As a part-time office assistant you may be expected to work part of a day or a few days a week. You may choose a job where you can work evenings or weekends. There are many options in what hours you work. You will likely perform a variety of tasks as the assistant, such as working in the reception area greeting visitors, answering the telephone responding to customer questions and requests, or general filing of office documents. Handling the office mail may be one of your duties, sorting the mail and delivering it to the appropriate offices or personnel. Your duties will probably involve shelving supplies and making note of any areas where supplies are getting low and need to be orders.
Assistance in the general office routine is part of the work of a part-time office assistant. You may have to fill in for a full time employee who is ill or has an appointment, so it does mean that you have a general knowledge of all facets of running an office. It is essential that you have computer and keyboarding skills for typing letters and other documents and for data entry. Good grammar and spelling skills are important, as you may have to proofread documents before they are distributed but you also need these skills in rereading your own work.
To obtain a position of part-time office assistant, you do need to have a high school diploma as well as some courses in office administration from a technical or vocational college. Depending on the nature of the business, you may actually need a two or four-year course in office or business administration if the work of the office is highly specialized. Knowledge of how to use accounting software may be needed, but you will need knowledge of word processing programs as well as how to operate basic office equipment.
In addition to the practical skills you need for office work, as a part-timr office assistant you should have good interpersonal skills so that you can have a good working relationship with the rest of the office staff. A willingness to jump in and help when needed is a good character trait to possess in this job. You will also need to have telephone etiquette and good customer services skills in order to deal with the visitors and the customers.
