Developing Administrative Skills for the Modern Workplace

Regardless of the position you hold in the workplace, strong administrative skills are an essential part of your professional skill set. Administrative skills allow you to consolidate complex tasks into your efficient workflow, compartmentalize tasks by deadline or importance, and even give you a leg up in the job application process! Moreover, if you are looking to transition into an administrative role in your company, strong administrative skills will separate you from your competition (for more information on the cover letter process for an administrator role, check out this article).

In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about the most critical administrative skills to have. We will also show you how to improve your existing administrative skills so that they can better serve you in the workplace. Finally, we will outline how you can best display your administrative skills on your resume and cover letter so that they can be picked up by employers in the recruitment process!

What is an administrative skill? Put simply, an administrative skill is any hard or soft skill that can assist you in completing a task, streamlining your workflow, or managing other employees within the workplace. Strong administrative skills are beneficial to any employee in any capacity or position as they can greatly increase efficiency, help in maintaining open channels of communication with other employees, and allow you to take on higher-level tasks for your superiors. Put together, these skills are useful in upward professional development, as higher-ups in the office are more likely to promote those who they see possess the managerial and administrative skills to handle more supervisory roles within the workplace. 

While the specific skills required for a job will vary depending on the position, many are all-around great to possess and can help you in virtually every field and career path. In this section, we will cover some of the most valued administrative skills for all professions and give some pointers on how you can develop the skill even further!

Organization

The ability to organize your thoughts, tasks, and deadlines is one of the most important administrative skills that any working professional ought to have! Organizational skills allow you to handle heavier workloads and stay on top of deadlines at all times. If you wish to develop your ability to organize your workload, we recommend keeping a physical or digital calendar or some form of daily/weekly planner. For those who already have digital calendars but are still struggling to keep up to task, we find that physically writing down and keeping track of tasks helps you remember them a lot better!

Time management

Time management is another quintessential administrative skill that every professional should possess. Time management refers to the ability to compartmentalize tasks into manageable chinks of time so that all your responsibilities are met by their deadlines. Time management is especially important for those with heavier workloads or managerial positions, such as coordinator and department head positions, as these jobs require the management of complex and changing timetables. Time management goes hand-in-hand with good organization skills; we recommend that you try breaking down your day into time chunks at the beginning of the day to better visualize the order in which the day’s tasks will be completed. 

Communication

Strong communication skills are a requisite for every job and can spell the difference between a friendly and hostile working environment. Communication is an important administrative skill as it allows you to effectively manage contact between your colleagues and can increase the efficiency of your workflow. You can improve this administrative skill by continuously practicing patience by actually actively listening to what others are saying before responding. That way, you reduce the chance of misinterpreting things that are said to you or forgetting important details in a conversation!

Attention to detail

A meticulous attention to detail is an administrative skill that will serve you well both in and outside of the office. Employees who are especially attentive to detail are highly valued by their employees for their meticulous approach to their work, as they are less likely to make mistakes and waste time and company resources. If you find yourself often redoing tasks due to easily avoidable errors, try taking the time to slow down while completing tasks. Taking your time at this stage may save you time in the long run!

Problem-solving

A critical and problem-solving mindset is an administrative skill that allows you to process and logically resolve tasks. Problem-solving is a skill that is essential at every level, as the ability to work through tasks demonstrates your professionalism and independence. Develop your problem-solving skills by taking the time to logically work through and understand the root of a problem before attempting to fix it. This way, you are more likely to spot the solution along the way instead of in hindsight!

Multi-tasking

The ability to handle multiple streams of work simultaneously is prized at every level but especially so in the managerial line of work. Managers constantly need to oversee multiple workflows and handle the challenges that arise from each one. Multi-tasking is a difficult yet essential administrative skill to train and is simply best learned through experience!

Record-keeping

Record-keeping refers to the ability to condense a large volume of information in an easily digestible and accessible format. Record keeping is an administrative skill that comes in handy for professionals in the secretarial and managerial fields, as they are usually responsible for keeping track of and compiling large amounts of information for referencing further down the line. If you would like to develop your record-keeping skills, we recommend that you organize your documents with a digital program or system so that information can be retrieved at a moment’s notice. While this may entail digitizing a lot of physical documents, you will end up saving time and space in the long run.

Data entry

Data entry refers to the process of keying data into a database for record-keeping purposes. This is an administrative skill whose importance is typically reserved for those in HR or accounting positions. Improve and develop this skill by developing a keen eye for detail as the simplest error in entering payscale information can result in significant consequences for an unlucky employee!

