What Does an Administrative Office Specialist Do?

An administrative office specialist helps offices to run efficiently and smoothly by performing clerical support tasks. Their responsibilities often include preparing and processing documents, arranging meetings and appointments, monitoring the budgets and expenditures, answering calls and correspondence, handling the inventory and procurement of office supplies, and developing strategies to optimize office operations. They may also address issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and professionally. Furthermore, as an administrative office specialist, it is essential to coordinate staff, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

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Administrative Office Specialist Responsibilities

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

Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
Develop PowerPoint presentations for seminars and workshops.
Prepare briefings for senior level management using Microsoft PowerPoint.
Prepare bi-weekly payroll reports and special cost analyses and forecasting.
Coordinate accessibility into main office building along with identification badge and process direct deposit via state guidelines for payroll.
Coordinate travel arrangements in DTS; schedule mode of transportation, prepare trip folders, arrange lodging reservations and develop itineraries.
Schedule appointments to perform HUD require interviews making sure contractors/sub-contractors follow lead-safe rules and regulations.

Administrative Office Specialist Job Description

Between the years 2018 and 2028, administrative office specialist 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 office specialist?" Has crossed your mind, maybe you should take the growth rate into account. In addition, the number of administrative office specialist opportunities that are projected to become available by 2028 is -276,700.

On average, the administrative office specialist annual salary is $35,177 per year, which translates to $16.91 an hour. Generally speaking, administrative office specialists earn anywhere from $28,000 to $43,000 a year, which means that the top-earning administrative office specialists make $16,000 more than the ones at the lower end of the spectrum.

It's hard work to become an administrative office specialist, but even the most dedicated employees consider switching careers from time to time. Whether you're interested in a more challenging position or just looking for a fresh start, we've compiled extensive information on becoming an office worker, office aide, office administrator, and clerical specialist.

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5 Administrative Office Specialist Resume Examples

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Amber Edwards Administrative Office Specialist Contact Information Houston, TX (990) 555-5932 aedwards@example.com Skills Legal Documents Isrs Administrative Tasks HR Sales Goals Windows Database Word Processing CSA Front End Employment History Administrative Office Specialist 2016 - Present KBR Houston, TX Assist in activities which includes prescreening applicants, scheduling appointments. Updated organizational operating procedures, manuals and employee personnel files. Provided calendar management for client or business unit meetings, including administration, scheduling, and communication. Set up Network ID's, Parking Permits and Computer Inventory for New Hires/ Interns - Handling of confidential documents. Conducted extensive Internet research on competitors and potential acquisitions, reporting findings to CFO. Administrative Aide 2015 - 2016 Exxon Mobil Houston, TX Generated and maintain production data on spreadsheets and database. Support to owner in various areas including use of QuickBooks and tax software. Handled customer service as the face of the council. Provided administrative support including typing/word processing, mail preparation, copying, and distribution. Customer Service Administrator 2005 - 2015 Walgreen Co Houston, TX Operated store cash register Provided excellent customer service and product recommendations Maintained store inventory, store signage and display Maintained warehouse in cleanliness, and up keep of organization to ensure easy and safe transition to sales floor. Migrated WMB applications from AIX servers to LINUX servers. Provide timely service and resolved customer complaints. Assist in restocking and recovery of merchandise on the sales floor. Education High School Diploma 2000 - 2000


Karen Price Administrative Office Specialist Contact Info Cherryville, NC (500) 555-7194 kprice@example.com Skills LogisticsSick LeaveService DeskA/VCommunicationExecutive OfficeOffice TasksProceduresSales FloorOffering Assistance Employment History Administrative Office Specialist 2019 - Present United States Marine Cherryville, NC Managed calendars and travel arrangements including hotel reservations and car rentals. Maintained detailed calendar of appointment schedules for business meetings, conferences, domestic/international travel arrangement and special events. Standardized medical records system of 1800 employees and processed medical data for traveling employees Operated a nine-line phone system, including professionally answering, taking messages, and routing calls to the appropriate team member. Marketing Office Assistant 2018 - 2019 QuikTrip Tulsa, OK Designed wardrobe and props for photo shoots and department functions, including designing and sewing wardrobe and paper crafting. Managed the sales department calendars using MS Outlook and took care of all travel arrangements for the Sales Team. Supported Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Created flyers, newsletters, and email campaigns in order to promote events and fundraisers Services Clerk 2017 - 2018 QuikTrip Tulsa, OK Clean, write orders, cash register, customer service, manager experience, soldering, building parts, assembly line Recommended grocery items based off of customers' wants and needs. Education High School Diploma 2017 - 2017


