Chapter 1 has laid out a solid foundation for what one is expected to know about entering the workforce. One underlying principle is that one must be highly skilled and developed if they want to successfully make the transition from the classroom to the workforce. Some of the facts I learned from Chapter 1 were:
- Positions as an Administrative Assistant are in abundance
- In 2008 there were a total of 4.3 million positions as an administrative assistant
- By 2018, around 471,600 new jobs are expected to open
- A high school diploma is no longer the bare-minimum that employers will look for.
- In fact, more and more employers are looking for college degrees.
- Some organizations even offer an International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP)
- One growing trend in Administrative Assistance is a Virtually Assistant:
- Self-Employed
- Work from home offices
- Off-Site help
- Administrative Assistants find work in almost every industry, including:
- Medical and legal services
- Hospitality and tourism
- Government
- Education
- Administrative Assistants are expected to effectively preform a plethora of tasks and are given a multitude of responsibilities. These could include:
- Coordinate work flow
- Conduct internet research
- Maintain and distribute staff weekly schedules
- Manage projects
- Recruit, hire, train and supervise other staff as required
- Employers look for workers with a combination of skills, knowledge, attitudes and personal traits, including:
- Technical Skills
- Ability to apply specialized knowledge and procedure
- Interpersonal Skills
- Ability to get along with others
- Communication Skills
- Effective speaking, listening, writing and presentation skills
- Teamwork/Collaboration Skills
- Understanding how teams work and how to be a role player
- Customer Focus
- Commitment to serving customers
- Problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
- Anticipate problems and how they can be prevented
- Professionalism
- Good judgment, initiative, discretion, organizational ability, ability to work
- Productivity
- Setting proprieties, always meeting deadlines, refocusing a task
