AccountancyISCO 3343

Administrative assistant

Administrative assistants provide administrative and office support for supervisors. They perform a variety of tasks, such as answering telephone calls, receiving and directing visitors, ordering office supplies, maintaining the office facilities running smoothly, and ensuring that equipment and appliances work properly.

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Check yourself in a minute: administrative assistant

Rate 5 of the 20 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

maintain statutory books

perform business research

use spreadsheets software

file documents

organise business documents

About administrative assistant

As an administrative assistant, you will serve as the backbone of office operations, providing essential support to supervisors and ensuring that daily administrative functions run smoothly and efficiently. Your responsibilities are diverse and varied, including managing communications through answering phones and directing visitors, handling correspondence and maintaining organized filing systems, ordering and tracking office supplies, and coordinating office facilities to keep the workplace functional and comfortable. You will be the first point of contact for many visitors and callers, representing the organization through your professionalism and courtesy. Beyond these frontline duties, you will manage schedules, prepare documents, maintain statutory records, and ensure proper document management. This role requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously. Administrative assistants are valued for their ability to anticipate needs, solve problems independently, and maintain the administrative infrastructure that allows professional teams to focus on their core responsibilities.

Key Work Functions

Core areas of responsibility for a administrative assistant.

Office Communications and Reception

Answer telephone calls professionally, take messages accurately, and direct calls to appropriate staff members
Receive and greet visitors, manage visitor check-in processes, and direct them to appropriate departments or meeting rooms
Disseminate internal communications, memos, and announcements to relevant staff members
Handle incoming and outgoing mail, ensuring proper distribution and record-keeping
Disseminate messages to people using various communication channels including email, phone, and instant messaging

Document and Records Management

Organize and file documents using established filing systems to ensure easy retrieval and proper archiving
Maintain statutory books and official records as required by law and organizational policies
Manage digital documents using document management systems to ensure proper versioning and access control
Ensure proper document management including organizing, storing, and retrieving documents in a timely manner
Keep task records and maintain documentation of completed assignments for tracking and accountability

Office Administration and Supplies

Order and track office supplies ensuring adequate stock levels and timely replenishment
Monitor inventory levels and communicate with vendors to manage procurement efficiently
Maintain office facilities and coordinate with maintenance staff to ensure equipment and appliances function properly
Organize facilities and workspace arrangements for office personnel to support productive work environments
Maintain store cleanliness and organize product displays for supply rooms and storage areas

Scheduling and Calendar Management

Plan and manage schedules for supervisors, coordinating meetings, appointments, and travel arrangements
Maintain multiple calendars using office systems and scheduling software to avoid conflicts
Coordinate meeting logistics including room booking, catering arrangements, and material preparation
Track deadlines and important dates to ensure supervisors meet their commitments and obligations

Data Entry and Office Systems

Use spreadsheet software such as Excel to create reports, track information, and perform calculations
Fill out forms accurately and completely for various administrative and operational purposes
Use office systems and software for email, document management, and administrative tasks
Perform business research and gather information to support supervisors' decision-making

Corporate Communications and General Duties

Draft corporate emails and correspondence on behalf of supervisors ensuring professional tone and accuracy
Disseminate general corporate information and policy updates to all staff members
Perform office routine activities such as organizing supplies, updating records, and maintaining cleanliness
Support supervisors with ad-hoc tasks and special projects as needed

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (20)

