Not having enough education or experience is one of the more common ways to prevent yourself from obtaining work in this field. What happens if you don't have experience? You've got to start somewhere. Applying with a company that requires no experience is your best bet. A staffing agency can usually find an administrative job for individuals with little to no experience. Unfortunately, you won't be paid much, but at least it's a start.
Another way to avoid getting a job in the administrative field is to dress poorly and come across as not confident and unmotivated. If you decide to apply for a job in person, you should make sure that you are wearing a sophisticated set of clothing and a smile. Letting your employer know that you are a happy, confident individual will cause them to want to hire you. Employers not only want people with skills, but also people who are friendly and pleasant to work with. After all, you will be spending a lot of time with your co-workers.
Not taking action to apply for administrative assistant jobs is yet another great way to avoid landing the position you want. Too often, you hear someone talking about how badly they want virtual administrative assistant jobs, and how much better their lives would be if they had one of those. The only problem is that they never take the time to search and apply. The key to finding the job is number one - gaining the skills, experience, education, etc., number two - searching for administrative positions, and number three - applying.
Those who are interested in executive assistant jobs will need to make some adjustments to their overall personality if they want a job that they are not currently fit for. You must be detail-oriented, organized, willing to follow instruction, and possess a passion for orderliness in order to succeed in this type of position. There is much more to working as an administrative assistant than simply organizing files and papers.
You must be able to effectively handle a switchboard of incoming calls, remember names, dates, and times (as well as remember to write everything down, keep a record of it, and remember where you put it), work with computer programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, possess a relatively good understanding of how to work with facts and figures, and you must also have no problems with working in a highly stressful atmosphere.
To not succeed as an administrative assistant, you must have little tolerance for "details". Meaning, unless you feel like the individual who handles everything that everyone else does not, do not apply. Quite often, you'll find administrative assistants fixing coffee for the entire upper management staff, taking a trip to the nearest restaurant to grab the boss's lunch, and even cleaning the boss’s office. As an administrative assistant, you handle all the dirty little details.
To not succeed in virtual administrative assistant jobs, you must not be able to handle pressure. Those in the administrative field are constantly on the front line. When something goes wrong, it's usually blamed on them (whether it is their fault or not) - they are the first ones to hear about it. They are responsible for relaying messages between all the "higher-ups", as well as the ones who immediately report to their supervisor when there is a problem.
Talking about your personal life is a sure-fire way to not succeed in executive assistant jobs. While it's certain that you'll be spending a lot of time at work, it's best to leave your personal life at home. Trusting that the people you work with are your "friends" is a great way to get fired. In the real world, people don't go to work to make friends. If they want friends, they go out, catch up with people from high school, attend church, local events, etc. The best advice anyone could possibly take while on the job is to leave your personal life outside of work where it belongs.
A great way not to excel in administrative assistant jobs is to not take your job seriously. If you do want to excel, then first of all, you must get out and apply. Start out with the appropriate mindset that you will obtain the career you want. One of the best places to start applying is online. A plentiful amount of virtual administrative assistant jobs and executive assistant jobs can be found at AdminCrossing.com. A job as an administrative assistant is not all "peaches and cream" like many may believe. All in all, if you're the right fit for the job, it can be a very fulfilling and rewarding career.
