How To Become An Administrative Assistant/Secretary/Receptionist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

The average administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist salary is $32,974. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become an administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist. Administrative assistant/secretaries/receptionist with a Word 2010 Certification certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -8% and produce -286,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist?

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 Assistant/Secretary/ReceptionistUS Average

Salary

2.6

Avg. Salary $32,974

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 3.84%

Black or African American 9.35%

Hispanic or Latino 16.36%

Unknown 3.87%

White 65.84%

Gender

female 95.89%

male 4.11%

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 assistant/secretary/receptionist

Explore administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist education requirements

Most common administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist degrees

Bachelor's

30.3 %

High School Diploma

27.9 %

Associate

26.7 %

Start to develop specific administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Entry	22.39%
Scheduling Appointments	10.73%
Front Desk	7.03%
Office Equipment	6.46%
Payroll	5.88%

Complete relevant administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New administrative assistant/secretaries/receptionist 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 assistant/secretary/receptionist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist resumes.

Research administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist duties and responsibilities

Act as primary liaison between patients, physical therapists and physicians while accomplishing miscellaneous duties necessary for maintaining operations.
Process staff meal deductions for payroll.
Track and submit working hours of employees to payroll department.
Prepared/Analyze invoices for billing department and research subpoenas.

Prepare your administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist 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 assistant/secretary/receptionist 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 assistant/secretary/receptionist resume templates

Build a professional administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist 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 assistant/secretary/receptionist resume.

Apply for administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist salary

The average administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist salary in the United States is $32,974 per year or $16 per hour. Administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist salaries range between $25,000 and $42,000 per year.

Average administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist salary

$32,974 Yearly

$15.85 hourly

How do administrative assistant/secretaries/receptionist rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2024

Pros

Good work life balance, low stress and responsibility

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2022

Pros

Writing a message,Organizing receipts and expenses and sending them out when needed

Cons

Failure to comply with working hours, theft and fraud,

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

It my passion to help people in need. It makes me feel good to see people the Youth do well in the life

Cons

I don't like to see anyone stuck in between and not being helped.

What is an administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist and how to become one

What general advice would you give to an administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist?

Administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist career paths

Key steps to become an administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist

Explore administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist education requirements

Most common administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist degrees

Start to develop specific administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist skills

Complete relevant administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist training and internships

Research administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist duties and responsibilities

Prepare your administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist resume

Choose from 10+ customizable administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist resume templates

Apply for administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist jobs

How did you land your first administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist job

Average administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist salary

How do administrative assistant/secretaries/receptionist rate their job?

Administrative assistant/secretary/receptionist reviews