Nevertheless, all organizations—small or large, commercial or non-commercial—need administrative managers and appreciate their versatility.
Tasks of Administrative Services Managers
Like every other system—social, political, or economical—organizations depend on administrative services managers to perform at their full potentials. Administrative services managers help organizations in the areas of planning, directing, coordinating, and supervising. The following are some of the typical tasks that administrative services managers perform:
- obtaining information from all sources and analyzing it
- assessing results and choosing the best solutions for solving problems
- keeping supervisors, colleagues, and subordinates well informed
- interacting with external sources and cultivating relationships with customers, public, and government sources
- setting targets, plans, schedules, and deadlines
- performing day-to-day office management tasks
- preparing and reviewing operational reports
- analyzing processes and suggesting improvements
- documenting and recording office data and information
- supervising, evaluating, and training subordinate staff
- overseeing the construction and renovation of projects and maintenance of equipment and machinery
- hiring and terminating administrative staff
- planning and organizing company events
- resolving employees' conflicts
- coordinating and directing budget preparations
- ensuring adherence to all state, federal, and local regulations and directives
- attending meetings and conferences
- performing special assignments when required
Qualifications for administrative services managers vary widely depending on organizations' sizes and complexities. Education is not the only criterion for these positions, and, in fact, small organizations often hire administrative mangers solely based on their relevant experience. Organizations find managers' job experience invaluable, as it enables them to adapt to new conditions easily and perform better. In large organizations, administrative services managers are normally hired from outside and usually have formal education and experience.
In 2004, administrative services managers held about 268,000 jobs, and the segment is likely to grow as fast as the average for all occupations by 2014.
One can advance in this field by earning the Certified Administrative Manager designation offered by the Institute of Certified Professional Managers. A master's degree in business administration can also take a new administrative manager from an entry-level position to a mid-level management position.
Nonetheless, the manager's expertise and versatility matter more than anything else in his or her career progress.
Useful Knowledge
The knowledge of the following subjects will help administrators handle various situations:
- administrative and clerical procedures
- information systems and data management
- survey and analysis methods
- strategic planning, production methods, and resource allocation procedures
- law, court procedures, and government regulations
- finance and budgeting procedures
- purchasing and contracting procedures
- recruitment, training, and compensation principles and procedures
- mathematics and language skills
Administrative services managers' earnings vary greatly depending on employers, work areas, and geographic locations. According to the U.S. Department of Labor estimates, the average yearly salary in 2006 for administrative services managers was $72,840.
Job Titles
Those who work in administrative services management for diverse organizations may hold the following job titles:
Administrative assistant, office manager, administrative manager, administrative specialist, administrator, director of operations, administrative coordinator, administrative director, and/or administrative officer.
