Office Administrator: Job Profile and Role

Have you always enjoyed being organised? Or is one of your strengths anything related to database management and software? On top of that, do you consider yourself to be an excellent communicator who has outstanding time management, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills? In this case, we might have the perfect job for you: the job of an office administrator (office admin).

In this blog, we will give you a detailed guideline on the job of an office administrator. You will find out how to become an office administrator and which further qualifications will benefit you in the long run. You will also get a first idea of the possible annual salaries and your potential employers. We will also give you a few skills you should have as an office administrator before you get your first insights into a typical working day in this job. We conclude this blog by giving you three tips for thriving as an office administrator.

Short Summary

• As an office administrator, your task is to stay on top of all the filing that accumulates in an office or company. This includes filing invoices, expenses and meeting minutes, to name but a few.
• As an office administrator, you can be asked to liaise with other departments in your company, for example, the IT department, for example, to report and repair or even prevent a server crash.
• As an office administrator, you can be responsible for training and supporting future office administrators which can include instructing him or her in using database software and giving constructive feedback and tips.

Job description

As an office administrator, one of your daily tasks is to meet, greet, and direct visitors to the company you are working for. For this, you need an intricate knowledge of both your superior(s) and the various departments and staff. As an office administrator, you are also in charge of most of the administrative tasks in your office, ranging from entering data, invoices, and expenses into spreadsheets, scheduling appointments, and making travel and business arrangements for your superiors(s). It can also be your job as an office administrator to train future office admins by showing them all the relevant responsibilities and tasks.

Responsibilities

• Scheduling/Calendar Management
• Health & Safety Compliance
• Vendor/Supplier Relations
• Administrative Support
• Billing and Invoicing
• Team Collaboration
• Budget Assistance
• Correspondence
• Ad Hoc Tasks
• HR Support

Different types of Office Administrators

• Administrative Assistant
• Education Administrator
• Marketing Administrator
• Executive Administrator
• IT Administrator

Salary

As a UK office administrator, your annual salary typically ranges from ￡21,000 to ￡29,000. You can expect these annual wages when you are working as a full-time and work-experienced office administrator. Generally, junior or entry-level positions pay less, whereas more senior positions will pay more. Also, note that the location of your employment and your employer affect your annual salary as well. Lastly, bonuses and other benefits might be part of your salary package. We recommend that you check these potential extra payments with your future employers.

Working hours

As a UK office administrator, your annual salary typically ranges from ￡21,000 to ￡29,000. You can expect these annual wages when you are working as a full-time and work-experienced office administrator. Generally, junior or entry-level positions pay less, whereas more senior positions will pay more. Also, note that the location of your employment and your employer affect your annual salary as well. Lastly, bonuses and other benefits might be part of your salary package. We recommend that you check these potential extra payments with your future employers.

Employers

As an office administrator, you can find employment in a wide variety of sectors and industries. We recommend that your future employer always has the same – or, at least, similar – values and visions as you. This is important for a successful working relationship. You will know best what your core values and interests are. Nevertheless, the following employers are typical options for applying as an office administrator: the healthcare sector, government institutions, educational institutions, non-profit organisations and charities, consulting firms, and the hospitality industry.

Things to include in your Job Application as an Office Administrator

When you apply for a job as an office admin, you should include your key skills as well as your previous achievements. Depending on the job post, your key skills can include an excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office and Excel spreadsheets in particular, excellent attention to detail, and a knowledge of accounting software. Your future employer will value achievements in improving office workflows, establishing good customer relationships, and introducing sustainable filing options, for example.

Qualifications

Even though there are no specific academic requirements you need to become an office administrator, most employers expect you to have a General Certificate of Secondary Education, GCSE in short. The numbers and grades may vary but usually, you should have earned between two and five GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D) or 9 to 4 (A* to C). 

Besides, you should look into further helpful qualifications in business communication, database software, database management, and bookkeeping. 

Skills

Naturally, the exact skills needed to become an office administrator vary from job post to job post and, therefore, from employer to employer. This is why we recommend you check which strengths and competencies are required of you when you apply for a job as an office administrator. Regardless of that fact, we will look at some of the skills that will be useful to you as an office administrator.

Attention to Detail

As an office administrator, you need to be very attentive to even the smallest detail, regardless of what it refers to or applies to. You are in charge of a lot of administrative work which can range from filing job applications to employee contracts, invoices and other bills. With each of these documents, you need to make sure that they are correct and adhere to all regulations and compliances. Your attention to detail is also needed when signing in visitors or when making arrangements for business meetings or travels.

Multitasking

As an office administrator, you will likely have days where you feel as if you are supposed to do a lot of jobs at the same time. Or there will be days when you are busy filing documents but the phone will not stop ringing. Strong multitasking skills are what is needed – and not only on days when everyone seems to want your attention at the same time. With these skills, you will stay on top of whatever is thrown at you. You will also be able to sail through your tasks and responsibilities in a less stressful manner.

