1241 – Administrative assistants
Administrative assistants perform a variety of administrative duties in support of managerial and professional employers. They are employed throughout the private and public sectors.
Profile
Index of titles
Example titles
- Administrative assistant
- Administrative assistant – office
- Administrative secretary
- Appointment secretary
- Church secretary
- Contracts secretary
- Executive secretary (except legal and medical)
- Finance secretary
- Human resources secretary
- Loans and grants administrative assistant
- Office administrative assistant
- Personal secretary
- Private secretary
- Recording secretary
- Sales secretary
- School secretary
- Secretary (except legal and medical)
- Secretary-clerk
- Taxation service secretary
- Technical secretary
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Prepare, key in, edit and proofread correspondence, invoices, presentations, brochures, publications, reports and related material from machine dictation and handwritten copy
- Open and distribute incoming regular and electronic mail and other material and co-ordinate the flow of information internally and with other departments and organizations
- Schedule and confirm appointments and meetings of employer
- Order office supplies and maintain inventory
- Answer telephone and electronic enquiries and relay telephone calls and messages
- Set up and maintain manual and computerized information filing systems
- Determine and establish office procedures
- Greet visitors, ascertain nature of business and direct visitors to employer or appropriate person
- Record and prepare minutes of meetings
- Arrange travel schedules and make reservations
- May compile data, statistics and other information to support research activities
- May supervise and train office staff in procedures and in use of current software
- May organize conferences.
Employment requirements
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- Completion of a one- or two-year college or other program for administrative assistants or secretaries or previous clerical experience is required.
Exclusions
- Court reporters, medical transcriptionists and related occupations (1251)
- Executive assistants (1222)
- Legal administrative assistants (1242)
- Medical administrative assistants (1243)
- Office managers (in 1221 Administrative officers)