If you think the main responsibilities of an administrative professional are to answer the phone and make sure the coffee pot is always filled, you better keep reading. The role of today’s administrative professional is vastly different than it used to be.
Our team here at A.R. Mazzotta is often called upon to recruit talented administrative and office professionals for organizations across CT, both small and large. But, if you’re not quite ready to work with a staffing agency to fill your administrative positions, here are some great tips to help you attract and retain the best talent.
Know Which Skills are Most Vital
Administrative personnel wear many, many hats throughout their busy work day. So it’s critical that you hire an individual who is highly skilled in many different areas. These skills are often considered the most vital for an administrative/office professional:
- Communication
Administrative professionals are first and foremost communicators. They interact with many different people throughout the day – externally and internally. So excellent communication skills are a must. Tasks that require stellar communication include answering inbound phone calls from customers, making outbound calls to clients, greeting employees, visitors and clients, writing letters, sending emails, creating presentations and managing customer service inquiries. - Organization
An administrative professional with solid organizational skills will also be a better multi-tasker and time manager. When you think about all work duties that an admin professional is often in charge of, you’ll see why organization is so important. Common tasks might include billing, bookkeeping, filing, mail sorting & delivery, inventory management and general office management. - Technology
The admin professional often needs to be the ‘lifesaver’ when it comes to making sure all the technology around the office is working properly. This is often critical with smaller organizations that might not have an IT department to help with technology issues. Some tech skills which are highly regarded for admin professionals include Microsoft Office knowledge, document management (like Dropbox or Google Drive), desktop publishing, database management, finance systems, employee time entry, transcription and video/web/phone conferencing. - Planning
An administrator needs to be the almighty Master of Planning – and then remain calm, cool and collected when plans change (which they often do in a busy work environment!) Planning that’s often carried out by an admin professional includes scheduling appointments for internal team meetings, scheduling meetings with customers or vendors or coordinating company-wide events. - Problem-Solving
When problems pop up at work, the admin is often the first person employees turn to for help. Having an administrator with great problem-solving skills will save a lot of time and headaches for the organization.
Offer Professional Development Opportunities
The role of the administrative professional will continue to evolve. To retain top-notch talent, offer growth opportunities. Provide time for admin professionals to take online courses and educational webinars. Let them job shadow employees in the organization. Help pay for continuing education classes outside of work. And find industry trade shows and conferences that can add value to their work experience.
Partner with a CT Staffing Agency
A.R. Mazzotta understands how invaluable the right administrative support can be to your organization. Our team has the resources and experience to verify candidate abilities and help you hire the best possible administrative talent in CT. Contact us today to learn more about our direct hire, contract and temporary staffing services that can help you find the super-star administrator you’ve been looking for.
Source:
The Balance Careers: Administrative Skills List & Examples