10 Tips for Getting Ahead as a New Administrative Assistant

This is your first job as an administrative assistant. You are fresh out of high school or college and you are looking for your first job. You are transitioning to a new career and getting your foot in the door. You are a receptionist, newly promoted to an administrative support position and it's a whole new ballgame.

These top tips will help you organize your time, improve your communication, and learn new ways to get ahead in your career. These tips will help you make the most of out of your first year and jump start your second.

Here are some tips to help you get started in your new career.

1) Get to know your team.
The most important thing a new administrative assistant can do is to schedule a sit down with each member of the team. Use this time to introduce yourself, learn more about your team individually, and find out what are the current needs of the team. The key things to inquire about are:

·How do they contribute to the team and in the company?

·Who are the important people in their lives? Clients, business and personal? Who are the "find me" people?

·What they would like to see done differently? What things do they prefer to stay the same?

·What are their pet peeves?

·What are their current concerns?

·What are the common preferences for answering telephones, messages, meetings requests, visitors, emails and calendar requests?

2) Increase your knowledge on the company, your team and your industry.
Do you know what your company's mission statement is? Who are their clients? What services do they offer? Information like this is important for a young administrative assistant's career. How can you increase your value to a company if you don't know anything about it?

Visit and read your company's website. Read the bios of the management team that runs your company. Find out how the company was founded. Read your employee handbook and any materials related to your job supplied by your company. Know what the rules are.

Does your company send company newsletters? Read them. If possible give feedback on items that interests you or ask a question on what you read.