With this increased job stability and the advancement of technology, administrative professionals and their job descriptions are becoming more sophisticated and demanding.
Chris Dipietro, an office manager at Utah insurance and financial planning company Cerva Browning Quinn & Company, believes that clerical work is becoming less time-consuming with the technology we have today, which is why admin professionals are able to explore other opportunities in their jobs.
“Because of the computer and how much faster tasks can be accomplished, we don't need as many clerical workers to accomplish what needs to be done. Clerical work will always need to be done — accounting, emails, letters, scanning for the files, etc.” Dipietro says.
Dipietro is also part of a small office so she is exposed to a wide variety of non-admin tasks that keep the business going.
“We only have three employees and myself, and we can cover the customer service, website, HR connection, and new and renewal proposals for all the existing clients, and still sell new clients. Plus, all the accounting (payroll, commissions, accounts payable, etc.) for the office is done in-house. The business generates over $1 million per year.”
No longer does admin just involve answering phones and typing letters. More and more, companies are assigning more complex assignments to admin support, increasing admin employees’ worth and the level of the employers’ dependency.
Carmen Reyes, an administrative assistant for an Orange County job recruiting firm, says that her job has brought on some additional duties that have boosted her professional worth.
“In my job, I handle many of the company’s fee agreements once candidates are placed. I also do some marketing assignments and approach employers about new job openings that they have available,” Reyes says.
With this advancement in job opportunities, the performance bar is rising for admin professionals. The more experience and/or knowledge you have that concerns your job or your company’s interests, the more valuable you are to your employer.
The Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook encourages admin professionals to stay up-to-date with technology and software applications, as they will have more job stability than the rest of the industry if they do so.
Providing value to the employer through your bank of exceptional skills and knowledge will keep you employed always. Also, if new opportunities to develop skills arise in your current admin job, grab them quickly and thrive. This will be great experience to use in your next job and on your resume. A versatile employee has much more career longevity than an average one does.
Even in these times of economic distress, admin professionals are safe because their jobs will never go extinct. All industries all over the world need admin support to survive.
A recent report issued by New York's Independent Budget Office has invoked fear with its forecast that the credit crunch will leave more than 20,000 professionals from New York’s financial institutions jobless by next year. The office expects 12,600 job cuts this year and 7,600 by the end of next year.
Luckily, job growth is rising for admin professionals overall, with projections that admin employment is going to maintain steady growth from now through 2016.
According to Andrew Clark at the Guardian, “in spite of a downturn across the broader American economy, there are jobs available for administrative and support staff who lose their posts at financial firms. Those who work in information technology are similarly in demand. But traders and fund managers, who are used to high earnings, face a tougher market.”
