Administrative Assistant Job Overview

Secretary and administrative assistant jobs require consummate office-productivity skills, a knack for organization, a way with people and flexibility under pressure.

Administrative assistant work typically includes a variety of clerical and organizational tasks, including answering phones; scheduling appointments and meetings; booking travel; photocopying and filing; expense accounting; and creating and editing documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

Executive administrative assistant employment is based on the same kinds of skills performed by staff-level admins, but for a smaller group of very demanding employees, mainly high-level executives.

Administrative Assistant Education

For office administration jobs, experience is typically more important than formal education or training. But most employers require a high school diploma, and many prefer a college degree. Executive administrative assistant job openings may be more likely to require or prefer candidates with a bachelor's degree.

Administrative assistants almost universally must demonstrate proficiency with office-productivity software, typically Microsoft Office.

Administrative Assistant Salaries

The median admin salary was $31,870 in 2011, according to the BLS. Median salaries for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants were $45,580.