Administration - Clerical Jobs

Interested in Administration - Clerical?

Administrative jobs entail providing clerical and administrative support to professionals, performing office and secretarial duties.

General overview

The correct functioning of most businesses always requires administrative staff. Their role is that of assisting departmental managers or a department as such with issues that guarantee the smooth and effective functioning of the area on a daily basis. Clerical and administrative jobs are amongst the most demanded occupations as they are required in schools, universities, governmental offices, large and small businesses and corporations, hospitals, among many others.

The role and tasks of each post will be determined by the sector, size and type of business, degree of responsibility, seniority required and whether it is a private or a public organisation. However, people working in administrative jobs are often required to have the ability to multi-task, and respond professionally under pressure.

Common tasks may include dealing with telephone and e-mail queries; letter writing; managing incoming and outgoing post; handling communication with other departments and with external contacts; booking rooms, conference facilities, flights, hotels and in general organising both in-house and external events; arranging meetings and appointments; taking minutes at meetings; managing and updating internal databases; handling paperwork and devising and maintaining filing systems.

Requirements and skills

The most desired job skills by employers in this sector are:

Multitasking
Proactivity and the ability to function under pressure are often a must
Excellent written and oral skills
Computer skills, including word processing and good knowledge of software packages such as Microsoft Office
Coordination and organisational skills
Proficient knowledge of English and more often than not reasonable proficiency in another European language

In specialised sectors such as Law, Finance or Human Resources, administrators/secretaries will be required to have high-level qualifications and prior experience. These posts may involve writing legal documents, managing budgets and invoicing, handling statistical data, recruiting, training and supervising junior staff, among others.

Professional path

The Administration and Clerical sector offers distinct professional paths. They can be categorised as follows:

Clerical posts: tend to be more junior and require close monitoring; they often deal with day-to-day administrative tasks of an entry level. They can be front end, such as telephonists; they can be general, such as clerks; or they can be specialised, such as legal clerk.
Administrative roles: are usually more senior, require less supervision and entail further responsibilities. Administratives tend to work directly with executives in the company and are trusted with high-end or complex tasks, they have access to confidential information and in some cases their role includes overseeing other staff.

Job titles include but are not limited to the following: