If department leads are honest, they’ll be the first to admit their administrator runs the show. Working as an administrator or in a clerical position means you’re keeping track of everything for the rest of the team, making sure all the Is are dotted and the Ts are crossed. You’re not just one step ahead of everything; you’re at least four or five moves ahead and anticipating what needs or requests might come next. It’s an exciting job—and one that companies value. 

If you’re looking to make a career change and want to get into administrative or clerical work this year, here are the skills most in demand—and how to get them.

Skills to Cultivate in Administrative Work

Organization and time management

There are eight working hours in a day, and for administrators and clerical employees, you’ll be using up every last moment. Being able to manage your time well and keep organized will help you stay on top of everything without anything falling through the cracks.

Being able to effectively use your time means you’ll never have to apologize for something being late (if you have anything to say about it) and it means your team will always be prepared for what comes next. You have to be comfortable setting and keeping a schedule, sticking with it, and good at avoiding distractions and time killers (like notification alarms on your phone).

Depending on your position, you might also need to keep track of other people’s schedules as well, making appointments for them and scheduling meetings—possibly for more than one person at a time. It can be like living in a game of Tetris! 

Communication skills

Are you a good listener? Are you an effective communicator, one who knows how to get the point across clearly and quickly without getting distracted or going off on a tangent?

Working with a number of people, you’ll need to be able to reliably share information quickly with the right members of your team, giving them instructions and details about their projects without leaving anyone out or providing too much minutiae to cloud the message. 

Interpersonal skills

Admins and people in clerical positions will have to interact with all kinds of people all day. Can you keep a professional demeanor if someone’s getting on your nerves? Are you able to maintain a calm, cool and collected appearance if you’re having a rough day or if you’re stressed out? The ability to be cordial and welcoming to all is a top skill for people in administrative and clerical jobs; you’ll need to be graceful under fire at all times while letting everyone know you’ve got things under control. 

Problem-Solving Skills

The ability to navigate a challenging or confusing moment will come in handy in these jobs! You’ll need to be able to tap into those communication skills on a regular basis. Listen to what’s going on, determine the cause of the issue, and come up with solutions—as quickly and deftly as possible.

Being a creative thinker who can take all the details and find new solutions with the existing tools and the parts and pieces you’re given to bring a project to completion as smoothly as possible is a big plus. 

Basic Computer Skills

While most people are living on their phones both in their personal and professional lives, it’s important for people in administrative and clerical jobs to be comfortable with some basic computer skills on a laptop or desktop computer in order to have access to all the tools they’ll need to do their job. Your ability to utilize programs within Microsoft Office Suite—including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint—will be important.

If you aren’t familiar with these programs, you can find free tutorials online. Invest in your future by picking up a free training program now while you’re looking for a new job.

Find Your Next Administrative Job

If you’re not sure whether you have the right skills or background for an administrative or clerical job, why not help yourself even more by calling FurstStaffing ?

Our staffing experts will review your resume with you and learn more about the skills you currently have, in addition to your work history, and we can work with you to find a job that fits your interests and abilities. We place a lot of job seekers in clerical and administrative positions, so if there’s an open position with one of our clients, we can send your resume along and put in a good word on your behalf! Best of all, this is all done free of charge to you!

Take a look at our current job board and see what positions are available, then give FurstStaffing a call to get started toward your new career.