What Does an Administrator Do?

Q: Is an administrator higher than a manager?

Yes, an administrator is higher than a manager. An administrator is typically a higher position than a manager in most companies' management structures. While there are many similarities between the two roles, there are several key differences.

Administrators are administrative professionals who oversee the whole office or department. They manage office activities and supervise administrative functions in the office. They work the office calendar and oversee the appointment-setting process. They coordinate office events and ensure that all preparations are made and that there are no conflicting schedules. They also maintain a database of external providers of various office needs. Administrators also oversee office supplies and prepare purchase requisitions. They also manage janitorial services and other functions that are related to the maintenance of the physical office space. Administrators ensure that all fixtures and equipment in the office are functioning well and have no problems.

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Administrator Responsibilities

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

Develop a Perl script to manage the LDAP schema.
Hire and manage all receptionists and assistant MCA's.
Used all tools of Java stack in supporting and managing it.
Manage and process product orders on windows base on-line computer network system.
Manage ADP time system for technicians and approve time-off requests, supporting management.
Manage professional staff of 9 (including 5 MDs) and support staff of 10
Design and develop client scripts, business rules and Java script.Environment: HTML, JavaScript, CSS.
Design ETL jobs to load the data from flat files to DB2.
Test DR plan at remote location.
Resolve state level grievances and appeals.
Work on building DR servers from scratch.
Address customers NSF checks and open invoices.
Organize details of trainings for new care coordinators.
Prepare bi weekly schedules for all personnel and departments.
Collect and provide post event report to military POC.

Administrator Job Description

When it comes to understanding what an administrator does, you may be wondering, "should I become an administrator?" The data included in this section may help you decide. Compared to other jobs, administrators have a growth rate described as "as fast as average" at 5% between the years 2018 - 2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, the number of administrator opportunities that are predicted to open up by 2028 is 18,200.

An administrator annual salary averages $72,882, which breaks down to $35.04 an hour. However, administrators can earn anywhere from upwards of $46,000 to $113,000 a year. This means that the top-earning administrators make $62,000 more than the lowest-earning ones.

It's hard work to become an administrator, 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 assistant systems administrator, network/server administrator, windows system administrator, and nursing home administrator.

Learn More About Administrator Job Descriptions

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12 Administrator Resume Examples

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Gloria Ramos Administrator Contact Information Charlotte, NC (530) 555-4023 gramos@example.com Skills Healthcare Bank Deposits Osha Information Technology Backup Linux Oversight Procedures Computer System System Software Employment History Administrator 2017 - Present Bank of America Charlotte, NC Handled all travel arrangements both domestic and international with multiple agendas. Maintain OS patches on RedHat Linux and Solaris. Installed WAS 7.0 based on Windows 2000/AIX/Linux platforms and upgraded to fix packs. Involved in design and implementation of database disaster recovery (DR) plans. Created custom extraction system that populated a data warehouse star schema. Clinic Administrator 2007 - 2017 Wells Fargo Charlotte, NC Involved in the installation and configuration of Informatica and OBIEE 10g in the windows as well as the Linux environment. Installed and Configured LDAP authentication for Informatica services. Information Technology Technician (Part-Time) 2004 - 2006 City of Roseville New York, NY Managed maintance of software and hardware in the elementary building of the school. Work with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 operating systems, and Outlook 2003/2007 office suite. Assisted with the implementation of IT incident Management ticketing system ServiceNow. Education Master's Degree Business 2006 - 2007 New York University New York, NY Bachelor's Degree Accounting 2003 - 2006 New York University New York, NY