Karen Price Administrative Office Specialist Cherryville, NC (500) 555-7194 kprice@example.com Experience Administrative Office Specialist2019 - Present United States Marine•Cherryville, NC Managed calendars and travel arrangements including hotel reservations and car rentals. Maintained detailed calendar of appointment schedules for business meetings, conferences, domestic/international travel arrangement and special events. Standardized medical records system of 1800 employees and processed medical data for traveling employees Operated a nine-line phone system, including professionally answering, taking messages, and routing calls to the appropriate team member. Marketing Office Assistant2018 - 2019 QuikTrip•Tulsa, OK Designed wardrobe and props for photo shoots and department functions, including designing and sewing wardrobe and paper crafting. Managed the sales department calendars using MS Outlook and took care of all travel arrangements for the Sales Team. Supported Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Created flyers, newsletters, and email campaigns in order to promote events and fundraisers Services Clerk2017 - 2018 QuikTrip•Tulsa, OK Clean, write orders, cash register, customer service, manager experience, soldering, building parts, assembly line Recommended grocery items based off of customers' wants and needs. Skills LogisticsSick LeaveService DeskA/VCommunicationExecutive OfficeOffice TasksProceduresSales FloorOffering Assistance Education High School Diploma 2017 - 2017

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Administrative Office Specialist Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 27% of Administrative Office Specialists are proficient in Customer Service, Data Entry, and Word Processing. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Writing skills, and Organizational skills.

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

Customer Service, 27%
Provided outstanding customer service with impeccable organizational skills, while thriving in a deadline driven environment.
Data Entry, 8%
Performed data entry of individual and corporate/business tax returns in to departmental systems and databases for processing.
Word Processing, 6%
Handled all office communications to include word processing and correspondence.
Payroll, 3%
Coordinated accessibility into main office building along with identification badge and processed direct deposit via state guidelines for payroll.
PowerPoint, 3%
Developed effective PowerPoint presentations utilizing corporate standards, collaborated with Consultant team on slide design and content.
Phone Calls, 3%
Received and routed incoming/outgoing correspondence/telephone calls and visitors.

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Some of the skills we found on administrative office specialist resumes included "customer service," "data entry," and "word processing." We have detailed the most important administrative office specialist responsibilities below.

Arguably the most important personality trait for an administrative office specialist 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 office specialists can use interpersonal skills to "maintain excellent interpersonal relationships with all babcock center staff. "

Another commonly found skill for being able to perform administrative office specialist duties is the following: writing skills. According to a administrative office specialist resume, "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." Check out this example of how administrative office specialists use writing skills: "answer phones, copy, report writing, setting up conference rooms, schedule client intakes and data entry. "

Organizational skills is also an important skill for administrative office specialists to have. This example of how administrative office specialists use this skill comes from a administrative office specialist resume, "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in proper order so an office can run efficiently." Read this excerpt from a resume to understand how vital it is to their everyday roles and responsibilities, "worked on sharepoint for workforce development department.information security created an organizational security policy plan using cyber security framework. "

See the full list of administrative office specialist skills.

After discovering the most helpful skills, we moved onto what kind of education might be helpful in becoming an administrative office specialist. We found that 46.8% of administrative office specialists have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 5.2% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While most administrative office specialists have a college degree, you may find it's also true that generally it's possible to be successful in this career with only a high school degree. In fact, our research shows that one out of every five administrative office specialists were not college graduates.

The administrative office specialists who went onto college to earn a more in-depth education generally studied business and psychology, while a small population of administrative office specialists studied accounting and criminal justice.

When you're ready to become an administrative office specialist, you might wonder which companies hire administrative office specialists. According to our research through administrative office specialist resumes, administrative office specialists are mostly hired by University of Minnesota, Hospital for Special Surgery, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Now is a good time to apply as University of Minnesota has 4 administrative office specialists job openings, and there are 2 at Hospital for Special Surgery and 2 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Since salary is important to some administrative office specialists, it's good to note that they are figured to earn the highest salaries at University of California, Berkeley, Crowe, and New York State Restaurant Association. If you were to take a closer look at University of California, Berkeley, you'd find that the average administrative office specialist salary is $45,390. Then at Crowe, administrative office specialists receive an average salary of $42,666, while the salary at New York State Restaurant Association is $42,262.

View more details on administrative office specialist salaries across the United States.

We also looked into companies who hire administrative office specialists 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, United States Army Corps of Engineers, and Kelly Services.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious administrative office specialists are:

University of Minnesota4 Administrative Office Specialists Jobs
JPMorgan Chase & Co.2 Administrative Office Specialists Jobs
Hospital for Special Surgery2 Administrative Office Specialists Jobs

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What Office Workers Do

An office worker is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the daily operations of the business. Office workers assist in receiving calls to respond to the clients' inquiries and concerns, as well as welcoming visitors, verifying their appointments, and leading them to the appropriate personnel and department for their business needs. They also do data processing, sorting mail, and filing documents for easy retrieval and reference, especially during meetings and company activities.

