What Does an Administrative Associate Do?

An administrative associate is responsible for performing various tasks such as handling and processing paperwork, attending meetings and preparing minutes, responding to inquiries and other forms of correspondence, keeping accurate records, updating databases, and monitoring the company's financial activities. They also communicate with various department personnel, ensuring coordination should any important matter would arise. Furthermore, as an administrative associate, they are in charge of procuring supplies, implementing company policies, and supporting any staff members if needed.

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Administrative Associate Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real administrative associate resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

Manage consultants' calendar, arrange travel, paid bills via QuickBooks software.
Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
Enter invoices in QuickBooks and P2P.
Fulfill medical record requests from patients, providers and insurance companies in a HIPAA compliant way.
Prepare PowerPoint presentations and address day to day general operations and office procedures.
Prepare PowerPoint & other digital media for presentations that are distributed to upper management.
Collect data and prepare performance appraisals and payroll for bi-weekly and monthly employee's annual/probationary evaluations.
Administer to register emergency room patients efficiently and accurately by inputting their information into the e-care database system.
Perform payroll/personnel record processing including preparation of bi- weekly payrolls, PTO reconciliations and payroll record maintenance forms.
Implement a solution for staffing restructure that reduce overall salary expense while maintaining productivity for a rehabilitation inpatient nursing unit.
Adjust time clock punches in KRONOS, and adjust schedule as needed.
Enter time edit slips and off site location time sheets for the branch into KRONOS.
Perform assessment of case and independent corrections/updates to DMV records as determined through customer contact and research.
Service delivery includes driver, dealer, motor carrier, vehicle registration and titling, tax collection and other DMV services.
Assess urgency and priorities before accepting or declining appointments and meetings with the CIO.

Administrative Associate Job Description

Between the years 2018 and 2028, administrative associate jobs are expected to undergo a growth rate described as "decline" at -7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So if the thought "should I become an administrative associate?" Has crossed your mind, maybe you should take the growth rate into account. In addition, the number of administrative associate opportunities that are projected to become available by 2028 is -276,700.

Administrative associates average about $16.77 an hour, which makes the administrative associate annual salary $34,873. Additionally, administrative associates are known to earn anywhere from $23,000 to $51,000 a year. This means that the top-earning administrative associates make $31,000 more than the lowest earning ones.

As is the case with most jobs, it takes work to become an administrative associate. Sometimes people change their minds about their career after working in the profession. That's why we looked into some other professions that might help you find your next opportunity. These professions include a secretary, department secretary, assistant/clinic administrator, and executive administrator.

Learn More About Administrative Associate Job Descriptions

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12 Administrative Associate Resume Examples

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Roy Carter Administrative Associate Contact Information New York, NY (660) 555-4483 rcarter@example.com Skills Customer Service Property Management Security Deposits Sick Leave Procedures Department Databases Background Checks Personal Computers Word Processing Health Department Employment History Administrative Associate 2020 - Present Morgan Stanley New York, NY Applied firm verification policies and procedures to provide clients with secure world-class customer service. Maintain all calendars - scheduling and/or rescheduling meetings, appointments and conference calls. Schedule meetings and/or conferences by interacting with internal/external clients/partners to coordinate calendars, accommodations, meeting materials and supplies. Coordinated meal catering, travel arrangements and supply logistics on a regular basis. Office Specialist 2019 - 2020 H&R Block New York, NY Conducted weekly staff meetings, gathered weekly office statistic reports. Located and filed patients charts, preparing medical records to be released to various facilities and patients. Set up new employee personnel files. Follow up with customers for approval of repair pricing and purchase orders. Leasing Agent 2009 - 2019 Lincoln Property Company Herndon, VA Qualify prospective tenants Secret Shopper (quality control) Process lease contracts and renewals Liaison between tenant and Property Management Advertised client properties on websites, through social media and in real estate guides. Maintain a working knowledge of all Fair Housing Laws, Policies and consistent in upholding company policies. Provide excellent customer service to current residents and traffic. Education Some College Courses Accounting 2009 - 2009 Pennsylvania State University Main, PA


