An Administrative Job Can Be a Stepping Stone to a New Career |
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If you’re an administrative worker looking to get ahead or perhaps wondering if an administrative job can help you advance within a particular field, here are a few things you’ll want to understand and consider.
Recognizing Opportunities
As an administrative professional, you’ll be called on to support your manager and his or her department in a variety of ways. Of course many of your tasks will include those you expected to take on, such as managing schedules, answering phone calls, and handling documents. However, many people in administrative jobs find that if they show the initiative and ability to handle more advanced tasks, they will quickly be enlisted to work on higher-level projects. For those who want to use an administrative job as a stepping stone to other careers, these additional responsibilities should be recognized as opportunities.
Companies are constantly restructuring for efficiency, especially in difficult economic times. Today, all workers are expected to increase their responsibilities. More often than not, the workload will increase for administrative staffers. While a promotion or a new career opportunity may not be in your immediate future due to current corporate spending conditions, here are some ways you can use the increased workload and responsibilities to prepare for your next step when things do turn around:
Your Commitment to Learning
By taking on new responsibilities you will be learning. If you’re committed to career advancement, you must be committed to learning. New responsibilities will bring about knowledge of how other functions in the company work as well as exposure to technologies you may not have used before. Rather than thinking of this as more work, think of it as free education. Those who master technology in today’s workplace often find the fastest route to advancement.
Use Your Skills to Your Advantage
As an administrative professional you have the opportunity to communicate with many people in all levels and areas of your company, as well as professionals outside your company. Job opportunities and career advancement frequently come about through networking. Use the good communication skills required by your administrative job to make connections and show your abilities to everyone you come in contact with.
While Clerical Duties Have Diminished, Opportunities Have Increased
Administrative work has changed significantly over the years. Managers used to rely on administrative assistants and secretaries to take dictation, type letters, and keep a calendar. Technology has eliminated many of the clerical functions of this job and managers do many of these tasks for themselves. Administrative professionals, however, have not been eliminated. More than ever, today’s administrative workers have the opportunity to learn new functions and advance their skills on the job. They often work on projects, use the latest technology, and are given significant responsibilities. Those who prove themselves advance to higher levels of administrative work and become administrative specialists, executive administrative assistants, information managers, administrative coordinators, or office managers. Some even transfer to other areas becoming supervisors, project managers, and even find work in public relations or desktop publishing.
Get Your Foot in the Door with an Administrative Job
Some people choose to take on administrative jobs specifically as a means to continue their pursuit of a career within a particular field. For instance, those who wish to continue onto law school may choose to seek employment as a court clerk. Those interested in entering the health care field may take a job in health care administration while they work on finishing their education or certifications.
Get Your Feet Wet with an Administrative Job
An internship in an administrative position is an excellent place for business students and graduates to turn. It offers experience and real-world corporate knowledge. Administrative workers must show their ability to communicate well, focus on details, be organized, meet deadlines, and work without supervision. These are skills that lend themselves to higher-level, better-paying professions.
Never Stop Learning
Finally, let’s touch back on a point made earlier -- Never Stop Learning! As you take on new responsibilities, realize you are learning and learning is your best bet for advancement. Be sure to take advantage of other learning opportunities by signing up for your company's lunch-time learning sessions, special training offers, seminars, or online courses. If you’re interested in taking a specific course, bring it to the attention of your manager. In addition, if your company offers tuition reimbursement, take advantage of this employee benefit to reach your career goals. A job as an administrative professional in a company that pays for education might be the very stepping stone you’ve been looking for!
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