How to Start a Career in Office Admin

Working in an office admin job is a lot more than just answering the phone and sending emails, working as part of a team you’ll have plenty of opportunities to work your way up and with jobs available in almost every industry there’ll never be two roles the same. It’s a job where you can make a real difference from behind the scenes working for the NHS or Ministry of Defence as well as working for some of the world’s biggest companies.

Job Basics

• Entry salary: £14,000pa

• Experienced salary: £19,000+pa

• Average hours: 35-40 (full time); 15-20 (part time)

What’s Involved in this Job?

• Act as the first point of call and face of the company, you do this by answering emails and phone calls

• Answer social media queries (in some roles)

• Meet and greet visitors and customers while working in reception area

• Use word processors to type up reports

• Use various computer software to manage and order stock

• Organize meetings

As with any job the day to day responsibilities will vary greatly depending on the company, this list is simply the basics and by no means exhaustive.

What Qualities Should You Have?

First and foremost, communication is key in an office environment, whether it’s speaking directly with customers or with colleagues an ability to listen effectively and get your own point across is essential. Although training will often be provided, a basic level of computer literacy is necessary to undertake the majority of roles.

As you will be expected to work independently and plan your own workload each day, good time management skills are an advantage. Following on from this, office admin workers are highly organised and have to be in order to sort out travel arrangements as well as stock and meetings.

How do You Become Qualified?

In order to become qualified to work in this field, you must have GCSE’s or equivalent at grades A*-C in math’s and English. Although some places do offer on the job training for the right candidate, IT or typing qualifications are required in most cases, luckily short level 2 courses can be taken at most local colleges for a small fee. Any training in business administration or stock control systems such as sage would be highly advantageous but not required.

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