Question:
what do you have to do as office admin assistant?
anonymous
2011-03-09 19:07:16 UTC
hi, ive just been offered my first ever office admin job, its a basic office junior opportunity however ive had no experience in any offices before. The employer is aware with this however i was hoping i could get some in depth details about the job.

firstly, what would i need to bring? e.g notepad, stationary.
what would i do for the 7 or 8 hours im there for the first few days as i don't have any experience.
plus, what do i do with phone calls within the first few days as im not going to know anyone and how things work.

also, if you could give a detailed explanation of an office admins role within the office?

thanks for your time.
Four answers:
?
2011-03-09 19:17:03 UTC
Sure, I've had several such jobs, the first of which were entry level.



First, they're going to show you how to do things, so don't be nervous about not knowing. They have to introduce you to the office setting, what programs they use, what tasks they need done, etc. You do not have to bring anything (unless they specifically asked you to). Offices have plenty of stationery! If you really want to, feel free to bring your own little notepad so you can take notes on what they tell you -- but they'll supply you with whatever you need/ask for anyway.



Admin assistant office duties usually include filing, answering phones, typing, reviewing or creating documents, maybe some client correspondence/sending out emails, etc (depends what kind of office it is/what they do, but this is the standard list). Filing is easy -- just put files in drawers in alphabetical order. They may give you some material to type up/edit. They may give you a pile of papers and ask you to go through it, highlighting certain sections or typing certain lines of information into a document. They will show you exactly what they want done before you have to do it, and if you have any questions, they should make themselves available.



They'll tell you how to answer the phone, how to put someone on hold so you can get help with a question, and how to transfer the call to somebody else.



They might even ask you to make coffee! I'm not a coffee drinker, so they had to show me how to make it on my first day (embarrassing!).



If you want, ask them what computer software they use if they haven't told you already. Then you can download it on your own computer and figure out a little bit of how it works on your own. Most offices use Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point, and Outlook for mail, so you could study those.



If you get bored, make little people out of paper clips! I made a whole bunch of those at one office job I had. Good luck!
spalmer
2011-03-09 19:11:35 UTC
Most employers will offer a training period... or at least have you shadow someone else in the job. You'll be shown how to use the equipment, which may include: a fax machine, copier/scanner, multi-line telephone, etc. I would definitely bring a notepad and pen so that you can take notes. Feel free to ask questions so that you are sure of what you need to do. They should explain how you should answer the phone and if the company has extensions for the employees, you should receive a phone list with those extensions. Typical administrative work includes answering phones, typing documents, making copies, filing, making coffee, etc.



Don't be afraid to ask questions or clarify what is expected of you. Feel free to take notes so that you can review what has been explained to you (this is much better than asking 20 times how to transfer phone calls). Everyone has a first day on the job... so it's okay to be "new" to the office world and there should be plenty of understanding employees. After a few weeks, more will be expected of you, but for now just go in with a smile on your face and be ready to learn. Good luck to you.
anonymous
2016-02-29 01:48:57 UTC
Yeah the job roles are basically the same..bigger companies tend to call it admin assistant as it's more of a formal job title, and smaller companies call it office assistant.
?
2011-03-09 19:13:27 UTC
Filing, photocopying, faxing, answering the telephone. Keeping the photocopying machine stocked up. Making coffee at 10am and 3pm.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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