What Do Administrative Assistants Do?
Wondering what the job is really like for administrative assistants?
You've come to the right place.
Keep reading to find detailed information about what administrative assistants do, including the type of work they are tasked with on a daily basis, industries in which they work, and the specific skills needed for a successful career.
Administrative Assistants Overview & Description
Let's get started with the basics about administrative assistants by taking a look at a simple description and popular job titles.
Administrative Assistants compile and keep personnel records. Record data for each employee, such as address, weekly earnings, absences, amount of sales or production, supervisory reports, and date of and reason for termination. May prepare reports for employment records, file employment records, or search employee files and furnish information to authorized persons.
Popular Job Titles For Administrative Assistants
Sample of Reported Job Titles
- Human Resources Assistants
- Human Resources Coordinators
- Human Resources Administrators
- Recruiting Coordinators
- Human Resources Administrative Assistants
- Security Officers
- Onboarding Coordinators
- Administrative Assistants
- Human Resources Clerks
- Human Resources Technicians
- Recruiting Assistants
- Unarmed Security Officers
Read on for insight into the industries where the highest concentration of jobs for administrative assistants can be found.
Best Industries for Administrative Assistants
Administrative Assistants Jobs By Industry
- Federal Government, Civilian: 9.2%
- Management of Companies and Enterprises: 8%
- Employment Services: 7.6%
- Federal Government, Military: 5.5%
- Local Government, Excluding Education and Hospitals: 4.7%
- Education and Hospitals (Local Government): 4.3%
- Other: 60.7%
When it comes to jobs in the United States, the largest single category of administrative assistants can be found working in the Federal Government, Civilian sector. In 2023, about 9.2% of all jobs for administrative assistants were found there.
Other top industries by percentage include Management of Companies and Enterprises (8%), Employment Services (7.6%), Federal Government, Military (5.5%), Local Government, Excluding Education and Hospitals (4.7%) and Education and Hospitals (Local Government) (4.3%).
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What Do Administrative Assistants Do on a Daily Basis?
So you have a high-level understanding of what administrative assistants do and the types of industries in which they work - but what do they really do each day?
A great way to understand the type of work administrative assistants do is to examine actual job postings and focus on the specific skills that employers are seeking. That will help paint a clearer picture of the tasks that administrative assistants tackle each day.
Continue reading for a breakdown of specialized skills found in job postings for administrative assistants, as well as common skills - interpersonal qualities and attributes - that can help you thrive in the workplace.
In-Demand Skills for Today's Administrative Assistants
Based on 78,912 job postings
Top 5 Specialized Skills for Administrative Assistants
| Skills | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative Support | 14,880 | 19% |
| Human Resources Information System (HRIS) | 14,792 | 19% |
| Auditing | 10,960 | 14% |
| Data Entry | 9,799 | 12% |
| Employee Relations | 7,081 | 9% |
Top 5 Common Skills for Administrative Assistants
| Skills | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | 35,307 | 45% |
| Customer Service | 23,555 | 30% |
| Detail Oriented | 23,221 | 29% |
| Management | 21,340 | 27% |
| Microsoft Office | 20,360 | 26% |
Based on 78,912 job postings related to administrative assistants, administrative support was the top specialized skill sought by employers, with 19% of all postings looking for that skillset. Skills for human resources information system (hris), auditing, data entry, employee relations and employee onboarding were also highly sought.
As for common skills, communication was the most desired skill found in job postings for administrative assistants, followed by customer service, detail oriented, management, microsoft office and microsoft excel.
| Skill | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative Support | 14,880 | 19% |
| Human Resources Information System (HRIS) | 14,792 | 19% |
| Auditing | 10,960 | 14% |
| Data Entry | 9,799 | 12% |
| Employee Relations | 7,081 | 9% |
| Employee Onboarding | 7,038 | 9% |
| Applicant Tracking Systems | 5,479 | 7% |
| Office Equipment | 4,950 | 6% |
| Invoicing | 4,832 | 6% |
| Human Resource Management | 4,785 | 6% |
| Accounting | 4,296 | 5% |
| Payroll Processing | 3,732 | 5% |
| Office Supply Management | 3,636 | 5% |
| Benefits Enrollment Processes | 3,483 | 4% |
| Labor Law | 3,347 | 4% |
| Project Management | 3,290 | 4% |
| Marketing | 3,085 | 4% |
| Performance Management | 2,975 | 4% |
| Benefits Administration | 2,927 | 4% |
| Bilingual (Spanish/English) | 2,759 | 3% |
| Skill | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | 35,307 | 45% |
| Customer Service | 23,555 | 30% |
| Detail Oriented | 23,221 | 29% |
| Management | 21,340 | 27% |
| Microsoft Office | 20,360 | 26% |
| Microsoft Excel | 18,447 | 23% |
| Writing | 15,568 | 20% |
| Organizational Skills | 14,896 | 19% |
| Operations | 14,566 | 18% |
| Administrative Functions | 14,399 | 18% |
| Clerical Works | 13,597 | 17% |
| Coordinating | 12,429 | 16% |
| Scheduling | 12,341 | 16% |
| Interpersonal Communications | 11,722 | 15% |
| Filing | 11,230 | 14% |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 11,169 | 14% |
| Problem Solving | 10,986 | 14% |
| Microsoft Outlook | 10,844 | 14% |
| Multitasking | 10,355 | 13% |
| Time Management | 10,354 | 13% |
Most In-Demand Jobs for Administrative Assistants
Top 5 Posted Job Titles
| Job Title | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Human Resources Assistants | 35,372 | 31.4% |
| Human Resources Coordinators | 26,331 | 23.4% |
| Human Resources Administrators | 8,220 | 7.3% |
| Recruiting Coordinators | 7,832 | 6.9% |
| Human Resources Administrative Assistants | 8,184 | 7.3% |
According to job postings that were published between September 2022 and August 2023, the top job sought by employers was human resources assistants, with 14,044 unique job postings. Human resources coordinators were second, with 3,453 postings, followed by human resources administrators, recruiting coordinators and human resources administrative assistants.
Expand the section below to see unique job postings for all occupations related to administrative assistants.
| Job Title | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Human Resources Assistants | 35,372 | 31.4% |
| Human Resources Coordinators | 26,331 | 23.4% |
| Human Resources Administrators | 8,220 | 7.3% |
| Recruiting Coordinators | 7,832 | 6.9% |
| Human Resources Administrative Assistants | 8,184 | 7.3% |
| Security Officers | 4,314 | 3.8% |
| Onboarding Coordinators | 2,432 | 2.2% |
| Administrative Assistants | 2,356 | 2.1% |
| Human Resources Clerks | 2,620 | 2.3% |
| Human Resources Technicians | 1,668 | 1.5% |
| Recruiting Assistants | 2,195 | 1.9% |
| Unarmed Security Officers | 1,814 | 1.6% |
| Human Resources Recruitment Coordinators | 1,362 | 1.2% |
| Staffing Assistants | 1,207 | 1.1% |
| Workforce Development Coordinators | 1,177 | 1% |
| Workforce Coordinators | 1,059 | 0.9% |
| Human Resources Officers | 1,116 | 1% |
| Human Resources Associates | 1,102 | 1% |
| Human Resources Administrative Specialists | 932 | 0.8% |
| Assistant Managers | 1,466 | 1.3% |
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information for administrative assistants? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for administrative assistants.
How much do administrative assistants make?
Administrative Assistants: How do you become one?
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