Administrative assistants are essential team members in any company. They keep offices running smoothly and let the people they work with perform their best.
Learn how an administrative assistant can help your office and use our job description template to recruit the right person for your team.
What is an Administrative Assistant?
Administrative assistants handle administrative responsibilities like directing calls, scheduling meetings, controlling access to their supervisors and other miscellaneous tasks as needed.
They cover routine tasks for the people they assist. Administrative assistants often work one-on-one with executives, but sometimes whole teams or departments will share an assistant.
Administrative assistants are sometimes called:
- Administrative coordinators
- Executive assistants
- Executive coordinators
- Office administrators
- Office coordinators
- Virtual assistants, if they work remotely
Administrative Assistant Job Description Template
We surveyed administrative assistant job postings on popular job search apps to find the most common responsibilities, skills and experience requirements associated with these positions.
To use this template, copy and paste it into your job description, change relevant details like skills, responsibilities and benefits, then post it to recruiting sites.
Job Description Summary
Write one or two paragraphs briefly describing the role and your company. Be sure to mention the day-to-day duties of the job plus at least one reason why your company is a great place to work. Experienced administrative assistants will read this section to learn if the job is a good fit for them.
Each company is different, but you can use this example to see how you could write this section:
"Widgets Inc. is hiring a talented administrative assistant to work directly with the CEO, managing their daily activities and ensuring their time is not wasted. You must be resourceful and work well in fast-paced, high-pressure environments. You should have excellent typing skills and experience with MS Office.
"We have manufactured widgets since 1973. Now we're expanding our operations and growing quickly. You will play a role in this growth, aiding the CEO as they manage company affairs and maintaining the tight-knit community between executives and the production team that defines Widgets Inc."
Duties and Responsibilities
- Answer and reroute phone calls
- Arrange calendars, meetings, travel arrangements, accommodations and logistics for supervisor
- Draft communications like emails, formal letters and memos
- Draft summaries, presentations and reports
- Help the supervisor prioritize tasks
- Manage communications between the supervisor and relevant stakeholders
- Manage documents and records for supervisor
- Manage the supervisor's time well
- Process expense reports
- Transcribe videos and phone calls
Skills
- Attention to detail
- Communication
- Flexibility
- Interpersonal skills
- MS Office, especially Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint
- Organization
- Video conferencing
- Time management
- Typing
| If your company uses other tools like Jira or Expensify, be sure to list those among the skills you expect in an administrative assistant. |
Requirements
- Work experience as an administrative assistant or related position
- Experience with Microsoft Office or Google Workspace
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to handle confidential company information with care
| It's normal to request three to five years of administrative assistant experience for more senior roles. |
Salary and Benefits
Salary: $44,000
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
Administrative Assistant FAQs
People sometimes have these questions about administrative assistants:
What Is the Average Salary for an Administrative Assistant?
Administrative assistants typically earn $44,000 on average, according to Glassdoor. They typically earn between $37,000 and $53,000, but the highest-paid administrative assistants can earn over $70,000 annually.
Salary expectations may vary between regions. Candidates with more experience may also expect higher salaries.
What Skills Are Most Important for Administrative Assistants?
Communication, organization and time management are the most important soft skills for administrative assistants.
Technical knowledge of MS Office or Google Workspace plus video conferencing tools like Zoom or Teams is also essential.
Is an Administrative Assistant the Same Thing as a Receptionist?
Administrative assistant is a more advanced role than receptionist, with additional responsibilities.
Receptionists' primary responsibility is greeting office visitors and helping them find people or resources at the company. Administrative assistants support individuals and teams in the office. They mostly interact with people outside the office when they manage communications or meetings for their supervisors.
Is Administrative Assistant an Entry-Level Job?
Many administrative assistants are entry-level. However, it's normal for companies to hire more experienced assistants for roles that:
- Deal with especially sensitive information
- Work in higher-pressure environments
- Help high-level executives
The right person in an administrative assistant role can transform your workplace operations. Now that you know what you need from an assistant, read up on how to interview job candidates.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Nick Cesare is a Newsweek writer based in Boise. His focus is writing on pets, lifestyle and workplaces. Nick joined ... Read more
