If you’ve seen Mad Men you know Christina Hendricks as the beautiful, feisty, and professional Joan Holloway. While she functions as an office manager and administrative assistant, Joan brings a sharp awareness of office politics, and the changing role of women in the workplace, to AMC’s marquee period drama. The office can’t operate without her, as no one else knows how the office is organized. An Administrative Assistant provides support to people within a business, but beyond that this role provides an amazing opportunity to get deeply involved with a company and key executives, leading to future advancement.
Photo Credit: Flickr user ESwift
An administrative assistant provides support to people within a business by being the information and communication manager for an office. Furthermore administrative assistants are increasingly assuming responsibilities once reserved for managerial staff. Top executives need support to do their jobs effectively, and that’s where executive assistants come in: combining the organizational talents of an office manager, the record-keeping savvy of a financial whiz, and the professional foundation of a committed secretary into one flexible role. The great thing about being an Administrative Assistant is that it gives you the opportunity to get your foot in the door and then transition into something else within the company; it’s an opportunity for an entry level person to get in front of important people.
While a typical day for an administrative assistant varies, it generally includes some of these tasks:
On average in 2011 Administrative Assistants made $36,092 per year, while Executive Assistants earned $50,688. Qualified administrative assistants who broaden their knowledge of a company’s operations and enhance their skills may be promoted to senior or executive secretary or administrative assistant, clerical supervisor, or office manager ($23,347-$54,882/year). Administrative support experience also can lead to jobs such as instructor or sales representative. With additional training, many legal secretaries become paralegals.
Here are some hot spots for administrative assistants:
Employers of Executive Assistants increasingly are looking for candidates with a college degree. A degree related to the business or industry will provide you with an advantage in the application process. Although typically not required, testing and certification for proficiency in office skills are available through organizations such as the International Association of Administrative Professionals; National Association of Legal Secretaries, Inc.; Legal Secretaries International, Inc; and International Virtual Assistants Association.
Furthermore, to be an Administrative Assistant you’ll need to have great writing, project management, customer service, and communication skills. Beyond that, discretion, good judgment, organizational or management ability, initiative, and the ability to work independently are especially important for higher-level administrative positions.
If being an administrative assistant still sounds like your cup of tea, here are a few things you should do to get started.
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Account Executive | Washington, DC |
| Marketing Associate | New York, NY |
| Web Developer | Atlanta, GA |
| Association Controller | Atlanta, GA |
| Staff Associate / Washington | Washington, DC |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Online Start-up Seeks After Effects Animator | New York, NY |
| Junior Website Copywriter | San Dimas, CA |
| Digital Sales Consultant (Television & Online) | Pueblo, CO |
| Senior Accountant | Wahpeton, ND |
| Wedding Photographers Wanted (Chicagoland) | Chicago, IL |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Marketing Intern / Reston | Reston, VA |
| Online Digital Marketing Associate | Reston, VA |
| BookKeeper/Admin | Reston, VA |
| Client Success Manager | Washington, DC |
| Product Marketing Manager | Reston, VA |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Editorial Intern | Washington, DC |
| Marketing Intern | Washington, DC |
| Account Coordinator | Washington, DC |
| Field Researcher - Maryland & Washington DC | Sykesville, MD |
| Software Quality Assurance Intern | Washington, DC |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Mobile Engineer iOS / Android | San Luis Obispo, CA |
| Group Fitness Instructor- Spinning and/or Yoga | Omaha, NE |
| Program Coordinator, Dallas Yoga Center | Dallas, TX |
| Marketing and Yoga Studio Manager | Cincinnati, OH |
| Email Marketing Intern | San Luis Obispo, CA |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Personal Lines Underwriting Supervisor - 2 Positions | Columbia, MO |
| Design Intern | Los Angeles, CA |
| Intern, OB Theological Discernment | Chicago, IL |
| Social Media Intern | Los Angeles, CA |
| Production Intern | Canal Street, NY |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Marketing Assistant | Chicago, IL |
| kCura - Public Relations Intern | Chicago, IL |
| Public Relations Intern | Chicago, IL |
| Marketing Specialist- Corporate Communications and Social Media | Chicago, IL |
| Marketing Specialist- Communications | Chicago, IL |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Summer College Internship Program at DOROT | New York, NY |
| Director of Information Technology Services | New York, NY |
| Summer Undergraduate College Internship Program at DOROT | New York, NY |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Macy's Smith Haven, Lake Grove, NY: Retail Cosmetics Sales - Beauty Advisor, Part Time | Lake Grove, NY |
| Program Consultant | Springfield, MA |
| Development Chemist - Skin Care (Innovation) | Suffern, NY |
| Executive and Administrative Assistant | Toano, VA |
| Marketing & Advertising Entry Level and New Grad | Butler, NJ |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Marketing Internship (Online Leader in Real Estate) | Sunnyvale, CA |
| Operations Internship | Mountain View, CA |
| Lead UX & Graphic Designer | Mountain View, CA |
| Marketing Internship | Mountain View, CA |
| Inside Sales Executive | Mountain View, CA |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Furniture Coordinator | Shawnee Mission, KS |
| Co-op/Intern Non-exempt | United States |
| Office Furniture Installer | Bridgeport, PA |
| Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Coordinator | Haworth, NJ |
| Facilities Project Intern~ Holland, MI | Holland, MI |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Research Assistant Scientist | Gainesville, FL |