Patricia Gibson Administrative Associate Contact Info Washington, DC (360) 555-3280 pgibson@example.com Skills IsrsSick LeaveTelephone CallsInternetDelphiWalk-In CustomersData CollectionProgram SupportSales GoalsPurchase Orders Employment History Administrative Associate 2019 - Present United States Marine Washington, DC Increased facility motor-voter registration by 15% within one year by introducing and implementing procedural guidelines. Maintained Arena database by adding or updating current members history and information and also creating various reports. Reconcile all company accounts in line with bank statements via QuickBooks, identifying and resolving any discrepancies. Answered calls, scheduling employment tests, handled payroll, and provided administrative support. Administrative Assistant/Sales Support 2016 - 2019 Genworth Financial Lynchburg, VA Initiated exception investigation through inquiries and communication with trade processing and advisor rep groups within State Street. Established and implemented library system of recruitment files and procedures. Exercise verbal and written communication with partnering departments to provide timely feedback for customer resolution within the given Service Level Agreement. Program And Administrative Assistant 2012 - 2016 Ericsson USA Lynchburg, VA Created/maintained a FoxPro database to track project extra costs and to produce monthly reports. Learned vast amounts while working on various server and network hardware. Provided administrative support to controller, executive management and senior leadership for team of nearly 300 associates. Gathered, posted, and filed all job-specific invoices and materials into QuickBooks. Maintained all records for Facilities Department including credit card receipts, employee paperwork, and environmental rounds reports. Education Associate's Degree Psychology 2010 - 2012 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA


Stephen Warren Administrative Associate Detroit, MI (500) 555-6997 swarren@example.com Experience Administrative Associate2011 - Present Kelly Services•Detroit, MI Submit purchase orders and product requisitions. Make travel arrangements through travel agent associated with NYS OCFS. Created and edited PowerPoint presentations for Director-level meetings. General office operations and customer service Operate up to 50 line switchboard, route calls, take message Worked a temporary assignment for WTAS a premier tax firm located downtown Chicago reporting directly to the Human Resources Manager. Provided secretarial support to four litigation associates in all aspects of corporate and civil litigation. Regional Administrative Assistant2010 - 2011 Kelly Services•Detroit, MI Managed the daily calendar for the Administrative Manager and Director of ADA Compliance by scheduling meetings, appointments and travel. Updated agenda topic(s) and speaker information in SharePoint. Update DOS database, review and run contractor reports and contractors' time-cards, submit reports with time-cards for manager approval. Billing Assistant2006 - 2010 Kelly Services•Saint Louis, MO Faxed declaration pages and insurance renewal information to insurance companies. Maintained and reviewed medical records for clients making sure records were compliant with state and local regulations. input ICD 9 and CPT codes, follow all of HIPPA Laws and procedures, billing insurance companiesfor procedures. Entered billing information to create the invoices Verified, for accuracy, the information entered by the other departments Skills Administrative TasksMedicaidDocument PreparationOffice ProceduresInsurance CompaniesProceduresPowerpointTelephone CallsMedical RecordsPersonnel Files Education Some College Courses Computer Science2006 - 2006 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey•New Brunswick, NJ

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Administrative Associate Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 12% of Administrative Associates are proficient in Administrative Tasks, Purchase Orders, and Customer Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Writing skills.

We break down the percentage of Administrative Associates that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Administrative Tasks, 12%
Supported Counsels, two Office Directors, Director of International Relations and Manager of Political Programs by performing administrative tasks.
Purchase Orders, 10%
General administrative duties included authorizing, processing, approving and monitoring expenses related to all purchase orders and travel documents.
Customer Service, 10%
Administrated statewide conversion to Cardinal Health ambulatory medical supply procurement module providing customer service to 160 ambulatory practice locations in Colorado.
Telephone Calls, 9%
Maintain financial records and prepare preliminary budget estimate* Make and receive telephone calls regarding customer questions including appointment scheduling.
Travel Arrangements, 9%
Exercised additional support including calendar management, telephone coverage, travel arrangements, expense reports, presentations, and performance reports.
Patients, 8%
Supported medical doctors, managed sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Administrative Associate Resume templates

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Most administrative associates list "administrative tasks," "purchase orders," and "customer service" as skills on their resumes. We go into more details on the most important administrative associate responsibilities here:

Arguably the most important personality trait for an administrative associate to have happens to be interpersonal skills. An example from a resume said this about the skill, "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff" Additionally, other resumes have pointed out that administrative associates can use interpersonal skills to "scheduled patients, scheduled recalls, strong interaction with doctors patients, excellent interpersonal and communication skills. "

Another trait important for fulfilling administrative associate duties is organizational skills. According to a administrative associate resume, "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in proper order so an office can run efficiently." Here's an example of how administrative associates are able to utilize organizational skills: "interacted with clients and utilized excellent organizational skills to arrange and coordinate doctor appointments and tests. "

Administrative associates are also known for writing skills, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a administrative associate resume: "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers" We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "assisted with writing sops for office procedures and policies and distribute on sharepoint site when required. "

See the full list of administrative associate skills.

