Behind every well-run and organized office is an administrative assistant who performs a multitude of tasks and acts as a hub of information — whether it’s from a remote location or shared office space. What may have been considered routine in the past now is anything but routine for administrative professionals today.

One day an administrative assistant may help set up health and safety protocols and the next day troubleshoot IT issues, field calls and organize virtual meetings.

If you’re interested in being hired for this role, you not only need strong core skills (see below) but you should also have a positive, can-do attitude and excellent interpersonal skills to communicate with a variety of people, from customers and colleagues to vendors and top executives.

Administrative assistant salary ranges

The Robert Half Salary Guide lists the administrative assistant job as one of the hottest in administrative and customer support. Starting salaries vary from city to city, so use the latest Salary Guide to find out what administrative assistant salaries are offered in your location.

Administrative assistant job description

Administrative assistants with good business sense and initiative could find themselves involved in project management, purchasing decisions and new employee orientation. It really depends on the company, but an administrative assistant's job description typically includes:

  • Administrative and office support for multiple supervisors/employees, including the creation of documents, spreadsheets and presentations
  • Office system administration, including data entry, records maintenance and look-up, and report development and retrieval
  • Technology training
  • Event planning
  • Fielding and screening telephone calls and emails
  • Data research

Read 25 Admin Interview Questions to Expect.

Must-have administrative assistant qualifications

Some essential qualifications that organizations look for in an administrative assistant are:

  • Excellent verbal and written communications, listening and customer service skills
  • Organizational skills
  • Multitasking skills and the ability to be flexible when priorities shift
  • Extensive computer and software skills

Find your next administrative assistant job

Skilled administrative assistants are in demand in offices across the United States. See our open administrative assistant jobs in these hot cities: