What does an administrative staff do?
As the administrative staff, they primarily provide administrative and secretarial support for the department. Typically, they do report-writing, filing and scheduling, and payroll. They plan department weekly meetings, schedule conference calls, and work on solving administrative related concerns and issues. They do a complex task that involves multi-tasking from the preparation of department reports, analyzing data, and finding solutions. It is a requirement to be an experienced, collaborator, and trained cross-functional communicator. Moreover, other duties will include scheduling company-initiated activities, meetings, and events.
Administrative staff responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real administrative staff resumes:
- Support medical doctors, manage sensitive and confidential records pertaining to high risk patients with emphasis on accuracy.
- Prepare PowerPoint presentations for management distribution.
- Maintain payroll information by collect, calculate and enter data.
- Prepare briefing slides and presentation material using PowerPoint and Visio.
- Maintain accounting statements, databases, and other financial information such as payroll coding and budget preparation
- Provide cloud base customer relationship management with Salesforce for optimization in coordination of the workforce development program and other community orient events
- Create database in SQL incorporating data from order systems to assist logistics personnel regulating product receive in the warehouse.
Administrative staff skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Administrative Staff are proficient in Telephone Calls, Word Processing, and Travel Arrangements. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Administrative Staff that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Telephone Calls, 19%
Check all phone messages and return telephone calls, as needed, the same day.
- Word Processing, 16%
Performed all word processing, sales reports, request for proposals and all customer presentations.
- Travel Arrangements, 7%
Processed business travel arrangements and expense reports.
- Payroll, 6%
Maintained payroll information by collected, calculated and entered data.
- Personnel Actions, 6%
Managed multiple administrative and personnel actions effectively Provided proper assistance and customer support timely and effectively.
- Financial Reports, 5%
Create various financial reports for use by the laboratory community as well as MIT campus.
"telephone calls," "word processing," and "travel arrangements" are among the most common skills that administrative staff use at work. You can find even more administrative staff responsibilities below, including:
Interpersonal skills. One of the key soft skills for an administrative staff to have is interpersonal skills. You can see how this relates to what administrative staff do because "secretaries and administrative assistants interact with clients, customers, or staff." Additionally, an administrative staff resume shows how administrative staff use interpersonal skills: "coordinated with the director of administration learned general administrative tasks improved interpersonal skills"
Organizational skills. Many administrative staff duties rely on organizational skills. "secretaries and administrative assistants keep files, folders, and schedules in order so that an office runs efficiently.," so an administrative staff will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways administrative staff responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "utilized excellent communication and organizational skills in scheduling appointments, travel planning which included flight, hotel and car reservations. "
Writing skills. This is an important skill for administrative staff to perform their duties. For an example of how administrative staff responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "secretaries and administrative assistants write memos and emails when communicating with managers, employees, and customers." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an administrative staff: "led workforce development by teaching microsoft office (word, excel, powerpoint) and resume writing. ".
The three companies that hire the most administrative staffs are:
- RGA Environmental, A Terracon Company31 administrative staff jobs
- Us Army Reserves7 administrative staff jobs
- City of Detroit7 administrative staff jobs
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Compare different administrative staff
Administrative staff vs. Office specialist
An office specialist is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the organization's daily operations. Office specialists must be highly organizational, as well as having excellent time-management skills to handle work units. They have duties including data entry procedures, greeting visitors, responding to customers' inquiries through phone calls and e-mails, and filing and sorting documents. Office specialists are responsible for creating meeting reports, scheduling appointments, evaluating financial statements, coordinating with other staff for event planning, and assisting the senior management with complex functions.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, administrative staff responsibilities require skills like "personnel actions," "resource management," "hard copy," and "purchase orders." Meanwhile a typical office specialist has skills in areas such as "customer service," "data entry," "patients," and "phone calls." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Office specialists really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $37,752. Comparatively, administrative staff tend to make the most money in the professional industry with an average salary of $73,642.The education levels that office specialists earn slightly differ from administrative staff. In particular, office specialists are 4.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an administrative staff. Additionally, they're 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Administrative staff vs. Secretary
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 addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, administrative staff responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "personnel actions," "resource management," "hard copy," and "human resources." Meanwhile, a secretary has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "meeting minutes," "clerical support," and "secretarial support." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Secretaries may earn a lower salary than administrative staff, but secretaries earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $46,574. On the other hand, administrative staff receive higher pay in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $73,642.secretaries earn lower levels of education than administrative staff in general. They're 5.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Administrative staff vs. 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.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, administrative staff are more likely to have skills like "personnel actions," "financial reports," "resource management," and "hard copy." But a department secretary is more likely to have skills like "patients," "customer service," "data entry," and "medical terminology."
Department secretaries earn the best pay in the government industry, where they command an average salary of $36,935. Administrative staff earn the highest pay from the professional industry, with an average salary of $73,642.Most department secretaries achieve a similar degree level compared to administrative staff. For example, they're 4.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Administrative staff vs. Office administrator
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.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between administrative staff and office administrators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an administrative staff might have more use for skills like "payroll," "personnel actions," "resource management," and "hard copy." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of office administrators require skills like "customer service," "patients," "data entry," and "office operations. "
Office administrators enjoy the best pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $39,681. For comparison, administrative staff earn the highest salary in the professional industry.In general, office administrators hold similar degree levels compared to administrative staff. Office administrators are 4.3% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of administrative staff
Updated January 8, 2025
