basic employee is held to a high standard, then the administrators are held to even higher ones. Organisation and cleanliness in all work-related aspects are a must for the budding administrator, and can be observed a number of ways. One of these ways is how the administrator keeps their workplace. Clean storage and placement of all items in an office is a good start to looking organised in the workplace. File organisation and record keeping is also a necessary skill for the employee looking for an administrative position. Colour coding, file length, file name, and other systems can help a potential administrator sort out the various files and items they work with. It won’t do for an administrator to not know where to locate a certain file; it makes the administrator seem uncaring, since it appears that he or she doesn’t care enough to sort out the files for easy access.

Keep an Eye on the Clock

Administrators are organisational masters, and so, they are also skilled at time management. Skill in time management typically comes with the skill of good prioritisation. The one with administrative ambitions should ask, “What should we do today to get the most efficient productivity?” Administrators set deadlines, but if you’re the administrator, remember that you are dealing with human beings, not robots and as such, mistakes can be made such as not being able to meet certain deadlines or making a mistake on a project. Be understanding of their failures, but make sure that they understand how their failure affects the company and how they can learn and grow from this. This, too, is an administrative responsibility: handling misbehaving employees. They’re using company time to misbehave or fail to deliver on the product that they were legally required to make, so the company’s executives must act accordingly. Others who see you always manage to meet the deadline, and care about their job roll and position will want to improve, will see a leader who leads by action, not just word, commands, or memos. Remember always that one of the primary keys to being a good administrator is doing the right thing on time.