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 Administrative Assistants
- Human Resources Clerks
- Resource Coordinators
- Staffing Assistants
- Human Resources Technicians
- Human Resources Executive Assistants
- Administrative Assistants
- Talent Coordinators
- Human Resources Payroll Assistants
- Human Resources Office Assistants
- Human Resources Assistants/Receptionists
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: 8.7%
- Management of Companies and Enterprises: 8.7%
- Employment Services: 8.5%
- Federal Government, Military: 5.2%
- Education and Hospitals (Local Government): 4.8%
- Local Government, Excluding Education and Hospitals: 4.5%
- Other: 59.6%
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 2022, about 8.7% of all jobs for administrative assistants were found there.
Other top industries by percentage include Management of Companies and Enterprises (8.7%), Employment Services (8.5%), Federal Government, Military (5.2%), Education and Hospitals (Local Government) (4.8%) and Local Government, Excluding Education and Hospitals (4.5%).
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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 common skills - interpersonal qualities and attributes - that can help you thrive in the workplace.
In-Demand Skills for Today's Administrative Assistants
Top 5 Common Skills for Administrative Assistants
| Skills | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Communications | 23,022 | 43% |
| Detail Oriented | 15,546 | 29% |
| Microsoft Office | 15,272 | 28% |
| Customer Service | 14,913 | 28% |
| Clerical Works | 14,226 | 26% |
For common skills, communications was the most desired skill found in job postings for administrative assistants, followed by detail oriented, microsoft office, customer service, clerical works and microsoft excel.
| Skill | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Communications | 23,022 | 43% |
| Detail Oriented | 15,546 | 29% |
| Microsoft Office | 15,272 | 28% |
| Customer Service | 14,913 | 28% |
| Clerical Works | 14,226 | 26% |
| Microsoft Excel | 13,480 | 25% |
| Administrative Functions | 13,272 | 25% |
| Management | 12,865 | 24% |
| Organizational Skills | 10,684 | 20% |
| Filing | 10,621 | 20% |
| Writing | 10,386 | 19% |
| Operations | 10,255 | 19% |
| Interpersonal Communications | 8,222 | 15% |
| Scheduling | 8,182 | 15% |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 7,714 | 14% |
| Microsoft Outlook | 7,682 | 14% |
| Multitasking | 7,498 | 14% |
| Coordinating | 6,809 | 13% |
| Problem Solving | 6,749 | 12% |
| Computer Literacy | 6,535 | 12% |
Most In-Demand Jobs for Administrative Assistants
Top 5 Posted Job Titles
| Job Title | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Human Resources Assistants | 116,800 | 69.5% |
| Human Resources Administrative Assistants | 20,612 | 12.3% |
| Human Resources Clerks | 6,700 | 4% |
| Resource Coordinators | 2,784 | 1.7% |
| Staffing Assistants | 2,288 | 1.4% |
According to job postings that were published between September 2021 and August 2022, the top job sought by employers was human resources assistants, with 26,509 unique job postings. Human resources administrative assistants were second, with 1,664 postings, followed by human resources clerks, resource coordinators and staffing 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 | 116,800 | 69.5% |
| Human Resources Administrative Assistants | 20,612 | 12.3% |
| Human Resources Clerks | 6,700 | 4% |
| Resource Coordinators | 2,784 | 1.7% |
| Staffing Assistants | 2,288 | 1.4% |
| Human Resources Technicians | 2,309 | 1.4% |
| Human Resources Executive Assistants | 2,190 | 1.3% |
| Administrative Assistants | 2,147 | 1.3% |
| Talent Coordinators | 1,282 | 0.8% |
| Human Resources Payroll Assistants | 1,785 | 1.1% |
| Human Resources Office Assistants | 1,591 | 0.9% |
| Human Resources Assistants/Receptionists | 1,463 | 0.9% |
| Assistant Human Resources Managers | 1,047 | 0.6% |
| Military Human Resources Assistants | 743 | 0.4% |
| Bilingual Human Resources Assistants | 896 | 0.5% |
| Enrollment Specialists | 692 | 0.4% |
| Human Resources Benefits Coordinators | 758 | 0.5% |
| Human Resources Specialists | 278 | 0.2% |
| Human Resources File Clerks | 883 | 0.5% |
| Human Resources Benefits Assistants | 815 | 0.5% |
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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