How To Become An Administrative Aide: What It Is and Career Path

What is an administrative aide and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

An administrative aide is an individual who assists with the daily clerical and logistical needs of an office. Common duties and tasks include answering phones, logging information, copying files, responding to emails, updating schedules, and greeting and assisting visitors to the office.

Administrative aides need to be able to multitask as their job sees them performing a variety of functions. They also must be able to prioritize tasks properly in terms of importance and urgency.

Many administrative aides have skills in typing, organizing, communication, interpersonal, and sometimes customer service. Depending on the industry they work in, they might also have industry-specific skills, as well as the ability to understand and communicate in industry-specific language.

Most administrative aide positions require candidates to have at least a high school diploma or GED. Certain employers also prefer candidates that have an associate's or bachelor's degree in areas such as business or accounting.

Some administrative aide roles at higher levels require professional experience, while others may not require much in the way of previous experience. Some companies will also provide on-the-job training. Many seek out administrative aide positions with the aim of working their way up the ladder of a company.

What general advice would you give to an administrative aide?

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

Professor, West Virginia State University

I would say it's important to be very attentive to the way you communicate with your employers, managers, and co-workers. Even sending an e-mail can be an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism and communication skills. Some people think that no one knows how to write anymore, or how to communicate in a professional way. I don't think that's true. But we don't always think about how our writing can be a tool to communicate our competence and seriousness. If you know how to write and communicate professionally-which college grads do-then make sure to demonstrate that in the workplace.

ScoreAdministrative AideUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,714

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 3.83%

Black or African American 9.30%

Hispanic or Latino 16.28%

Unknown 3.87%

White 65.99%

Gender

female 77.99%

male 22.01%

Age - 52

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 52

Stress level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.4

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an administrative aide

Explore administrative aide education requirements

Most common administrative aide degrees

Bachelor's

54.4 %

Associate

20.6 %

High School Diploma

11.1 %

Start to develop specific administrative aide skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	15.12%
Word Processing	14.19%
Proofreading	12.62%
Data Entry	10.40%
Clerical Support	5.82%

Complete relevant administrative aide training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New administrative aides learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an administrative aide based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real administrative aide resumes.

Gain additional administrative aide certifications

Administrative aide certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific administrative aide certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for administrative aides include Word 2010 Certification and Certified Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS).

More About Certifications

Research administrative aide duties and responsibilities

Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
Job costing (normal), A/R.
Design charts for GBR-P and UEWR manuals using Powerpoint for the radar group.
Reconcile A/R and A/P; contact vendors and customers to resolve account discrepancies.

Prepare your administrative aide resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your administrative aide resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an administrative aide resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable administrative aide resume templates

Build a professional administrative aide resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your administrative aide resume.