Are you an administrative assistant wondering what’s next for your career?
Whether you’ve been in your role for years or you’re just starting to think about future opportunities, the possibilities for advancement are more varied than you might expect.
Administrative assistants often develop a wide range of skills that can open doors to a range of exciting career paths. From working in executive support to stepping into leadership or even pivoting into a completely new field, there are many ways to build on your experience and take your career to the next level.
In this article, we’ll explore some ‘next steps’ for administrative assistants. Whether you’re looking to work for a prestigious company, take on greater responsibility as an executive assistant, or even transition into marketing or human resources, we’ve got plenty of ideas to inspire your next move.
Let’s dive in and find the path that’s right for you…
Consider a sidestep to a more prestigious company
While you should certainly look at changing path slightly and moving into an alternative role, don’t overlook any opportunities to take an administrative assistant position with a different business.
If you currently work for a small company, you may find that in a larger company, there is a hierarchy within the administration department. So while your duties may be the same, you may find that your experience allows you to step in at a higher level, with more responsibility and a better rate of pay.
If you take this sidestep into a well-known, more prestigious company, that will look impressive on your resume.
It also gets you a foot in the door with a high-profile business, making it easier to work your way up the ranks internally. Larger companies tend to have more opportunities for promotion than smaller ones.
In addition, future employers are likely to be more impressed that you’ve been an administrative assistant for Google than for Bloggins Accountants, even if the work is pretty much the same.
So do consider applying for positions with well-known companies, even if it doesn’t feel like a true step up. In reality, it could really help to fast-track your career.
Become an Executive Assistant
One logical step up for an administrative assistant is to take on a role as an executive assistant.
Whereas an administrative assistant’s work involves general office admin, an executive assistant works specifically to assist high-level people within the business, usually those in a senior management position.
As an executive assistant, you’ll be dealing with the admin tasks for one or more senior employees, taking on the strain of their more mundane everyday work tasks so they can focus on the more complex aspects of their job.
You’ll be dealing with correspondence, managing their diary, scheduling appointments, planning travel, and more.
There is a great article titled “The Difference Between Administrative Assistants and Executive Assistants” over at the Executive Assistant Institute that is worth reading.
Key skills for an executive assistant
You’ll be working with senior management in your company, and high-profile clients, so an executive assistant needs to be extremely professional at all times and have excellent communication skills in order to make a good impression.
To succeed in this role, you’ll need to be extremely well organized, excellent under pressure, a great multi-tasker and a perfectionist.
Move into Office Management
You’ve got a wealth of experience in how an office works and how to make it run smoothly, so another obvious choice would be to move up to become an office manager.
As you’ve worked your way up, you’ll fully understand the role of the administrative assistants you’ll be overseeing, and so your empathy and knowledge of the work involved will see you excel in this role.
If a job opens up within your current workplace, you’ll be an obvious choice above any external applicants for the position, as you’ll already know the people and have a full understanding of the business and office policies.
Key skills for an office manager
A good office manager is patient and understanding while maintaining the capacity to be firm and professional. They’ll have empathy without being a walkover. As an office manager, you’ll need to be an excellent multitasker, with the ability to have an overview of everything that is going on at any one time. You’ll have your finger on the pulse, and you’ll be an excellent communicator.
Progress to Human Resources
As an administrative assistant, it’s likely you’ve been dealing with many different people; colleagues, superiors, clients, and the general public.
If you enjoy this interaction and feel you’re a good communicator, then a role in human resources could be a fulfilling career move for you.
Interpersonal relationships are a key aspect of working in HR. Your administrative assistant skills will also come into play, along with other skills you may already have or wish to develop such as conflict resolution, knowledge of employment law, data analysis and more.
Key skills for working in HR
A human resources worker will be a good listener, sensitive and understanding.
They’ll have excellent problem-solving capabilities and be extremely conscious of data protection, discretion and confidentiality within the workplace.
When you work in this field, you’ll build on your office-based experience and skills, adding in new talents such as coaching, training and hiring skills.
If you’re a detail-oriented people person with excellent organisational skills, a job in human resources could be just what you’re looking for for your next step.
Take your Skills into Marketing
Or how about moving into marketing, as a wild card option?
As an administrative assistant, you already have experience in interpreting people’s needs, discussing them and bringing their requests to fruition. You’ll also have a good eye for detail, and excellent IT skills.
If you love the idea of working in marketing, promoting and selling a brand and its products and services, then why not follow your dreams?
If the company you work for has its own marketing department, why not look out for any vacancies there?
Key skills for a marketing professional
To work in marketing you need to be a good listener, creative, and able to take negative feedback.
You’ll be innovative, with a finger on the pulse of the latest marketing trends and techniques.
You may be required to make presentations, so public speaking skills will put you at an advantage. If you’re great at coming up with ideas, and unique solutions to problems, and have the ability to effectively convey your ideas and vision to others, then marketing could be your next successful career move.
How to choose which direction to take
As an administrative assistant, you’ve laid the groundwork to move into a variety of different careers, so which way will you go?
You need to weigh up the situation and listen to your heart and your head. Do you dream of becoming a marketing guru, but the salaries for executive assistants in your area are high? That’s a choice only you can make.
Remember, once you have experience in an industry, you can then move upwards to higher-paying positions down the line, but no job need be forever.
All experience is good experience, and sometimes a job is worth giving a chance, even if at first glance it doesn’t seem to be quite what you’re looking for.
So whether you’re jumping straight into the career of your dreams, or your side-stepping to something different just for a change of scene, good luck in all your endeavours!
