Are you an organized, responsible and detail-oriented person? Do you consider yourself a “people person?” If so, a job as an administrative support specialist might be perfect for you. As an administrative support specialist you will likely be responsible for using communication, writing and word processing skills. You will be expected to coordinate the administrative activities of the place in which you work, as well as store, organize, retrieve and integrate information for other employees as well as clients of your business. You may find yourself responsible for taking charge and training, managing or coordinating others in your place of business to accomplish goals.

Attending a college or university may affect where you will work and your earnings, but a college degree is not required for most positions in the administrative support specialist field. Many high schools offer training in word processing and typing, as do universities and two-year institutions. Gaining a working knowledge of these essential office skills will greatly improve your marketability as an aspiring administrative support specialist.

Excellent spelling, punctuation and grammar are other important skills for this profession, as you will often be required to record office practices and engage in correspondence with people both in and out of the office. Additionally, as more and more offices embrace technology it is important for administrative support specialists to be able to use and understand computer software programs and machines such as fax and scanners.

Take Charge and Start Your Career!

One of the best aspects of developing skills to become an administrative support specialist is that you are able to decide what specific type of office or business you want to work for. Almost every company, large or small, offers jobs in the field of administrative support. This allows you to pick where you want to work and in what kind of environment you’d like to find yourself.

Attending a university or a vocational school that emphasizes job requirements for a specific type of business can give you the essential background information and business knowledge to land an administrative support specialist job in a field that truly interests you. Once hired, on the job training is also often offered by businesses in order to familiarize new employees with the kind of work they do. This can be extremely helpful in building your understanding of a specific type of business.

Employment as an administrative support specialist can be found in any number of places: schools, hospitals, corporate offices, government agencies, legal or medical practices, etc.

While salary can often depend on where you work, the average yearly earnings for an administrative support specialist are generally about $45,000. Opportunities for part-time work are also available for this type of position, and about one-fifth of all administrative support specialists do work part time. However, most are employed full-time.

If you are interested in attaining a higher-paying job or gaining more responsibility, you might be interested in going through a certification program offered by the International Association of Administrative Professionals. This and other organizations offer testing and certification for proficiency in office skills and can help you build your career and strengthen your resume.