What are staff duties?

Staff duties include performing employee support roles and ensuring the effective running of the organization. They fulfill administrative functions such as scheduling meetings, retrieving data, drafting documents, scheduling events, and answering staff queries.

What qualifications do you need to become an administrative assistant?

The qualifications needed to become an administrative assistant include the right combination of education and work experience. Most administrative assistants, for example, have some educational background and relevant work experience.

How To Become A Staff Assistant: What It Is and Career Path

What is a staff assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

Staff assistants perform managerial and clerical work in office environments for commercial companies, non-profit associations, and government entities. In-depth knowledge of what the business offers is vital to answer general questions and provide referrals as needed. These assistants perform tasks such as answering telephones, completing data entry, and sorting mail.

Staff assistants may work with particular employees or groups, and computer skills are also crucial in this position. Some staff assistants may also have duties relating to finances, such as creating expense reports, processing invoices and orders, and summarizing other data.

They should be able to use word processing and spreadsheet software. In some positions, they may assist in marketing, outreach, and follow-up communication efforts. By doing so, they make around $15 per hour.

It is crucial to communicate with other employees professionally and coherently and work independently and adhere to all deadlines. A high school diploma is usually a minimum requirement for this position, but some roles may require an associate's or bachelor's degree. There are both entry-level positions and those which need significant experience.

What general advice would you give to a staff 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.

ScoreStaff AssistantUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $41,778

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 3.82%

Black or African American 9.20%

Hispanic or Latino 16.11%

Unknown 3.87%

White 66.28%

Gender

female 70.56%

male 29.44%

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 a staff assistant

Explore staff assistant education requirements

Most common staff assistant degrees

Bachelor's

60.1 %

Associate

16.7 %

High School Diploma

9.1 %

Start to develop specific staff assistant skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	15.02%
Patients	9.60%
Data Entry	6.93%
PowerPoint	4.85%
Office Procedures	4.75%

Complete relevant staff assistant training and internships

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

Gain additional staff assistant certifications

Staff assistant certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific staff assistant certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for staff assistants include Medical Assistant and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA).

More About Certifications

Research staff assistant duties and responsibilities

Manage, troubleshoot, install and resolve hardware, software configurations, and network relate issues.
Manage candidate Facebook page and facilitate other advertising.
Manage fireworks inventory through QuickBooks and process customer wholesale orders.
Orchestrate special events and reservations; manage customer relations and provide exemplary service to all customers.

Prepare your staff assistant resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your staff assistant 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 a staff assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable staff assistant resume templates

Build a professional staff assistant 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 staff assistant resume.