Office administrator, corporate secretary, and personal assistant are similar job profiles which have more or less the same responsibilities. Though their importance in an organization is often overlooked, office administrator is the one who ensures that it functions smoothly.

She has a significant supportive role that helps all team members fulfill their tasks with ease. She maintains a schedule for the significant events and processes, keeps up-to-date contact lists and critical documents and records. The office administrator is usually the most important point of contact that the management, as well as the employees, rely upon for information.

Qualities of an office administrator

Though the qualities expected from an office assistant might vary slightly between organizations, the following are the most common ones among them.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

The ability to communicate clearly is a quality expected from all employees. However, office administrators must be excellent and confident in speech as well as writing since they have to communicate with the employees, clients, prospects, and vendors on behalf of the management.

Time management

Time management is crucial in the workplace. Procrastination is never acceptable from admins as they have several tasks that have to be completed on an urgent basis. Many of them take care of different departments like office administration, attending phone calls as well as HR management. They should prioritize works and complete every task at the specified time. They should also be punctual for meetings and other scheduled events.

Optimistic and positive

The admin might be the first person that a client or an interviewee meets when they enter the office. So, it is important for her to have an optimistic and positive attitude. Her demeanor will create the first impression of the company. Her job also involves interactions with several people and maintaining a positive outlook is necessary.

Good decision-maker

A person who repeatedly calls the management for taking decisions and depends on others in most of the instances is not ideal for the position of office administrator. She should take decisions on behalf of the management for which she needs a clear idea about the policies and priorities of the company.

Resourcefulness

Admins must be quick problem-solvers. Every day, new challenges will sprout up at the workplace. The workers should be able to find creative solutions to solve them at the earliest. Office assistants must diagnose the issue and solve it by themselves whenever possible. They are also expected to anticipate issues and take immediate proactive steps to avoid issues in the future.

Multitasking

A common feature of the admin profile is that it doesn’t have specified job responsibilities. It changes from organization to organization and also as per the emerging needs of the day. Admins should manage different tasks simultaneously and manage them effectively.

Independent and self-motivated

The admins should fulfill several responsibilities at a time. The management expects them to perform their duties with little supervision. They have the right to make decisions on behalf of the executives and hence, should be self-motivated and independent decision-makers.

COA training

International certification in Office Administration is beneficial for everyone who has been in the field or planning to start a career. Specific academic qualifications are not usually required to become an office administrator; however, professional training can help you in finding the right job.

Certified Office Administrator is the training that harnesses the skills required to become an office administrator. At Blue Ocean, COA training provides the certification from American Certification Institute (ACI), USA.