Office Administration

What Is Office Administration?

People who work in Office Administration keep the business, medical office, or school running smoothly and are sort of the backbone of the company, since, if they don’t do their jobs well, all operations could come to a halt.  The size of the organization determines how the various tasks will be divided among employees:  the larger the company, the more specialized the positions.  An office manager is responsible for keeping the office running, keeping equipment running, ordering supplies, delivering mail, making bank deposits, sending out invoices, and completing payroll.  Personal Assistants take care of managers’ scheduling and correspondence needs, and Receptionists are the first contact for people visiting the office.  They take care of the immediate needs of the visitor/patient/client and need to have really good communications skills and a willingness to be pleasant and helpful, while also being efficient.  And then there are specialties like Legal Secretary or Medical Secretary where not only good administrative skills are needed but also a knowledge of the terminology of the technical field in which they are working.

If you have a high school diploma, you can quality for an entry-level position in Office Administration by earning a certificate or associate’s degree at a business school or community college.  Then, with job experience, you may be able to move into office management, although some organizations require a bachelor’s degree for that. Bachelor’s programs include advanced skills that certificate programs don’t have—like skills in office technology, intricate word processing, and business problem solving. Plus, you’ll also get some training in accounting and finance.  The future job outlook for people at the bachelor’s level is about double that for the certificate holders.  Are you organized, and do you work well with other people? Office Administration may be in your future.  Job titles you’ll find are Receptionist, Executive Secretary, Legal Secretary, Office Manager, Virtual Assistant, Executive Assistant, Bookkeeper, Cashier, and Records Manager.