Administrative Assistant: Expectation vs Reality 2020
When it comes to the day-to-day operations of many organizations and companies, then administrative assistants are front and center of it all, as per the gurus over at RunRex.com. This is because administrative assistants are the ones that schedule appointments, prepare documents, support the other staff, organize files and so much more. Quite simply put, most organizations and companies would descend into chaos if the administrative assistant was missing. It is a challenging job and given all it entails, it is no surprise that there are lots of people looking to get into it. If you are looking to be an administrative assistant, then I’m sure that you have your eyes firmly fixed on going up the ladder and becoming a project manager or having a long and successful career in operations. One of the main reasons why being an administrative assistant has been one of the most attractive jobs out there, as per discussions on the same over at RunRex.com, is due to the fact that an administrative is not only in close contact with organization and company leaders, they also have the capacity to work in practically any industry as let’s face it, any company no matter the industry, would use an administrative assistant. However, given how the job description of an administrative assistant has been evolving over the years, there is an argument that there is a chasm between what one would expect and the reality on the ground. To that effect, this article will look to highlight the expectations one may have of an administrative assistant and the reality going into 2020.
One expectation you may have about being an administrative assistant is that your work will be restricted to typing, answering the phone and filing but as per discussions on the same over at RunRex.com, the reality going into 2020 is that the job description of an administrative assistant is expanding by the day. Nowadays, an administrative assistant is expected to handle the aforementioned tasks as well as additional tasks such as planning company events, managing social media accounts if the company has any, assist in the hiring and recruitment processes as well as providing technology training to fellow employees. The point on managing social media accounts is particularly important going into 2020 as more and more companies are looking to establish a social media presence. And since many companies aim to have a lean work force, as per the folks over at RunRex.com, then most will have their administrative assistants handle their social media accounts rather than hiring staff for that. Therefore, as an aspiring or practicing administrative assistant, you should be on top of matters social media going 2020.
Given that how difficult it is to find a job out there after graduating college, a topic that has been covered in more detail over at RunRex.com, the expectation would be that when looking for work as an administrative assistant, all the power lies with employers as is the case for most jobs. However, the reality on the ground, is that this is still pretty much a job seeker’s market as many employers are actually still striving to find highly qualified and skilled administrative assistants, something we expect to be the case still as we head into 2020. The simple explanation for this is that, unlike many other professionals, administrative assistants can actually work in virtually any industry and field as mentioned above and as such opportunities are there for you as long as you have all the requisite skills and qualifications. It is also worth pointing out that, as per the stats and figures available out there, the starting salary of an administrative assistant going into 2020 is $37,250 at the midpoint which just goes to show how attractive the job is if you are qualified.
We have all read and heard about how automation in the office is taking over many tasks, especially as pertains robotic process automation, RPA, something covered in detail over at the excellent RunRex.com. The expectation, especially going into 2020 is that many companies will have no need for an administrative assistant as most of their duties are automated. However, the reality on the ground is that administrative assistants are still just as important as they were before, just that their duties are a lot more complex than they were before. This is important to keep in mind when going into 2020 as you may be required to get new certifications if you are to stay relevant in the job market. Administrative assistants are now even involved in the budgeting process to give you an idea of how complex their duties are getting. As an administrative assistant going into 2020, make sure that you show your employers how well you are adapting to the automation and how you are leveraging the same in your duties like say event planning and so forth. If you can adapt, then the reality is that you will still be as relevant going into 2020.
The above discussion just begins to scratch the surface as far as this topic is concerned and if you are looking for more information on this and other related topics, then make sure you head over to the excellent RunRex.com.