Before becoming an administrative associate, 56.6% earned their bachelor's degree. When it comes down to graduating with a master's degree, 8.8% administrative associates went for the extra education. If you're wanting to pursue this career, it may be possible to be successful with a high school degree. In fact, most administrative associates have a college degree. But about one out of every seven administrative associates didn't attend college at all.

The administrative associates who went onto college to earn a more in-depth education generally studied business and psychology, while a small population of administrative associates studied accounting and health care administration.

When you're ready to become an administrative associate, you might wonder which companies hire administrative associates. According to our research through administrative associate resumes, administrative associates are mostly hired by Highmark, Stanford University, and Lahey Health Behavioral Services. Now is a good time to apply as Highmark has 40 administrative associates job openings, and there are 39 at Stanford University and 28 at Lahey Health Behavioral Services.

But if you're interested in companies where you might earn a high salary, administrative associates tend to earn the biggest salaries at Lord Abbett, First Republic Bank, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Take Lord Abbett for example. The median administrative associate salary is $110,635. At First Republic Bank, administrative associates earn an average of $103,673, while the average at JPMorgan Chase & Co. is $102,050. You should take into consideration how difficult it might be to secure a job with one of these companies.

View more details on administrative associate salaries across the United States.

We also looked into companies who hire administrative associates from the top 100 educational institutions in the U.S. The top three companies that hire the most from these institutions include University of Connecticut, Kelly Services, and United States Army Corps of Engineers.

For the most part, administrative associates make their living in the health care and education industries. Administrative associates tend to make the most in the finance industry with an average salary of $41,923. The administrative associate annual salary in the pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries generally make $41,205 and $36,235 respectively. Additionally, administrative associates who work in the finance industry make 69.8% more than administrative associates in the technology Industry.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious administrative associates are:

Highmark40 Administrative Associates Jobs
Stanford University39 Administrative Associates Jobs
Lahey Health Behavioral Services28 Administrative Associates Jobs

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What Secretarys Do

Secretaries are employees who are responsible for many of the administrative needs of the office. They are usually assigned to executives or to a specific department. They manage schedules and appointments, often handling the calendar in the office. They are also responsible for keeping files organized, whether physical or digital copies. During office meetings, secretaries are in charge of documenting the minutes of the meeting and highlighting the action steps that need to be taken. They may also be assigned to check on concerned departments who need to present deliverables in the next office meeting.

In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take secretary for example. On average, the secretaries annual salary is $1,569 higher than what administrative associates make on average every year.

Even though administrative associates and secretaries have vast differences in their careers, a few of the skills required to do both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require administrative tasks, purchase orders, and customer service in the day-to-day roles.

As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because an administrative associate responsibility requires skills such as "patients," "data entry," "medical terminology," and "patient care." Whereas a secretary is skilled in "secretarial support," "office procedures," "routine correspondence," and "hr." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

Secretaries really shine in the government industry with an average salary of $46,574. Whereas administrative associates tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $41,923.

The education levels that secretaries earn is a bit different than that of administrative associates. In particular, secretaries are 4.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an administrative associate. Additionally, they're 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of a Department Secretary?

A department secretary is responsible for providing administrative and clerical support to a specific department, ensuring smooth operations to maintain high-quality services to the customers and business partners. Department secretaries should have excellent knowledge of office management principles, especially on data processing procedures and customer service processes. They handle the scheduling of meetings and conferences, responding to customers' inquiries and concerns, directing visitors to the appropriate personnel and department, sorting files, and submitting business transactions and financial reports. A department secretary also recommends strategic procedures to generate more revenues and increase the company's profitability.

Next up, we have the department secretary profession to look over. This career brings along a higher average salary when compared to an administrative associate annual salary. In fact, department secretaries salary difference is $600 higher than the salary of administrative associates per year.

