Administrative support specialists fill an important role in a variety of businesses and organizations. Day-to-day tasks include standard office clerical functions such as answering phones, appointment scheduling and organizing documentation. Reporting to executives at any level may also entail management responsibilities over lower-level support staff along with greater responsibility for research, client communications and information handling.
Skillset: Administrative support specialists will need advanced computer and organizational skills. The ability to work within a team environment while developing trust is a critical asset. Every field, from the private to the public sector, will have some specialty requirements that include a familiarity with terminology along with exceptional grammatical and verbalization capabilities.
Education: Administrative support specialists with a high school degree can find employment, but many will have some college hours or a full four-year degree. Advanced certifications or vocational courses and two-year programs are available for many specialty fields.
Career Path: Developing proficiency in typing, filing and other basic clerical tasks is an excellent start to becoming an administrative support specialist. Acquiring advanced degrees or certification can also be achieved through night and online courses while receiving on-the-job training at an entry level.
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