Calendar management

Calendar management is an administrative skill that is best served for those in the secretarial fields. These professionals are usually tasked with managing the full calendars of executives within a business, which can be quite challenging. That said, every professional should know how to manage their time and calendar! Improve this skill by not only dividing tasks by day, but by hours in the day! Assigning a time slot for every task allows you to effectively spread out your work over longer time frames. 

Customer service

Strong customer service skills and maintaining a generally personable character within the workplace are prerequisites for many fields of work, particularly within the retail and service industries. This administrative skill is best developed through specialized coursework that offers guided instruction on how to approach the various scenarios and personalities of clients you may come into contact with. If you are a professional already in the field, your company may also offer professional development seminars that you can attend to receive further training in this area!

Office software proficiency (e.g., Microsoft Office)

As the world goes digital, office software has become a mainstay in every professional’s skill set arsenal and is often an integral part of one’s daily workflow. That said, for those of us who are less computer literate, learning and gaining proficiency in software packages like the Microsoft and Google Suites may seem like a daunting task. To gain an edge against your competition, we recommend seeking out online certification courses for each software application. There are a plethora of exams on the web that you can take to buff up the certification section on your resume!

Filing and document management

Filing and managing large volumes of documentation is an administrative skill that is becoming more overlooked in the face of the digitalization of many company records and resources. That said, it is still important to have an easily accessible system of filing physical documentation. This skill is most useful for administrative assistants and those in human resources, as these professionals are usually burdened with the heaviest loads of paperwork within a company. You can improve on this skill by taking the time to create a system for all of your documents that is categorized based on common features, or through a numerical or alphabetical system.   

Prioritization

The ability to prioritize tasks is one of the core skills that every professional should possess. This administrative skill is crucial in managing your workflow, upcoming deadlines, and responsibilities so that you do not hold up others in your team. The ability to prioritize goes hand in hand with your organization and time management skills, so we recommend a similar approach of drafting up daily, weekly, and monthly plans so that you can better visualize and map out the sequence in which you will tackle all of your obligations. 

Meeting scheduling and coordination

A key administrative skill for those in the secretarial profession is meeting scheduling and coordinating the schedules of multiple people. As a secretary, you will almost certainly be tasked with calling for and arranging meetings for your employer. This skill requires strong interpersonal communication and calendar management skills, so train your ability to schedule meetings by developing these skills!

Project management

Project management as an administrative skill refers to the ability to oversee and handle the challenges and workflow of a large-scale project involving more than one other person. Project management requires precise time management, organization, prioritization, and resource allocation skills, to name a few! This is an important skill to have as project management is a highly sought-after profession that pays well more often than not! Train up on your project management skills by brushing up on your accounting, financial, and business skills through online courses or professional development workshops offered by your company. You could even consider getting a degree in project management if you are interested in pursuing this as a full-time career!

Research and information gathering

The value of being able to research and gather accurate information is often overlooked. However, having the discipline to carefully research and compile verified and accurate information has become more important than ever, as the Internet is chock full of inaccurate data and misinformation. To improve your ability to sift through information in the research process, we recommend reading up on healthy and professional research habits and building up the discipline to do your due diligence when sourcing information, especially when it is from the Internet. 

Email management

When working in large companies, your email inbox may be bombarded by interdepartmental memos, supervisor messages, and emails from clients and customers. Leaving everything unorganized may result in an overwhelming influx of messages you never seem to have the time to read. It is important to schedule time into your daily plan to view and read your messages. You can also create folders and categorize priority emails through built-in systems within each mail service!

Resource allocation

Resource allocation is the ability to distribute company resources in line with budget restrictions and established quotas. Resource allocation is an important administrative skill because it allows a company to keep its expenditures within tolerable limits, reduce waste, and preserve profit margins. To improve your resource allocation capabilities, we recommend creating practice budgets and mock trials to practice with before handling actual company funds and resources. 

Report writing

Writing reports is another integral skill that every professional should possess. Report writing is a useful administrative skill to have for any professional at any level, as the ability to read, comprehend, and condense large quantities of information is an exercise that is carried out in virtually every profession. Writing is a skill that improves the most through rigorous practice, so we recommend making report writing a daily or weekly exercise to train yourself in a disciplined habit. We also suggest looking for sample pieces online to compare your work against that of established professionals in your field. 

Event planning

The ability to plan and execute an event is an administrative skill that not many possess. Event planning requires a laundry list of prerequisite skills to pull off - time management, meeting scheduling and coordination, project management, and top-tier organization and communication skills are just a few! Event planning is an important skill to have as it allows you to plan out events that could be crucial to the success of your company. To improve in event planning, we recommend that you learn through experience! Shadow those who are more experienced than you while you are starting -  this will help you learn the pace and flow of everything that needs to happen. Then, slowly start taking on more and more responsibilities until you can hold your own!