Anna Price Administrator Contact Info Charlotte, NC (850) 555-7699 aprice@example.com Skills Executive OfficeUser AccountsCommunicationOversightFacilitySpecial EventsMedicareRepair OrdersNetwork SecurityA/R Employment History Administrator 2020 - Present Belk Charlotte, NC Created the Standby database in order to avail the high availability. Managed the migration from Windows 2000 AD to Windows 2003 AD. Installed and maintained web servers Apache, Tomcat and Apache HTTP (1.3, 2.2) in Red Hat Linux. Provide L1/L2/L3 level support for Windows/ESXi servers running on HP, Dell, IBM and Cisco hardware. Office Administrator 2018 - 2020 Walmart Charlotte, NC Provided customer service, company representation and promotion, and business services. Answered customers' questions and provided information about procedures and policies. Provide hands on customer service,change price of inventory,telephone operator and cashier Network Administrator 2015 - 2018 National Security Group Washington, DC Worked in the System Network Analysis Center as a Network Security Engineer for the entire duration at the agency. Performed both hardware and software installations for Dell products while doing major PC rollout. Fixed viruses Laptop Internet connectivity issues Install OS Test hardware issues- HDD, HD cables, RAM, etc. Assisted end users on setting up mapped network printers and shared file folders on the Transdyn domain. Education Bachelor's Degree Business 2012 - 2015 Strayer University Washington, DC


Juan Bryant Administrator Fairfax, VA (520) 555-3484 jbryant@example.com Experience Administrator2018 - Present Westat•Fairfax, VA Suggested and implemented database performance monitoring and performance tuning practices; troubleshoot and resolve database design and performance issues. Web / e-mail applications and invoicing E-Invoicing administration for Sales Department Efficient use of Internet / applications for invoice resolution and procurement Created in-house Visual Basic 6.0 programs for use with Solid Edge CAD Software, Lotus Notes and Microsoft Excel. Senior Network Administrator2008 - 2018 General Dynamics•Fairfax, VA Supported desktop and server OS migrations working with engineering teams. Perform hardware diagnostics and coordinate repairs. Managed and coordinated the Microsoft Premier Support services for the ONE-NET Middle East Exchange Server Infrastructure. Information Technology Specialist2002 - 2008 University of Massachusetts Lowell•Boston, MA Managed the Linux / Windows based servers. Create information transfer programs to and from ERP to allow interface to remote devices and users. Conducted successful on-site hardware refreshes at customer distribution centers. Skills ProceduresGroup PoliciesJavaAssuranceRoutersSharepointPrintersNetwork SecurityInformation TechnologyNew System Education Bachelor's Degree Business1999 - 2002 Northeastern University•Boston, MA

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Administrator Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 18% of Administrators are proficient in Customer Service, Data Entry, and Troubleshoot. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Multitasking skills.

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

Customer Service, 18%
Developed solid customer relationships, resolving issues and answering questions promptly and thoroughly to ensure optimal customer service and support.
Data Entry, 7%
Devised data entry criteria for relevant title documents preparatory to entry into TitleScan computerized title plant software system.
Troubleshoot, 6%
Helped troubleshoot issues related to PIA infrastructure * Supported all PeopleSoft infrastructure related activities/initiatives in the organization.
Payroll, 6%
Maintained HR and Payroll protocols including billing management and clinical operations; observed compliance with company rules and regulations.
Financial Reports, 4%
Create budget plan versus actual variance analysis and assists in preparing accurate monthly financial reports for upper management.
Oversight, 4%
Coordinated all financial matters including budget development, purchasing, oversight of operations and the maintenance of appropriate accounting controls.

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Most administrators list "customer service," "data entry," and "troubleshoot" as skills on their resumes. We go into more details on the most important administrator responsibilities here:

Arguably the most important personality trait for an administrator to have happens to be analytical skills. An example from a resume said this about the skill, "administrators need to evaluate networks and systems to make sure that they perform reliably and to anticipate new requirements as customers’ needs change." Additionally, other resumes have pointed out that administrators can use analytical skills to "analyze and manage employees' licensing, credit reports, background checks and state exams. "

Another trait important for fulfilling administrator duties is communication skills. According to a administrator resume, "administrators must describe problems and their solutions to non-it workers." Here's an example of how administrators are able to utilize communication skills: "manage the pre-employment process including reference and background checks for clear and non-cleared positions while maintaining proactive communication with management. "

Another skill that is quite popular among administrators is multitasking skills. This skill is very critical to fulfilling every day responsibilities as is shown in this example from a administrator resume: "administrators may have to work on many problems and tasks at the same time." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "leverage strong multitasking skills to manage customer service, data entry, invoicing, inventory control, and purchasing. "

An administrator responsibilities sometimes require "problem-solving skills." The responsibilities that rely on this skills are shown by this resume excerpt: "administrators must quickly resolve problems that arise with computer networks." This resume example shows how this skill is used by administrators: "implemented time saving solutions for the cumbersome data entry into the mainframe through process redesign. "

See the full list of administrator skills.

