Administrative Assistant Reviews - Page 149

There's a reason they call it Administrative "Assistant." It's an "It's not about me" job. You assist and support others, so if you want to get ahead, it may be a way to get your foot in the door, but be careful. Don't make yourself *too* indispensable--or management may think they can't do without you where you are and be hesitant to promote you. If you're looking to move upward, you're looking to find that balance between showing your stuff but also remaining supportive to them. But if you want a job where you can go in, do good work, then go home and focus on your own life and interests, then it can be a good gig. I did mid-management work for years--then "demoted" myself to support-staff work. I didn't want the headaches of management and supervision, and I was fortunate to be able to afford the pay cut (home paid for and no kids). Pay attention to what benefits are offered--and ask for more money. Even if you only get 50 cents more an hour, over time it'll really add up.

Avoid office politics altogether.

An Administrative Assistant title is so broad, you can be doing anything from filing to running an office apparently, with no title change.

If you work for a higher up, you have one of the hardest jobs in the world. You consistently bear the weight of your stress, his/her stress, & the progress and/or success of the organization. Skills needed for success will be diverse & ever-expanding because your role will be diverse & ever-expanding. A good gauge for success is your boss' level of efficiency in his role, which means much of what falls onto his plate will come to you. Fear not: this will develop your leadership skills. Build relationships & ask questions - lots of them. You may never know everything, but if you develop a healthy network, you can always know someone who does. I find a good rule of thumb in any field is: find 3-5 people who do your job better than you & meet with them regularly. Try to learn as much about how they do what they do and why they do it that way as possible. They will become some of your greatest resources. Never be afraid to fail. Failing gets you one step closer to the best solution.