How To Become An Administrative Assistant/Word Processor: What It Is and Career Path

What is an administrative assistant/word processor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

The average administrative assistant/word processor salary is $40,726. 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/word processor. Administrative assistant/word processors 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/word processor?

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/Word ProcessorUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $40,726

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 9.31%

Hispanic or Latino 16.29%

Unknown 3.87%

White 65.96%

Gender

female 86.30%

male 13.70%

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/word processor

Explore administrative assistant/word processor education requirements

Most common administrative assistant/word processor degrees

Bachelor's

41.0 %

Associate

25.3 %

High School Diploma

18.0 %

Start to develop specific administrative assistant/word processor skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Entry	13.53%
Financial Statements	12.59%
PowerPoint	8.53%
Travel Arrangements	8.44%
Proofread	7.72%

Complete relevant administrative assistant/word processor training and internships

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

Research administrative assistant/word processor duties and responsibilities

Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
Create PowerPoint slides for recruiting.
Work with and perfect company forms, create PowerPoint slides, and update and maintain mailing lists.
Register new patients and update existing patient's demographics by collecting patient detail patient's information including personal and financial information.

Prepare your administrative assistant/word processor resume

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

Build a professional administrative assistant/word processor 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/word processor resume.

Apply for administrative assistant/word processor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an administrative assistant/word processor 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

How do administrative assistant/word processors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Administrative assistant/word processor reviews

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 Apr 2021

Pros

Working from home in my free time when I have time on hands basically in the mornings.

Cons

Working with people directly is not my passion as I will rather capture any figure related work.

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/word processor and how to become one

What general advice would you give to an administrative assistant/word processor?

Administrative assistant/word processor career paths

Key steps to become an administrative assistant/word processor

Explore administrative assistant/word processor education requirements

Most common administrative assistant/word processor degrees

Start to develop specific administrative assistant/word processor skills

Complete relevant administrative assistant/word processor training and internships

Research administrative assistant/word processor duties and responsibilities

Prepare your administrative assistant/word processor resume

Choose from 10+ customizable administrative assistant/word processor resume templates

Apply for administrative assistant/word processor jobs

How did you land your first administrative assistant/word processor job

Average administrative assistant/word processor salary

How do administrative assistant/word processors rate their job?

Administrative assistant/word processor reviews