After discovering the most helpful skills, we moved onto what kind of education might be helpful in becoming an administrator. We found that 56.2% of administrators have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 12.0% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While most administrators 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 seven administrators were not college graduates.

Those administrators who do attend college, typically earn either business degrees or accounting degrees. Less commonly earned degrees for administrators include psychology degrees or nursing degrees.

Once you're ready to become an administrator, you should explore the companies that typically hire administrators. According to administrator resumes that we searched through, administrators are hired the most by Old Dominion Freight Line, Deloitte, and Organon. Currently, Old Dominion Freight Line has 484 administrator job openings, while there are 157 at Deloitte and 71 at Organon.

Since salary is important to some administrators, it's good to note that they are figured to earn the highest salaries at Apple, Western Digital, and Bunge. If you were to take a closer look at Apple, you'd find that the average administrator salary is $133,400. Then at Western Digital, administrators receive an average salary of $129,698, while the salary at Bunge is $128,562.

View more details on administrator salaries across the United States.

We also looked into companies who hire administrators from the top 100 educational institutions in the U.S. The top three companies that hire the most from these institutions include IBM, Robert Half, and State Street.

For the most part, administrators make their living in the technology and transportation industries. Administrators tend to make the most in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $78,798. The administrator annual salary in the finance and technology industries generally make $78,557 and $77,128 respectively. Additionally, administrators who work in the manufacturing industry make 49.9% more than administrators in the professional Industry.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious administrators are:

Old Dominion Freight Line484 Administrators Jobs
Deloitte157 Administrators Jobs
Organon71 Administrators Jobs

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What Assistant Systems Administrators Do

Assistant systems administrators are responsible for supporting a team with their day-to-day operations of a company's computer systems and networks. They perform varied tasks, including monitoring, maintaining, and testing internet performance, ensuring the availability of computer networks for all users, and troubleshooting system failures and computer hardware and software issues. Assistant systems administrators may conduct training and support other network users within the organization. Additional tasks also include monitoring and evaluating the efficiency of operations and preparing systems and software documentation.

In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take assistant systems administrator for example. On average, the assistant systems administrators annual salary is $32,105 lower than what administrators make on average every year.

While the salaries between these two careers can be different, they do share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both administrators and assistant systems administrators positions are skilled in customer service, troubleshoot, and payroll.

As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because an administrator responsibility requires skills such as "data entry," "windows server," "sql server," and "sccm." Whereas a assistant systems administrator is skilled in "patients," "quality care," "resident care," and "scheduling appointments." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

Assistant systems administrators really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $46,025. Whereas administrators tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $78,798.

On average, assistant systems administrators reach similar levels of education than administrators. Assistant systems administrators are 0.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of a Network/Server Administrator?

A Network Administrator ensures an organizations' network is operational and up to date. They solve problems that arise within computer networks, maintaining computer networks, interacting with clients, and consulting with them to determine their system requirements.

The next role we're going to look at is the network/server administrator profession. Typically, this position earns a higher pay. In fact, they earn a $6,037 higher salary than administrators per year.

Not everything about these jobs is different. Take their skills, for example. Administrators and network/server administrators both include similar skills like "customer service," "troubleshoot," and "linux" on their resumes.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that administrator responsibilities requires skills like "data entry," "payroll," "financial reports," and "oversight." But a network/server administrator might use skills, such as, "powershell," "server administration," "microsoft windows," and "disaster recovery."

Network/server administrators may earn a higher salary than administrators, but network/server administrators earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $84,609. On the other side of things, administrators receive higher paychecks in the manufacturing industry where they earn an average of $78,798.

