Today's administrative professional - not your father's secretary.
Gone are the days of simply making coffee, answering phones and taking dictation – today’s crop of administrative professionals are responsible for a wide variety of tasks that lean more towards the “professional” rather than the “administrative” side. Planning meetings and events. Coordinating mailings and purchasing office equipment and supplies. Maintaining multiple schedules and calendars. Handling messages and correspondence. Orienting and supervising other staff. Writing and editing documents. Sometimes they even handle a little desktop publishing. The duties of today’s administrative professionals cover a wide range that is constantly increasing as the needs of their employers increase.

An integral part of the team.
As support personnel, administrative professionals are trusted with confidential information. Their ability to handle a broader range of tasks on their own is certainly an asset to their employers. And, as admins gain experience and add to their knowledge base, they become increasingly valuable team members. More and more, these folks are being called upon to take on supervisory roles while attending to higher-level tasks.

Techno-savvy admins move ahead.
The to-do list of today’s average administrative professional runs the gamut from traditional clerical tasks to more specialized support tasks that require a higher level of knowledge. Technological savvy is essential for admins who wish to move ahead in their field – in fact, computer expertise is the most sought after skill for these workers. With the increased reliance on computers, administrative professionals who are comfortable and capable with integrated computer software applications, using the Internet/Intranet for communications and research, and electronic recordkeeping are discovering that these skills are in demand and are putting them to good use.

Show your appreciation.
While the duties of administrative professionals have evolved over the years, recognizing the efforts of these hardworking – and often underappreciated – members of the team is more important than ever. Fortunately, the last full week of April is designated as administrative professionals week, with Wednesday of that week being Administrative Professionals Day. This provides a wonderful opportunity to highlight the talent and contributions of today’s admins, so be sure to take advantage of this day by treating your admin to lunch or sending a gift if you will be out of the office that day. Whatever you do, keep it professional and tailor the day to your admin’s preferences.

Showing your admin that you appreciate their efforts is especially important since their work tends to be largely behind the scenes and does not often receive public recognition. So, if your company has a large number of administrative professionals, why not host a company-wide event to recognize their efforts, or invite a guest speaker to make a presentation on professional development for your staff? Likewise, providing a membership to a professional association or sponsoring registration to a seminar or class for your admin are good ways to show them that you are committed to their career development.

Change equals opportunity.
Thanks to corporate restructuring, today’s administrative professionals have more opportunities to advance than admins of yester year. With more than 184,000 administrative professional positions slated to be added in the United States between 2002 and 2012, the field is growing just as quickly as the variety of skills required for these workers to succeed.

Want some effective tips for succeeding in today’s working world? Check out Ajilon Office’s FREE Success Tips brochure. It’s filled with valuable advice on how you can achieve your goals and take your career to the next level.

Contact us today to speak with a staffing professional (1.866 GO AJILON or ajilonoffice.com) – they’re experts on job market and hiring trends in your market, and they have a strong pulse on issues that are sure to be front and center in the coming months. Ask us how to get your FREE copy of our Success Tips booklet and find out what else we can do to help you move up in the world.®

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