maintain statutory booksmaintain statutory booksMaintain updated the statutory books of the company with the relevant information of the directors and secretaries, the directors interests, and the register of shareholders.perform business researchperform business researchSearch and collect information relevant for the development of businesses in different fields ranging from legal, accounting, finance, up to commercial matters.use spreadsheets softwareuse spreadsheets softwareUse software tools to create and edit tabular data to carry out mathematical calculations, organise data and information, create diagrams based on data and to retrieve them.disseminate internal communicationsdisseminate internal communicationsDisseminate internal communications using the different communication channels that a company has at its disposal.file documentsfile documentsCreate a filing system. Write a document catalogue. Label documents etc.organise business documentsorganise business documentsPut together documents coming from the photocopier, the mail, or the daily operations of businesses.keep task recordskeep task recordsOrganise and classify records of prepared reports and correspondence related to the performed work and progress records of tasks.disseminate general corporate informationdisseminate general corporate informationAnswer questions, resolve doubts, and solve inquiries in regard to general institutional and corporate information such as program rules, regulations and procedures. Assist with information to both, e...use office systemsuse office systemsMake appropriate and timely use of office systems used in business facilities depending on the aim, whether for the collection of messages, client information storage, or agenda scheduling. It include...handle mailhandle mailHandle mail considering data protection issues, health and safety requirements, and specifications of different kinds of mail.perform office routine activitiesperform office routine activitiesProgram, prepare, and perform activities required to be performed everyday in offices such as mailing, receiving supplies, updating managers and employees, and keeping operations running smoothly.disseminate messages to peopledisseminate messages to peopleReceive, process, and pass messages to people coming from phone calls, faxes, postal, and emails.fill out formsfill out formsFill out forms of a different nature with accurate information, legible calligraphy, and within a timely manner.manage digital documentsmanage digital documentsManage various data formats and files by naming, publishing, transforming and sharing files and documents and transforming file formats.ensure proper document managementensure proper document managementGuarantee that the tracking and recording standards and rules for document management are followed, such as ensuring that changes are identified, that documents remain readable and that obsoleted docu...organise facilities for office personnelorganise facilities for office personnelManage the booking schedule for conferences and meetings of internal or external nature. Shop around and book reservations for travelling or hosting for office personnel.plan scheduleplan scheduleDevelop the schedule including procedures, appointments and working hours.draft corporate emailsdraft corporate emailsPrepare, compile, and write mails with the adequate information and an appropriate language to make internal or external communications.company policiescompany policiesThe set of rules that govern the activity of a company.use microsoft officeuse microsoft officeUse the standard programs contained in Microsoft Office. Create a document and do basic formatting, insert page breaks, create headers or footers, and insert graphics, create automatically generated t...

Optional (20) — show

transcription methodstranscription methodsThe methods to quickly transcribe spoken language into text, such as stenography.accounting techniquesaccounting techniquesThe techniques of recording and summarising business and financial transactions and analysing, verifying, and reporting the results.business communicationbusiness communicationThe process of effectively communicating within the workplace and to external bodies to achieve organisational goals.create import-export commercial documentationcreate import-export commercial documentationOrganise the completion of official documents such as letters of credit, shipping orders, and certificates of origin.respect data protection principlesrespect data protection principlesEnsure that access to personal or institutional data conforms to the legal and ethical framework governing such access.coordinate eventscoordinate eventsLead events by managing budget, logistics, event support, security, emergency plans and follow up.maintain inventory of office suppliesmaintain inventory of office suppliesKeep inventory of office supplies such as equipment and stationery items to avoid out of stock or misuse of the supplies.organise travel arrangements for stafforganise travel arrangements for staffPlan all arrangements for business travels including preparing schedules and booking transportation, dinners and accommodation.maintain internal communication systemsmaintain internal communication systemsMaintain an effective internal communication system among employees and department managers.monitor staff absencesmonitor staff absencesKeep an overview of the employees's vacations, sick leaves and absences, register these in the agenda and file the necessary documents and certificates.process commissioned instructionsprocess commissioned instructionsProcess instructions, usually oral ones, provided by managers and directives on actions required to be made. Take note, inquire, and take action on the commissioned requests.handle petty cashhandle petty cashHandle petty cash for minor expenses and transactions required for the daily running of a business.manage personnel agendamanage personnel agendaSchedule and confirm appointments for the personnel of the office, mostly managers and directive employees, with external parties.fix meetingsfix meetingsFix and schedule professional appointments or meetings for clients or superiors.provide customer follow-up servicesprovide customer follow-up servicesRegister, follow-up, solve and respond to customer requests, complaints and after-sales services.deliver correspondencedeliver correspondenceDistribute mail correspondence, newspapers, packages and private messages to customers.issue sales invoicesissue sales invoicesPrepare the invoice of goods sold or services provided, containing individual prices, the total charge, and the terms. Complete order processing for orders received via telephone, fax and internet and...liaise with managersliaise with managersLiaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.use personal organization softwareuse personal organization softwareUse software tools, such as calendars, to-do lists, time-tracking, contact lists, to help in managing personal efficiency.speak different languagesspeak different languagesMaster foreign languages to be able to communicate in one or more foreign languages.

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Frequently asked questions

What does an administrative assistant do?

What skills does an administrative assistant need?

An administrative assistant needs 20 essential skills, including maintain statutory books, perform business research, use spreadsheets software, disseminate internal communications, file documents.

Will AI replace administrative assistant jobs?

The AI disruption score for administrative assistant is 74/100 (high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: fill out forms, draft corporate emails, transcription methods. Most resilient: liaise with managers, speak different languages, coordinate events.

AI Replacement Risk

74/ 100

High Risk

Low riskHigh risk

Skills most at risk from AI

fill out forms draft corporate emails transcription methods

Skills resilient to automation

liaise with managers speak different languages coordinate events

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Quick Facts

SectorAccountancy

ISCO GroupBusiness and administration associate professionals

Essential Skills20

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