Natural Characteristics of People Who Will Thrive in Office Assistant Jobs

Sometimes it can be hard to think of an “assistant” as something to aspire to. Why be an assistant manager when you can be a manager? Aren’t assistants just lackeys for the senior management who do the real important stuff?

I need you to go get some sage and cast those thoughts out of your head. Shoo! Begone!

More often than not, office assistant jobs, whether personal, administrative, executive, or other, are an ESSENTIAL cog in the machine that keeps a business working. If the CEO or company president was responsible for overseeing everything, planning events, booking travel, answering emails, data entry...you get the idea.

Basically, all the responsibilities of keeping an organization…organized is too much for any one person to handle.

That’s where assistants come in. 

Assistants aren’t people who couldn’t hack it at the top. Above all, they’re the people who keep the people at the top, at the bottom, and everywhere in between, above water.

It’s not for the faint-hearted, but it could be for you. 

First, we're going to take a look at some characteristics that natural-born office assistants might have. Then, if this job sounds like your cup of tea, you can check out tips, webinars, blog posts, and roadmaps artfully crafted by the pros at ASAP on our website!

What is the Office Assistant Job Description?

An office assistant is someone who’s responsible for keeping the office supplied and organized. Here is a list of some duties office assistants might expect in their role:

• Overseeing clerical tasks, like sorting and sending mail
• Keeping an inventory of office supplies and ordering new materials as needed
• Maintaining files 
• Welcoming visitors to the office
• Answering phone calls
• Taking and delivering messages
• Scheduling meetings and events
• Booking travel and hotels

If this sounds like your gig, what are you waiting for?! 

Office Assistant Jobs Near You Need Social Butterflies!

Whether or not you’re client-facing and welcoming people to the office, you’re going to be talking to a lot of people during your day. 

You might be giving out the Wi-Fi password for the hundredth time while waiting for a call back from a customer. You might be negotiating a venue for a corporate event while ordering lunch for the entire office on your phone. 

This job may see a lot of desk time, but it’s hardly a lonely job.

If you thrive in environments where you’re meeting and talking to people, then you’ll thrive in an assistant job!

Office Assistants Should Be Tech-Savvy!

It’s not just shorthand and rolodexes anymore! As an assistant you might be setting up video conferences, managing digital calendars, handling content management, overseeing emails, and entering data. 

Generally, you can do all of those things in the same suite like Google or Microsoft. On the other hand, though, you might need a number of different programs to do it all. 

If you’re a quick learner and comfortable around tech, an assistant job is great for you!

Organization Comes Naturally to You

Assistants are hardly ever only responsible for assisting one person. In fact, office and administration assistants oversee multiple calendars, inboxes, spreadsheets, softwares, and content management systems.

If you always had the most clean-cut, organized, color-coded binder in school, you might be perfect for this job. Are you an artist at comparing schedules and finding that perfect window of time for a meeting? Do you know, down to the number, how many pencils are left in your drawer at home right now? 

Basically, are you the most prepared and organized person you know? 

Then we need you!

A Quick Study

As the work environment changes, you might find you have to learn new programs, new formulas, new names, etc. If you pick up new information quickly and can even give some pointers to people who need them, you are definitely built for an office assistant job!

Are you an administrative assistant with a passion for helping your business run smoothly? Let the experts at ASAP help you hone your skills and even learn some new ones with training conferences, webinars, and certification programs for administrative assistants, executive assistants, administrative staff, administrative professionals, coordinators, and more!