AccountancyBusiness and administration associate professionalsISCO 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.
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.
1
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
2
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
3
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
4
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
5
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
6
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)
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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AI Replacement Risk
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Quick Facts
SectorAccountancy
ISCO GroupBusiness and administration associate professionals
Essential Skills20
Core Skills0