In this section, we compare the average administrative office specialist annual salary with that of an office worker. Typically, office workers earn a $5,826 higher salary than administrative office specialists earn annually.

While their salaries may differ, one common ground between administrative office specialists and office workers are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like customer service, data entry, and word processing.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. An administrative office specialist responsibility is more likely to require skills like "phone calls," "hr," "travel arrangements," and "provides administrative support." Whereas a office worker requires skills like "scheduling appointments," "office machines," "computer system," and "computer programs." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.

Office workers receive the highest salaries in the education industry coming in with an average yearly salary of $40,267. But administrative office specialists are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $36,820.

Office workers tend to reach similar levels of education than administrative office specialists. In fact, office workers are 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of an Office Aide?

Also called an office assistant, an office aide is someone whose responsibility focuses on secretarial and administrative tasks in health practices, schools, businesses, or any other institution. Office aides help with logistical and clerical needs like copying files, curating schedules, and answering phones. They manage and organize files, receive and direct visitors, create presentations, and answer emails. The skills they need include computer and email use, filing documents, answering multiline phone systems, and typing.

Now we're going to look at the office aide profession. On average, office aides earn a $5,922 lower salary than administrative office specialists a 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 office specialists and office aides are known to have skills such as "customer service," "data entry," and "word processing. "

But both careers also use different skills, according to real administrative office specialist resumes. While administrative office specialist responsibilities can utilize skills like "payroll," "hr," "travel arrangements," and "provides administrative support," some office aides use skills like "database systems," "scheduling appointments," "clerical tasks," and "office machines."

It's been discovered that office aides earn lower salaries compared to administrative office specialists, but we wanted to find out where office aides earned the most pay. The answer? The health care industry. The average salary in the industry is $30,366. Additionally, administrative office specialists earn the highest paychecks in the technology with an average salary of $36,820.

On the topic of education, office aides earn similar levels of education than administrative office specialists. In general, they're 1.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How an Office Administrator Compares

Office administrators are employees who ensure that the office is running in tip-top shape. They manage the administrative needs of the office. They answer calls directed to the official company phone, manage the inventory of supplies, take charge or purchase requisitions for needed supplies, and ensure the office equipment and fixtures are taken care of. Office administrators also manage correspondences, official memoranda, and other official company documents. They also keep track of files and records to ensure that these are properly organized. At times, office administrators also take charge of welcoming guests and accompanying them to their respective meetings.

The office administrator profession generally makes a higher amount of money when compared to the average salary of administrative office specialists. The difference in salaries is office administrators making $2,246 higher than administrative office specialists.

While looking through the resumes of several administrative office specialists and office administrators we discovered that both professions have similar skills. These similarities include skills such as "customer service," "data entry," and "word processing," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

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 office specialist is likely to be skilled in "payroll," "phone calls," "hr," and "database management," while a typical office administrator is skilled in "patients," "scheduling appointments," "human resources," and "patient care."

Additionally, office administrators earn a higher salary in the government industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $39,681. Additionally, administrative office specialists earn an average salary of $36,820 in the technology industry.

Office administrators typically study at similar levels compared with administrative office specialists. For example, they're 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of a Clerical Specialist

Clerical specialists are office assistants or executive secretaries offering administrative support. The specialists schedule conference meetings or calls, prepare statistical reports and correspondence, and maintain sensitive data. They manage both incoming and outgoing mails and the distribution of letters and packages to administrative offices and staff. Their job includes the redesign and reorganization of the existing filing systems of client and internal documents. They comply with corporate confidentiality, regulations, and guidelines. Skills in data entry, customer service, and medical records are necessary for this job.

The fourth career we look at typically earns lower pay than administrative office specialists. On average, clerical specialists earn a difference of $4,441 lower per year.

While their salaries may vary, administrative office specialists and clerical specialists both use similar skills to perform their jobs. Resumes from both professions include skills like "customer service," "data entry," and "word processing. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an administrative office specialist might have more use for skills like "phone calls," "provides administrative support," "database management," and "office management." Meanwhile, some clerical specialists might include skills like "patients," "clerical tasks," "patient appointments," and "scheduling appointments" on their resume.

In general, clerical specialists make a higher salary in the government industry with an average of $33,106. The highest administrative office specialist annual salary stems from the technology industry.

Clerical specialists reach similar levels of education when compared to administrative office specialists. The difference is that they're 0.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree less, and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated October 2, 2020