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This question is about what an administrator does.
An administrative professional is someone who performs a range of clerical and administrative duties in an office. Their responsibilities are to answer phone calls, schedule meetings and appointments, as well as coordinate travel arrangements, sort the mail, manage the office calendar, and assist with any additional support duties.
Some administrative professionals may work for a specific person in the office, but they may be responsible for the administrative needs of the entire office. More senior administrative professionals often train and supervise new or junior administrative assistants.
Skills that one needs to be a successful administrative professional are communication and organizational skills. They will also need strong written and oral communication skills for drafting memos, speaking to customers or members of other departments, greeting clients when they come to the office, and helping to resolve conflicts.
Organizational skills are important because they must maintain the general routine in the office and ensure that other workers keep an appropriate schedule. Excellent financial skills are also critical when tracking business expenses or managing inventory.
A college degree is not often necessary. The position's main duties typically entail clerical work, much of which can be learned on the job. As such, most Administrative Professionals have qualifications in Microsoft Office products, especially Microsoft Excel.
To develop these basic proficiencies, you may consider a community college program that specializes in administrative responsibilities, or even a certification course in some of the more relevant word processing and spreadsheet software. For executive-level Administrative Professional roles, a college degree is often required.
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