Every professional should be in a constant state of self-improvement; this includes training your technical and administrative skill sets. One of the beauties of administrative skills is that they are all highly transferable and can be of great assistance to you in transitioning to new and higher roles within a company. Here are some ways that you can improve the depth and range of your administrative skill set. 

1. Prioritize organization and time management

Organization and time management are two of the most important administrative skills that a professional can possess. These two skills in particular are the foundation for many other administrative skills that we have talked about in this article. If you are a budding professional or recent graduate in your field and are seeking employment, consider prioritizing your organization and time management skills before all others. 

2. Create to-do lists and set deadlines for tasks

Creating and sticking to your schedule or calendar is the best way to keep track of tasks and stay on top of upcoming deadlines. You can easily have a reputation of integrity, trustworthiness, and accountability in your workplace by simply organizing your tasks in an accessible way. Keeping on top of tasks is also a good way to impress the higher-ups and secure a promotion in no time! 

3. Develop clear and concise communication techniques 

Using clear and concise methods of communication between your colleagues in the workplace can reduce the chance of conflict, increase efficiency in collaborative projects, and display a level of professionalism that can really impress your boss! There are a myriad of communication techniques that you can employ to smoothen your workflow; some common ones include, active listening, prioritizing face-to-face conversations, and maintaining agreeable and personable body language at all times.  

4. Seek professional development opportunities

Those who are serious about developing their administrative and technical skills should always seek out professional development workshops and courses. Learning new and emerging skills in your field is the best way to stay afloat in an ever-modernizing and advancing work environment. Online courses with certifications through websites like LinkedIn, Coursera, and edX, are great resources to take advantage of. You can also inquire within your company to see if professional development (PD) workshops are offered to keep employees up to speed with the latest industry trends and technologies. 

5. Master office software and email management tools

The workplace, for the most part, has gone completely digital. This means that proficiency in standard software, such as Microsoft Office, the Google Suite of work applications, as well as video conferencing software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet, has become necessary for every professional. Expand your knowledge of these applications through online tutorials, courses, and certification programs to make sure your skills are up to par for the position you are employed in!

6. Leverage technology to streamline administrative tasks

As the world goes digital, so must you! Leverage planning and organizational technology and software to make your life easier and your workflow more efficient. You can do this in a myriad of ways; for example, you could use a digital calendar synced to your email to automatically schedule meeting times, use a dictation tool to transcribe spoken words into digital text, and even draft emails or create document outlines using cutting-edge artificial intelligence!

7. Commit to these strategies for career growth and success

Consistency is key in every personal and professional endeavor. If you decide to concentrate on and hone your administrative skills, ensure that you build the habit by consistently applying them to your daily workflow. This way, you turn a short-term practice into a long-term skill and prove to your supervisor that you have matured as a professional and are ready to take on greater levels of responsibility within the company!

When applying for a job, it is prudent of you to carefully parse through the vacancy notice and identify the qualities and features that the employer is looking for. Once you have done this, you can then properly determine the best administrative skills to include in your resume and job application portfolio. While some skills are a good addition across the board (organization, time management, and attention to detail are good ones to start with), niche administrative skills such as resource allocation, event planning, and data entry may not be the best match for every job position. 

Are administrative skills hard or soft skills?

Administrative skills are soft skills (also known as transferable skills) that supplement and complement technical (hard) skills in the workplace. Administrative skills aid in helping you become more adept in broader areas such as time management, interpersonal, and communication skills. 

Who can benefit from obtaining strong administrative skills? 

Every position at every level can benefit from a strong and diverse set of administrative skills. Here are a few examples:

• Office workers
• HR personnel 
• C-suite professionals
• Medical professionals
• Legal professionals
• Educators
• Administrative assistants
• Secretaries

Administrative skills prepare a professional to seamlessly integrate within the workflow of their company. These skills, while allowing you to maximize your efficiency, make you an all-around better person to work with. Professionals with strong administrative skills experience better interactions with their peers and are more likely to be promoted to higher positions within their company. 

Learning just a few core administrative skills can make a huge difference in your professional career! Now that you have made it to the end of the article, we encourage you to apply what you have learned to your daily life! Share your experiences and success stories with us by tagging #CakeResume in your social media posts. We love to see budding and experienced professionals continue to succeed!

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— Originally written by Alexander Coye —