Stress Management

This brings us to our third important skill you, as an office administrator, should have: stress-management skills. Even though not every day in your life as an office administrator is characterised by chaos, mayhem and a Mount Everest of tasks, your job will nevertheless include a certain amount of stress. Therefore, excellent stress-management skills are vital if you want to perform well and finish your day’s work without having a nervous breakdown in the process.

Career Path

Starting with an entry-level position, such as the job of an office trainee, you can advance to the position of an office administrator within a year or slightly more. By gaining experience, for example, by attending and completing courses and certifications, you can look into more senior positions, such as the job of an office manager or an administrative coordinator. The most senior positions available to you as an office administrator are the job of a director of administration or the job of a Chief Administration Officer (CAO).

Educational Background

There are three possible ways for you to become an office administrator, none of which are mandatory but recommended. You can become an office administrator by doing an undergraduate degree, for instance, a Bachelor’s degree in business or administration. 

You can also become an office administrator by doing an apprenticeship, for example, a Level 3 business administrator apprenticeship or a Level 4 higher-level business apprenticeship.

Completing a college course is option number 3. Appropriate courses are a BTEC diploma or extended diploma in business administration, an HND (higher national diploma), or a foundation degree in office management or business administration.

Entry Level

If you want to become an office administrator, you start with an entry-level position, typically, as an admin assistant, a junior secretary, or an office trainee. Keep in mind that you will likely hold your respective entry-level position for at least a year. Depending on your contract and your form of employment, it is also possible that this first job will only be for a few months or without a set end date. Regardless of the duration of your entry-level position as an office admin, you can gain experience which enables you to progress your career in this field.

Continuous Learning

As a future office administrator, you should look into appropriate qualifications, certifications, diplomas, and courses. These can be an office IT diploma, an office management course and diploma, a Microsoft Office Specialist certification (MOS), or a computer skills award. You will also benefit from the following: an NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) in business and administration, a CIPD foundation certificate in Human Resources (HR), an AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) foundation certificate in accounting, and a City & Guilds Level 2/3 diploma in business and administration. 

A Day in the Life of an Office Administrator

As in any office-based job, your daily tasks as an office administrator involve the checking of your emails and the day’s schedule/calendar. So far, this is nothing that differentiates your job as an office administrator from any other administrative job. But we are sure you do want to know what daily tasks await you, which is why we will now look at three typical things in a day in the life of an office administrator

Communication tasks

As an office administrator, you are dealing with different people and departments daily since you are the focal point of contact for everyone connected to your company. You are in charge of the communication side of the business – whether it includes answering phone calls, greeting and directing visitors to their respective company destinations, or liaising with your superiors on the day’s schedules, appointments, and meetings.

Assisting with Office Operations

As an office administrator, you do a great deal of your daily tasks on a computer and/or online. Be it travel arrangements and all including filing important documents, invoices, or setting up appointments: everything computer-related can be prone to disruptions, for example, if a server crashes. As an office administrator, you may be asked to liaise with the IT department or to get in touch with a company specialising in IT troubleshooting.

Training and Support

If an assistant administrator is working in your office, you may be tasked with training your junior colleague. This can include showing him or her the office admin ropes which can range from filing invoices and other documents to instructions on the used admin, database and filing software, and useful knowledge on your company’s office policies and procedures. You are also responsible for giving your trainee support which can include giving constructive and valuable feedback and tips.

Tips for Thriving as an Office Administrator

By earning further qualifications and certifications, you are already contributing to thriving as an office administrator. Ideally, you have set up a personal development plan which helps you to achieve your professional development within your preferred timeframes. But qualifications, diplomas, and certifications are not the only options you have when you want to thrive as an office administrator. In this section, we will give you three tips for thriving in this job:

• Improve your competencies
• Prioritise tasks
• Be discreet

Improve your Competencies

Improving your soft skills as an office administrator is always a sure way to thrive in your job. You will not only benefit on a professional level but also a personal one. Therefore, you should always invest some of your time into your communication and interpersonal skills as well as your time-management, problem-solving, and organisational skills. They will not only make you more efficient at your job, but they will also show your employer that you are conscientious, reliable, and ambitious – things every good employer will value and respect.

Prioritise Tasks

As an office administrator, you should have excellent organisational skills which help you to stay on top of your various tasks. However, this does not mean that you should not prioritise said tasks. Even though everything you are asked to do is important, you need to set up a list that details which tasks need to be tackled first and which do not. 

If applicable, prioritising your daily chores also includes delegating tasks, for example, to other departments or junior staff working in your office. Prioritising will help you thrive as an office administrator since it a) shows that you know what matters the most to your company and b) ensures that you will not burn out from trying to do everything at once and/or own your own.

Be Discreet

Discretion is probably the most important core skill and value to have when you work as an office administrator. Be it invoices, attending business meetings of your superiors, catching the odd snippet of information or office gossip, or arranging travels and accommodation: as an office administrator, your lips should always be sealed. What happens in the office stays in the office, so to speak. By establishing yourself as a discreet and trustworthy office admin, you will thrive in this profession.

Frequently Asked Questions