Developing Administrative Skills (Part 2 of 2)

Developing Administrative Skills (Part 2 of 2)

Today’s blog is one in a series on education, best practices and industry hot topics related to careers in Administration, including but not limited to those working as Executive Assistants, Admin Assistants and Office Managers.  Today’s Admins handle duties that have no limits in scope and as the greater Philadelphia’s most trusted Corporate Transportation partner, Kevin Smith Transportation Group is invested in supporting those who work to make sure their companies run smoothly every day. 

If you want to hire your own Personal Assistant to book ground transportation, call 610-222-6225 and speak to one of Kevin Smith Transportation Group’s Corporate Concierges who can assist you with everything from Airport Transportation, Executive Black Car Service and Employee Shuttle Services.

Last week, we published part 1 of today’s blog on Developing Administrative Skills.  If you missed it, click here (put a link on here) to read it first.  When done, read today’s blog where we cover the final skills necessary to become a Rockstar admin.

Staying Calm Under Stress

Why it matters.  Offices can be extremely stressful places. Hazards can include irritable clients, pushy sales people, bad coworkers, angry bosses, and upcoming deadlines. Being able to stay calm when things get stressful will make you a much better administrative assistant.

How to develop it.  Meditating daily will help make you a calmer person in general. Taking up meditation will also train you to push stress out and focus on your breathing, which is one of the best ways to calm yourself down from being really stressed.

Another way to stay calm is to remember that you can only do so much at once. You’re human and as long as you’re working hard, your boss will see that and appreciate that you cannot do the work of seven people.

Finally, you should take a few minutes out of each hour to stand up, stretch, get some water, and breathe. No matter how busy you are, walking away from the monitor a few times a day will likely have a calming effect on you and make you a more efficient administrative assistant.

How to describe it on your resume.  Use words like works well under pressure, levelheaded and tenacious.

Phone Skills

Why it matters.  One of an administrative assistant’s main responsibilities is answering the company phone. Being comfortable talking on the phone and taking detailed messages is something that companies look for in a strong administrative assistant.

How to develop it.  Make yourself a few sheets of paper with templates describing all the information your boss wants on a message so all you have to do is fill in the blanks when someone calls. That template can look something like this:

• Name
• Phone number
• Email address
• Who they were calling for
• Message
• Are they asking to set up an appointment?
• Are they asking for a return call?

Another great and easy tip to improve your phone skills is to smile before you pick up. Even if you aren’t in a good mood, smiling before a phone call will make you sound friendlier to whoever is calling.

Finally, it doesn’t hurt to create a list of people that your boss wants sent through and another list that your boss doesn’t ever want to talk to. If you can use your phone skills to screen out people your boss doesn’t want to take up their time, then that’s only going to make you look better in their eyes.

How to describe it on your resume.  Words to use include communication skills, phone skills, interpersonal skills and inquiry resolution.

If you want to hire your own Personal Assistant to book ground transportation, call 610-222-6225 and speak to one of Kevin Smith Transportation Group’s Corporate Concierges who can assist you with everything from Airport Transportation, Executive Black Car Service and Employee Shuttle Services.

Computer Skills

Why it matters.  Administrative assistants can be responsible for all kinds of things including, but not limited to managing schedules, planning travel itineraries, managing a company’s social media presence, basic invoicing and bookkeeping, updating a company blog, and more.

Being computer literate will give you a competitive edge as the administrative assistant rock star your boss is looking for.

How to develop it.  Here are some links to basic tutorials on different skills you might need as an administrative assistant.

1. WordPress
2. Excel
3. Microsoft Word
4. Facebook
5. HTML
6. Power Point
7. QuickBooks
8. Google applications
9. General office management tools and apps

How to describe it on your resume.  Use words like proficient in QuickBooks, social media skills, accounting software skills, knowledge of Google suite, HTML skills, etc.

Typing Skills

Why it matters.  Administrative assistants tend to have a lot of responsibilities to accomplish in a short amount of time. The faster and more accurately that you can type, the more projects you can get done and the better administrative assistant you will be.

How to develop it.  There are numerous online tools to work on typing speed and accuracy.  Identify your favorite and follow their training tools.  You will see an immediate improvement in speed and accuracy. 

How to describe it on your resume.  Use phrases like typing speed 85 WPM, skilled typist, etc.

Attention to Detail

Why it matters.  What sets a good administrative assistant apart from a great one is their attention to detail. Someone who doesn’t need to be told twice not to schedule meetings during their boss’s lunch time, who knows which sales people can be let through and which ones should be blown off, and who can produce flawless invoices and file systems are worth their weight in gold.

How to develop it.  Get used to making lists. The more detailed and comprehensive checklists you have to reference the less likely you will be to forget a crucial instruction for any given task. Additionally, be sure to read those instructions twice before acting on them in case you missed something the first time.

A key part of developing your attention to detail is limiting distractions at work. This includes things like social media, internet comedy sites, texting, and others. It’s almost impossible for a lot of people to never check their phones during the day so I would recommend limiting phone use to your five or ten minute stretch break every hour.

How to describe it on your resume.  Use phrases like follows precise procedures, proofreading skills, managing inventory checklists, time management skills and active listening skills.

If you’re emphasizing attention to detail on your resume, go over it several times to be absolutely sure there are no grammatical errors.

If you want to hire your own Personal Assistant to book ground transportation, call 610-222-6225 and speak to one of Kevin Smith Transportation Group’s Corporate Concierges who can assist you with everything from Airport Transportation, Executive Black Car Service and Employee Shuttle Services.

Thank you for reading today’s blog on the Administrative Professional industry.  Please visit us every week as we continue to publish tips, industry news and strategies that directly impact every Administrative Professional.