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

What is an administrative/design assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

Administrative/design assistants work for established designers, providing them with much-needed administrative support. They are there to perform clerical tasks to keep the work of the design team rolling. They are educated in design areas as well and are able to fill quality control functions as well. They assist in closing deals and make sure that operations run as smoothly as possible.

It will be your job to greet and keep in contact with clients and host them in the showroom. You will schedule appointments, make sure deliveries run on time, keep up with correspondence, and answer the phone, informing clients about products and services. You will gather data about prospective and existing clients, keep track of invoices and other documents, and perform data entry for various purposes.

There is much more to it, of course, the list is far from inclusive. You will take part in meetings to stay up to speed about tasks and operations. A degree in design or business administration might be necessary to take on this role. Experience in design will be expected as well, or at least a sensitivity and taste for design matters. Salaries for this position average around $56,971 per year.

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

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/Design AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $48,434

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 3.81%

Black or African American 9.14%

Hispanic or Latino 16.01%

Unknown 3.87%

White 66.44%

Gender

female 80.79%

male 19.21%

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/design assistant

Explore administrative/design assistant education requirements

Most common administrative/design assistant degrees

Bachelor's

58.7 %

Associate

24.2 %

High School Diploma

6.4 %

Start to develop specific administrative/design assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Graphic Design	7.77%
CAD	7.06%
Purchase Orders	7.03%
Design Software	6.25%
Database Management	6.00%

Complete relevant administrative/design assistant training and internships

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

Research administrative/design assistant duties and responsibilities

Work with SEO tools and platforms to achieve most user optimization for company websites.
Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
Used HTML, CSS3, WordPress, JavaScript, and communication skills as part of the project.
Complete labor allocations for Facebook.

Prepare your administrative/design assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your administrative/design assistant resume.

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