On the topic of education, network/server administrators earn lower levels of education than administrators. In general, they're 6.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What Technology Do You Think Will Become More Important And Prevalent For Administrators In The Next 3-5 Years?

Dr. Richard Huff Ph.D.

Assistant professor, assistant chair, Virginia Commonwealth University

The emphasis on data-driven public policy, management, and decision making will continue to require a creative and ethical approach to data analytics. Public agencies will have a need for technical expertise tempered with the recognition of the increasing demands for high levels of trust among stakeholders for how data is safeguarded and managed.

As custodians of sensitive data, in many cases, there is a demand for a high level of trustworthiness to be earned by public officials. I would expect agencies will need to set a high bar for ethical standards and communicate them consistently. This will be particularly true for developing and using artificial intelligence (AI). While the future public servant will need a grounding in understanding, interpreting, and using data in meaningful ways, there will continue to be a critical need for ethical sensitivity and reasoning to ensure public policies and programs heed increasing demands for social equity and justice. Technology advancements are unavoidable for the foreseeable future and need to be harnessed and applied appropriately by professional, principled, and ethical public servants.
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How a Windows System Administrator Compares

A Windows System Administrator maintains the systems and servers of a Windows operating system. They evaluate and modify the system's performance.

Let's now take a look at the windows system administrator profession. On average, these workers make higher salaries than administrators with a $6,963 difference per year.

While looking through the resumes of several administrators and windows system administrators we discovered that both professions have similar skills. These similarities include skills such as "troubleshoot," "linux," and "windows server," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers are a few of the skills necessary to fulfill responsibilities. Some examples from administrator resumes include skills like "customer service," "data entry," "payroll," and "financial reports," whereas a windows system administrator might be skilled in "infrastructure," "powershell," "os," and "san. "

Additionally, windows system administrators earn a higher salary in the finance industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $93,089. Additionally, administrators earn an average salary of $78,798 in the manufacturing industry.

Windows system administrators are known to earn similar educational levels when compared to administrators. Additionally, they're 2.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of a Nursing Home Administrator

A nursing home administrator is responsible for managing and running a nursing home facility and supervising staff. Your typical duties will include managing the budget and making critical decisions, overseeing the recruitment, training, and dismissal of staff members, conducting employee performance reviews, and communicating with prospective and existing residents and their families. Additionally, you are expected to advocate for nursing home residents, develop rules, procedures, and policies for the facility, and oversee residents' billings for services. As a nursing home administrator, you are also responsible for conducting safety training for all staff.

Nursing home administrators tend to earn a higher pay than administrators by about $7,998 per year.

While both administrators and nursing home administrators complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like customer service, payroll, and oversight, the two careers also vary in other skills.

While some skills are shared by these professions, there are some differences to note. "data entry," "troubleshoot," "financial reports," and "linux" are skills that have shown up on administrators resumes. Additionally, nursing home administrator uses skills like nursing home, long-term care, healthcare, and patients on their resumes.

In general, nursing home administrators make a higher salary in the health care industry with an average of $82,799. The highest administrator annual salary stems from the manufacturing industry.

The average resume of nursing home administrators showed that they earn higher levels of education to administrators. So much so that the likelihood of them earning a Master's Degree is 6.8% more. Additionally, they're less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.

What an Administrator Does FAQs

Administrator Vs. Manager

An administrator is generally part of the legal and administrative branches of a company who is responsible for determining main policies and defining goals for an organization, while a manager is a person in charge of putting policies and objectives into practice.

Is An Administrator Higher Than A Manager?

Yes, an administrator is higher than a manager. An administrator is typically a higher position than a manager in most companies' management structures. While there are many similarities between the two roles, there are several key differences.

What Is An Administrative Professional?

An administrative professional is someone who performs a range of clerical and administrative duties in an office. Their responsibilities are to answer phone calls, schedule meetings and appointments, as well as coordinate travel arrangements, sort the mail, manage the office calendar, and assist with any additional support duties.

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.

Search For Administrator Jobs

Updated October 2, 2020

What Does an Administrator Do?

Administrator Responsibilities