Administrative Assistant Receptionist Career Guide and Counseling

Question: What does a position as an Administrative Assistant/Receptionist do? Does this mean that it's someone who sits at the front desk, but does a little bit more than just greet guests and answer phones? Wouldn't it be overwhelming since it's like serving two jobs? Would it be better to just work as an admin assist or just a receptionist rather than being an admin/recep?

Answer: You would do things like order office supplies and file paper work as well as answer phones. I don't think it would be overwhelming, it just allows you to put more responsibilities on your resume. Having more responsibilities make your work days fly, sitting at a desk all day greeting visitors is very mundane and gets very boring very quickly. If it were going to be too much work, the company would split the job up between more than just one person.

Question: What are the daily tasks for an Administrative Assistant/Receptionist.? I'm going for a certificate in Administrative Assistant and I was wondering what are the daily tasks? Should I prepare myself that this occupation is going to be tough?

Answer: It really depends on what field you are working in and for what employer and what their expectations are. I work for a telecommunications company and I deal alot with reports cross checking lines and lines of commission reports etc. but also do alot of filing, deal with paperwork alot. Arrange courier services, answer phones/questions, payroll.. submitting time sheets. And anything else i'm asked to do. My job is demanding and no i'm not paid well in return haha but it does require me to be extremely organized, knowledgeable and easy going. Like I said could be tough depending on who your working for what your tasks include and if you have those qualifications. best of luck to you!

Question: How can I enhance my administrative assistant/receptionist skills? Are there any at-home courses I can take?

Answer: Hi, I'm a recruiter. Not really. These are skills you need from experience. While you can always learn typing at home, you can't jet on-the-job experience which is what employers really want. You need to look for an entry level position, or if you can work full time, try a part time job to increase those skills.

Question: as a receptionist or administrative assistant at reception desk? As a receptionist/administrative assistant at the reception desk what skills do I need when working in a chonic fatigue service

Answer: I am assuming from your statement that you mean the role you will be doing is high stress, busy and just plain exhausting.... What you need is... 1. the ability to maintain high energy and focus. As receptionist, you will be greeting people in person and on the phone constantly while doing doing other tasks. This will require the ability to multitask and to remain pleasant at all times. As the receptionist, you ARE the first person customers will contact and the first person they will measure the quality of the company by... 2. good interpersonal skills are must. In addition to greeting customers, you will be the liaison to others in the office. Getting along and not letting a bad day (at home or the office) affect your demeanor is a must. 3. have a healthful way to distress when your day is done. When you leave work, leave work... and have a life that balances out the craziness at work. 4. love what you do... if you go to work and hate it... or tolerate it for the paycheck, that will show up sooner or later. If that line of work is not for you, don't go into it... it will burn you out before you know it. I hope that helps a little. Peace

Question: How much can an administrative assistant or receptionist expect to earn per week? I posted a "Looking for Work" ad on Facebook and was contacted by a staffing coordinator who asked for my salary expectations. The figure I gave her was $225 per week. Is this too much, too little, or just right? To put things into more perspective, I'm a first-year university student with basic knowledge of clerical, computer, and accounting skills, who live in Canada.

Answer: Hey Rio Don't sell yourself short. You're too smart for that, especially if it's full time. I "heard" you speak enough to know you can start at least with $9-10/hour. If you know Word and Excel ask for a little more. You can always play it safe and say it's negotiable, or ask them to test your skills first and then talk money. I'd try to "sell" myself first, get the interview and then discuss salary. I hate using that "sell" when it comes to the self... but that's how it is unfortunately. If you really like the job, take it. You can always move up. If I were your age again, I'd try really hard to work in a college setting. You may start low, but, you can move up - or sideways, you're always around some form of intelligent life... and, the benefits are good. Also, many will pay for a huge chunk of your tuition. Not that you need it, I know. But, you can always use that money dad saved for you to put it down for an apartment. Good luck!

