Workers with administrative
skills are in demand. In fact, over the
past few years, roles where you use these skills
have been in the top five most in-demand jobs in the country. Where do you find workers
using administrative skills? Everywhere. Public and private
education, huge corporations, small family-owned
businesses, nonprofits, the federal government. So if you can learn
the craft, you can take these transferable
skills with you wherever you go. If you're passionate
about a particular sector, like education, environmental
justice, supply chain, whatever it is, starting as
an administrative assistant can often be a fast lane into
learning all about the field. Yep, I mean the glamorous and
the not so glamorous parts. Either way, administrative
assistants are in the room and have a seat at the table. [MUSIC PLAYING] So we've built
this course to help you demonstrate
administrative skills that are needed for many roles. By the end of this video, you'll
have a better understanding of what it takes to be a great
administrative assistant. Let's talk about the
hard skills first. I can pretty much guarantee
that every skilled administrator including assistants will
all do a few things-- scheduling and filing,
creating expense reports, and reconciling receipts. You might also be
transcribing meeting notes, creating briefs, and serving
as a trusted representative. How do you tackle these
elements of the job? It starts with learning all
about who you're working for. To begin, learn your
principal's preferences, whether it's your manager,
director, or colleague. From preferred times of day-- actually he prefers 7:30 AM
meetings/ he can go earlier if you want. To their preferred
medium of choice. She's had some problems with
video conferences in the past. Could we do a
conference call instead? To the type of digital
tools they'll typically use. I'll send out an
invite because I also need to invite the conference
room and the Polycom. I've got it. Next piece of advice,
learn the software. Take advantage of
online tutorials so you can quickly become an
ace with those chosen templates. Be sure to familiarize
yourself with the way they display schedules on mobile
and on desktop, on iOS and on Android. Third, get organized. Absolutely crucial. You need to have an
organization system, and you need to use
it consistently. Make sure you understand
the existing naming conventions so you
can sort and file emails and reports correctly. Make sure you know what to do
with those itty bitty receipts that your principal might
hand you absent-mindedly. Make sure you're able to
know what tasks are complete and what needs to be
rescheduled, extended, or moved around. Fourth, learn the team. No doubt there are
a few colleagues who your principal talks
to often, otherwise known as the brain trust, perhaps. Learn who does what, who's
good at what, who's opinion counts most when. The last element here? Be available. If you're in-person,
make sure that you're arriving to work on time. If you're remote, make
sure you have defined working hours and a way to
communicate your status when you're away from your desk. In addition to
these hard skills, there are four soft skills that
can really help you level up your administrative game. So let's talk about discretion. Fun fact, the word
"secretary" is derived from the word "secret." As an administrative
assistant, for example, chances are you're going to hear or see
something that your boss would rather you not share. Maintaining your reputation
as someone who can be trusted will require discretion. How do you do that? First, clarify. Don't assume that
your boss is going to catch every bit of
confidential information that you see or hear. If you're not sure,
check with your boss to verify whether or
not it's confidential. Secondly, change the topic. If someone mentions
something related to the topic you're
keeping confidential, gently change the subject. If someone asks you
directly about something that you know in
confidence, simply explain that you are not
at liberty to discuss. Third, out of
sight, out of mind. Make sure you have
a system for keeping confidential documentation and
correspondence out of the hands or eyesight of others. You can also use a
monitor or phone protector that conceals your screen. And you should always check
your share settings on documents and have a system for
shredding or deleting materials with personal or
sensitive information. Another soft skill that every
administrative assistant needs? Resourcefulness. As an administrative
assistant, you are at the nexus
of an organization, often dealing with clients,
vendors, and personnel. Hello? In this role, you have a
bird's-eye view to what and where things can go wrong. One of the soft skills
that your boss will value is your ability to troubleshoot
and proactively find solutions. How do you do that? First, pay attention. You have a vantage point
that very few people in the organization
have, and your boss is depending on you to keep
your finger on the pulse of the organization. Your job is to be the
conduit of information by building and
leveraging your network, being receptive to people,
and asking questions. Secondly, be proactive. Being proactive is all about
being on top of your work so you can identify and
rectify issues as they come up. Don't sit on the sidelines
and allow things to happen. Make things happen. Third, think outside the box. One of the quickest and easiest
ways to think creatively is to freewrite. Pick a problematic
topic or an issue and then start to brainstorm
all the ways in which you could potentially solve it. No editing allowed. Set a timer and just see
where your brain takes you. In addition to discretion
and resourcefulness, successful administrative
assistants, and really anyone using administrative
skills, should be able to walk in
their boss's shoes. To do this, you need empathy. This is critical so you
can anticipate and respond to their needs before
they ask for your help. Your ability to empathize with
the complexities of your boss's life will help you succeed. How do you do that? First, ask about preferences. One of the first
things you need to do when working with a principal
is to do a deep-dive interview into their
preferences for things like communication
style, scheduling, and lifestyle balance. Secondly, spend time shadowing. If you don't already spend
all your working hours with your boss, you can ask if
you can shadow them for a day so that you understand the
full scope of their day. Third, show interest. While your professional
development is partly in the hands of your boss,
you can turn the table and ask what their professional
development goals are. That way you can work in tandem
to achieve them together. And finally, great
administrative assistants all, to some degree, manage up. That means understanding
the best way to communicate with
your boss and aligning your working styles
so they're in sync. Managing up is not patronizing. It's just the opposite. It demonstrates that you care. How do you manage up? First, focus on communication. Again, a great way
to manage up is to understand your boss's
preferred communication style. In addition to your
one-on-one time, how do they like
to be contacted? Do they prefer text,
email, or phone? By actively listening to
your manager's preferences, you can communicate with
them in an efficient way. Second, leverage your
emotional resilience. Do you remain calm and
productive under pressure and cope well with change? Can you help your manager
when they're under pressure and experiencing change? Emotional resilience is
key in these situations. And finally, offer to help. If you have greater technical
capability than your manager, help them learn
the needed skills. Managers are not always
well-versed in every new tool, but perhaps you've had
experience with one in your role. Take the time to give them
support with new technologies. Let's take a moment to
review these skills. Remember, this is
ultimately a very human job, so know your
principal's preferences, learn the software, have their
brain trust on speed dial, and above all, be available. Remember how important
discretion and empathy are going to be. And also remember
that you're going to have to solve a ton of
problems, so be resourceful. Plan in advance. And finally, be
prepared to manage up. That means building strong lines
of communication between you and your principal, remaining
calm under pressure, and offering to help
whenever you can lend a hand. If you're thinking, wow, this
is a lot of work, you're right. Roles that leverage
administrative skills can be hard, but if you
get the right fit, they can be really rewarding
for a few years or as a career. If you enjoyed this
video, please like and subscribe and download
the Indeed mobile app. Thank you. Oh, yes. [LAUGHTER] [BREATHES DEEPLY]