| University Librarian & Associate Provost | Georgia |
| CHAIR & PROF | Alachua, FL |
| Assistant Scientist | Gainesville, FL |
| Public Service Assistant or Public Service Associate (Youth Leadership Development Generalist) in the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development | Georgia |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| RN - Wound Care Coordinator - Registered Nurse | Bakersfield, CA |
| Skincare Sales & Marketing - Entrepreneurs Wanted | United States |
| Prestige Skincare Sales & Marketing - Independent Consultants | United States |
| PATIENT SITTER FLEX 3rd shift | Houston, TX |
| Community & Family Services Coordinator | New Haven, CT |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Jr Content Coordinator | Mesa, AZ |
| Managing Editor | Mesa, AZ |
| Public Relations Account Coordinator - Entry Level | Mesa, AZ |
| SEO Specialist | Mesa, AZ |
| Content Strategist | Mesa, AZ |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Birthday Party Assistant | Sausalito, CA |
| Marketing Intern | Sausalito, CA |
| Evaluation Intern | Sausalito, CA |
| Arts Program Intern | Sausalito, CA |
| Full-Time Operations Technician | Sausalito, CA |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Junior Design Internship | Easton, PA |
| Experienced Account Manager-Sales | Easton, PA |
| Senior Level Graphic Designer | Easton, PA |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Financial Analyst - Entry Level | Tempe, AZ |
| Director- E-Commerce | New York, NY |
| Sales & Marketing Manager | Long Island City, NY |
| Systems Analyst (Entry Level) | Northbrook, IL |
| Software Asset Management - Entry Level | Northbrook, IL |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| After-School Program Manager | Boston, MA |
| Evidence-Based Argumentation (EBA) Coordinators (2 Positions) | Boston, MA |
| Director of After-School Programs | Boston, MA |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Account Executive | Denver, CO |
| EMC Storage Administrator at CSI | Charlotte, NC |
| Network Manager Information Technology | Great Neck, NY |
| Mortgage Loan Administrator | Marietta, GA |
| Hitachi Storage Administrator at CSI | Charlotte, NC |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Marketing Representative | Lafayette, LA |
| Audio Visual Project Manager | Kenilworth, NJ |
| DIRECTOR, NEW PLATFORMS | New York, NY |
| Systems Test Engineer | Orlando, FL |
| Recruiter | New York, NY |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Unity Animator | Los Angeles, CA |
| Jr. Animator | Los Angeles, CA |
| Project Manager | Los Angeles, CA |
| Web Production Artist | Los Angeles, CA |
| Print Production Artist | Los Angeles, CA |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Need a DJ | Delmar, NY |
| Stylist/Barber | Naples, FL |
| Hair Stylist | Maple Valley, WA |
| Nanny needed for weekday mornings | Barrington, RI |
| Assistant Family-Teacher | Washington, DC |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Data Analyst Intern - leading website hosting platform | Austin, TX |
| Talent & Culture Intern | Austin, TX |
| Careers | Thales Defense & Security, Inc. | Clarksburg, MD |
| Front End Web Developer | New York, NY |
| Need Catering Services | Austin, TX |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| SEM Analyst | Boston, MA |
| Business Analyst - New York | New York, NY |
| VP, Engineering | Boston, MA |
| Inbound Marketing Associate, New York | New York, NY |
| Research Analyst | San Francisco, CA |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Intern | Costa Mesa, CA |
| Marketing Intern / Culver City | Culver City, CA |
| Marketing Internship at PTTOW! | Los Angeles, CA |
| Women's Marketing Administrative Assistant | Costa Mesa, CA |
| Retail Manager | United States |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Associate, Membership and Programs, AS/COA Miami | Miami, FL |
| Director of Foundation and Institutional Giving | New York, NY |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Women's Head Lacrosse Coach | Bennington, VT |
| Recruiting Coach | Chicago, IL |
| College Sports - Director of Strength and Conditioning | Bemidji, MN |
| Football Profile Evaluator (Part-Time) | Chicago, IL |
| Part-Time Video Coordinator Assistant | Chicago, IL |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Internship- Summer | Hamilton, NJ |
| Product Manager - Billing, SAAS, | Township of Hamilton, NJ |
| Project Manager | Hamilton, NJ |
| SAP Financial Systems Analyst | Maryland |
| Regional Sales Executive- SaaS- West Coast | California |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Principal Medical Writer | Home Based |
| Clinical Research Associate II | Home Based |
| Project Manager (South of Milwaukee) | Milwaukee, WI |
| Forester | Allentown, PA |
| Compensation Manager | New York, NY |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Account Executive | Parsippany, NJ |
| Account Executive | Palm Beach, FL |
| Account Executive | Huntington Station, NY |
| Account Executive | New York, NY |
| Regional Sales Executive | Wisconsin |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Accounting Clerk | Washington, DC |
| Senior Representative, Southwest Program | Washington, DC |
| Director of Accounting Operations | Washington, DC |
| Human Resource Manager II | Cheyenne, WY |
| U.S. v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp | United States |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Account Management Coordinator | New York, NY |
| After Hours Travel Consultant | United States |
| Front Desk Receptionist | New York, NY |
| Private Client Services Intern | Chalfont, PA |
| International agent | Washington, DC |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Summer Education Internship - Teaching Artists Program (Unpaid) | San Francisco, CA |
| Summer Education Internship - Museum Ambassador Program (Unpaid) | San Francisco, CA |
| Education Internship with School and Teacher Programs (Unpaid) | San Francisco, CA |
| Neonatal ICU Registered Nurse | Wynnewood, PA |
| On Call Event Coordinators | San Francisco, CA |
| Job Title | Location |
|---|---|
| Professional Fundraiser - NYC | New York, NY |
| Associate Dentist | Cartersville, GA |
| Photographers Needed | New York, NY |
| Assistant Retail Store Manager (Key West, FL) | Key West, FL |
| Assistant Store Manager (Annapolis, MD) | Annapolis, MD |
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