Question: administrative assistant? I'm looking for a job as an administrative assistant/receptionist/clerical work, etc. I'm working on my degree in English and I go to school at night. What do employers look for when hiring for these positions? What should I add to my resume to help get the job? I have lots of customer service experience from previous jobs. I also have pretty decent writing skills. I'm friendly and good with people too.

Answer: First, there is a huge difference in an administrative assistant and a receptionist or general clerk - although, in a small office setting, an admin assistant may perform all duties. A receptionist who is only a receptionist will answer phones, take messages, greet clients as they arrive, and maybe do some filing and a small amount of paperwork. As these are the only duties, the pay will not be great. A general clerk might make a little more, if they are doing more and have a little more responsibility than the receptionist. An administrative assistant generally reports to one or maybe two people, and does specific job functions that require accuracy, attention to detail, really great typing skills, a good working knowledge of whatever computer programs the company uses daily, and the ability to work without a lot of supervision, as she or he will mostly working alone on whatever the assigned tasks are. An admin assistant is not generally answering the phones and setting appointments, unless it is a very small office (like mine) and she is doing more than one job function. Admin assistants are typically people who already have several years of some type of secretarial experience as a bare minimum. Hope this helps!

Question: How to write an impressive cover letter for an receptionist/ administrative assistant job? possibly at a DR office with no prior health exp... how sad..nothing but spammers

Answer: You should list your qualifications about the job. Relate some of the key words from the job description into your cover letter. The website listed below has a few examples that you can download for free. You can then fill in your own information.

Question: im trying to get a receptionist/ administrative assistant job but no response? i just started volunteering at red cross as a receptionist. but i cant seem to find a job for this.i know word/excel, know how to use the phones. its like they wont even take a look at my resume im applying several times a day to different online sites. but im getting no response. help?

Answer: First is make a resume that shows off all your skills. Just google on resume tips and templates theres a lot out there you can use Make sure to keep your resume not more than 2 pages show special trainings or you have related to your job Put in a good objective. Second. If you are in the US make a job profile and Monster.com or Careerbuilder.com Those are jobsites you can search jobs for by filed. Keywords to use are administrative or clerical Make sure to NOT apply for those work for home things...mosts are scams Register at Temp agencies like Appleone or Manpower, they do a lot of Job placement for positions that you are searching for

Question: Do you enjoy working as a secretary, receptionist, administrative assistant, etc? (And why)? I am a 21 year old full time student. I just resigned from my position as an assistant manager at Victoria's Secret and have recently accepted a position as an administrative assistant with a business in Manhattan. Retail is so much different than clerical work, and I just wanted to know if anyone could give me some personal testimony on what it is like to work in any of these areas.

Answer: I did it and didn't like it at all. I found that people treated you like you were not that bright since you were doing clerical work. It is fine for a part time job while you are finishing your education but I wouldn't want to make it a lifetime career. It is low paying and typically there is no room for advancement.

Question: Administrative assistant/receptionist--slow moving job w/ a lot of downtime? Of those of you who work as an admin assist/receptionist, how busy are you during the way? How do you spend your time? Is there a lot of downtime where you don't have any actual work and must occupy yourself doing whatever you want? I'm looking for a job like that. Basically I want to get paid to sit in a chair and answer phones and assist people when it comes up, but generally not being too busy

Answer: I have had two receptionist jobs at two different companies, and both times there has been a lot of "down time", although now I am a lot more busy because the company (a law firm) is a lot bigger than the first one. I spend my time online reading the news, reading newspapers or magazines, reading and doing homework (online classes for college), and reading or writing for fun (I'm a bookworm). So if you want a job like that I would say look for any receptionist position (that is definitely different than a secretary; secretaries ARE busy all the time!), then again don't expect to be paid too much more than minimum wage, unless you're working for professionals, like lawyers, doctors, or architects. The downside to a receptionist job is that it is boring in and of itself so the appeal to these jobs is that you have time to do something useful and constructive (I have time to go to college, and working 25 hrs a week pays for it). Another downside is that you have to stay at your desk all the time even if you need to go to the bathroom, because you are the initial contact for the company, and if you are missing from your desk, bad things will happen!