An office assistant should have a high and accurate typing speed, capable enough to take orders from superiors, hold good communication skills, and the ability to be organized. As the work is divers, they should be willing to work in any field. They take care of day-to-day functioning and can do anything from data entry, to mailing or faxing documents the clients.
The basic requirement for this job is a certificate program either by way of community colleges or trade schools. The skills required to be an office assistant is to have the ability to write work-related documents, effective communication, managing all sorts of documented work, and excellent listening skills. Knowledge of basic mathematics is useful and you also need to maintain the required amount of resources needed to run the office.
Office assistants should be able to maintain records in order, database management, and be good in stenography, transcription, and resource allocation. Coordination of people and resources is also important for the job of office assistant. This job is an administration position which involves efficiency and managing the office. Their prime responsibility is to give assistance to their colleagues and maintain organized data. They should be well-versed with spelling, grammar, and punctuation. To improve these writing or typing skills, there are technical institutes that help and develop the art of writing.
There is no need for prior experience, as this job can be learned by way of on-the-job training. Office assistants with experience hold an advantage. A little knowledge of computer operations is needed (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and managing people and resources. The job opportunities available to a multi-skilled office assistant are numerous. Career options are available like office assistant, receptionist, clerical office assistant, and computer office assistant. All of these jobs have different responsibilities as the nature of the work environment is different.
There is one specific certification known as Office Administration Program, which helps all individuals develop computer skills, technical skills, and interpersonal skills. The need for this program was realized because all offices are now automated and this helps them to get an opportunity to work in such an office. The average office assistant makes $30,000 annually. The more responsibilities attached to the job, the more likely the salary can go beyond $50,000.