While the salary may be different for these job positions, there is one similarity and that's a few of the skills needed to perform certain duties. We used info from lots of resumes to find that both administrative associates and department secretaries are known to have skills such as "administrative tasks," "purchase orders," and "customer service. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences that are worth noting. For example, administrative associate responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "eagle," "phone calls," "excellent organizational," and "financial transactions." Meanwhile, a department secretary might be skilled in areas such as "secretarial support," "hr," "emr," and "radiology." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

It's been discovered that department secretaries earn higher salaries compared to administrative associates, but we wanted to find out where department secretaries earned the most pay. The answer? The government industry. The average salary in the industry is $36,935. Additionally, administrative associates earn the highest paychecks in the finance with an average salary of $41,923.

In general, department secretaries study at similar levels of education than administrative associates. They're 4.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How an Assistant/Clinic Administrator Compares

An assistant/clinic administrator is in charge of overseeing the daily operations in clinics or similar establishments. It is their duty to set goals and guidelines, manage budgets and schedules, supervise medical staff, and develop strategies to optimize operations. They may also perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and presentations, maintaining records, handling calls and correspondence, organizing meetings, and liaising with external parties such as suppliers and vendors. Furthermore, an assistant/clinic administrator must encourage the workforce to reach goals while implementing the clinic's policies and regulations.

The assistant/clinic administrator profession generally makes a lower amount of money when compared to the average salary of administrative associates. The difference in salaries is assistant/clinic administrators making $1,960 lower than administrative associates.

Using administrative associates and assistant/clinic administrators resumes, we found that both professions have similar skills such as "administrative tasks," "customer service," and "telephone calls," but the other skills required are very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers as shown by resumes from each profession. Some of those differences include the skills required to complete responsibilities within each role. As an example of this, an administrative associate is likely to be skilled in "purchase orders," "medical terminology," "eagle," and "scheduling appointments," while a typical assistant/clinic administrator is skilled in "cpr," "appointment scheduling," "vital signs," and "triage."

When it comes to education, assistant/clinic administrators tend to earn similar education levels than administrative associates. In fact, they're 3.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of an Executive Administrator

An executive administrator is responsible for assisting the senior management staff in planning strategies and analyzing business decisions to achieve the company's goals and objectives. Executive administrators schedule meetings and handle appointments, as well as helping with the implementation of training and programs for the employees to reach their maximum operational potential and increase productivity to meet projects' demands and ensure the highest customer satisfaction. They must have exceptional time-management and organizational skills, especially on performing administrative and clerical duties as needed, as well as excellent communication skills to respond to clients' inquiries, concerns, and requests.

The fourth career we look at typically earns higher pay than administrative associates. On average, executive administrators earn a difference of $17,982 higher per year.

While their salaries may vary, administrative associates and executive administrators both use similar skills to perform their jobs. Resumes from both professions include skills like "administrative tasks," "purchase orders," and "customer service. "

While some skills are shared by these professions, there are some differences to note. "travel arrangements," "patients," "medical terminology," and "patient care" are skills that have shown up on administrative associates resumes. Additionally, executive administrator uses skills like office procedures, presentation materials, statistical reports, and executive support on their resumes.

Executive administrators earn a higher salary in the technology industry with an average of $58,323. Whereas, administrative associates earn the highest salary in the finance industry.

Executive administrators reach similar levels of education when compared to administrative associates. The difference is that they're 1.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree more, and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

What an Administrative Associate Does FAQs

What Does An Administrative Associate Make?

An administrative associate makes about $41,000, on average. The lowest 10% earned less than $27,000 on average; meanwhile, the highest 10% typically earned more than $67,000.

Administrative associates perform advanced administrative duties for businesses and public and private organizations. Their duties include overseeing budgets, issuing payments, and organizing events on the office calendar. They also assist with high-level correspondence on behalf of managers.

What Is The Highest-paying Administrative Job?

The highest-paying administrative job is a hospital administrator. Administrative responsibilities will vary with the specific type of company or work being done.

The annual average salary for a hospital administrator is approximately $111,000. This salary reflects the administrator's responsibility to operate all areas of a hospital efficiently. Similarly, the average salary of a city administrator is approximately $94,000 annually. Both positions represent large operations with many departments that must work effectively.

Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative questions.

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Updated October 2, 2020