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What is an administrative support associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted expert
Anne McConnell Ph.D.

An administrative support associate is an individual who performs various clerical and administrative tasks for an organization or a business. They process paperwork, answer phones and interface with customers and clients, schedule appointments, and ensure that an office operates efficiently and smoothly. An administrative support associate also processes and organizes documents, supervises budgets and schedules, coordinates meetings, and orders office supplies.

Although an advanced degree is not a requirement to land a position as an administrative support associate, most employers do prefer a High School diploma or equivalent. These individuals should have strong verbal, written, communication, organizational and interpersonal skills and should be adept at using computers and related technologies.

An administrative support associate should also be comfortable working with people and adept at multitasking. An administrative support associate can make up to $36,000 per year, but the career field is expected to decline slightly by 7% in the next ten years.

What general advice would you give to an administrative support associate?

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 Support AssociateUS Average
Salary
2.6

Avg. Salary $33,903

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 9.18%

Hispanic or Latino 16.07%

Unknown 3.87%

White 66.33%

Gender

female 83.94%

male 16.06%

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

Administrative support associate career paths

Key steps to become an administrative support associate

  1. Explore administrative support associate education requirements

    Most common administrative support associate degrees

    Bachelor's

    59.5 %

    Associate

    22.1 %

    Master's

    8.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific administrative support associate skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service15.44%
    Administrative Tasks9.29%
    Data Entry9.11%
    Patients8.85%
    PowerPoint6.82%
  3. Complete relevant administrative support associate training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New administrative support associates 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 support associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real administrative support associate resumes.
  4. Research administrative support associate duties and responsibilities

    • Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.
    • Assist with migration from LiveLink to SharePoint.
    • Maintain and update SharePoint on daily, weekly and monthly basis.
    • Provide support for data analysis, production of reports, and PowerPoint presentations upon request.
  5. Prepare your administrative support associate resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your administrative support associate 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 support associate 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 support associate resume templates

    Build a professional administrative support associate 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 support associate resume.
    Administrative Support Associate Resume
    Administrative Support Associate Resume
    Administrative Support Associate Resume
    Administrative Support Associate Resume
    Administrative Support Associate Resume
    Administrative Support Associate Resume
    Administrative Support Associate Resume
    Administrative Support Associate Resume
    Administrative Support Associate Resume
  6. Apply for administrative support associate jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an administrative support associate job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first administrative support associate job

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Average administrative support associate salary

The average administrative support associate salary in the United States is $33,903 per year or $16 per hour. Administrative support associate salaries range between $27,000 and $41,000 per year.

Average administrative support associate salary
$33,903 Yearly
$16.30 hourly

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How do administrative support associates rate their job?

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Administrative support associate reviews

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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,


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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.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020
Cons

phones - because of my accent

Pros

everything except phones : Meeting,greeting, customer service, interviewing, on boarding, recruiting, presenting, etc.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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