Getting a job as an admin assistant without experience

PurplePuppy

I've wanted to get a job as an admin assistant for quite a while but haven't had much luck. I've worked in catering for nine years now and have literally no experience of anything else so I'm a bit lost at where to start tbh.

Are there any skills I should be emphasizing on my CV or any qualifications or courses I could take which might be useful? I have IT skills and a good telephone manner which I always make clear in my application but is there anything else I'm missing?

andygb

You would have to have good IT, keyboard and communication skills, as well as good English skills, both in reading and writing.
Common sense plays a big part as well.

[Deleted User]

You do know that Admin can be scanning, photocopying, using the guillotine, franking the post, answering the phone and emails under direction in some businesses it drives you potty. It really can be a basic job.

It's a suitable job for the 18 year old's of this world. That's why you are maybe not getting to far. Admin under people positions much better.

Sounds like you want to be looking at Conference Co ordinator or Hotel Receptionist then given your background. Both would expose you far better and carve better endings. Know what industry you want to focus on. Just my 2pence.

Nebulous2

I spent many years working in and recruiting people to work in care. Admin jobs there were varied and interesting, with a broad range of responsibilities, often including cash-handling.

One thing that stood out when advertising these was the quality of application. The English, layout and attention to detail was used to showcase what they could do.

I'd expect you to emphasis Microsoft office experience and possibly use of databases, rather than just IT skills.

ThemeOne

Most business and admin functions run on Excel, yet most people have only a basic knowledge of it - I once read a report which claimed 99% of Excel users only know how to use the SUM function, and that accords with my own experience - in fact I seem to have met a lot of the 1% who don't even know how to use SUM.

So learn Excel, and maybe devise some kind of spreadsheet you can use at home to track expenses, and mention it specifically, instead of just saying you have general IT skills.

TELLIT01

Deleted%20User wrote: »

It's a suitable job for the 18 year old's of this world. That's why you are maybe not getting to far.

That's far from true. Although it's a grade which has recently been scrapped in many parts of the Civil Service, it was not just a role suitable for 18 year olds. There were many people in the role who had been doing it for years. It suited them and they had no desire to climb the greasy pole of promotion. The role itself will vary greatly from company to company. In some it will be a very basic role, in others it can be much more demanding.

comeandgo

My admin assistant needs knowledge of Word, Excel, Outlook and SAP. If you are not compitent in the Word, Excel or Outlook there are evening classes and books that can help you gain some insight.

DCFC79

A question or 2 you will no doubt be asked in interviews is why do you want to work in admin ?

Why should you be employed over someone with experience ?

sangie595

Deleted%20User wrote: »

It's a suitable job for the 18 year old's of this world. That's why you are maybe not getting to far. Admin under people positions much better.

Really? What makes it so? The lowest admin grade in most local authorities I deal with is now filled by graduates.

Owain_Moneysaver

sangie595 wrote: »

The lowest admin grade in most local authorities I deal with is now filled by graduates.

Which says a lot about the worth of a degree now.

When I started work the lowest admin grade was the office junior and he was on a YTS scheme at 16. And he had a lot more clue than a lot of recent graduates.

Silvertabby

When I applied for my job as a LGPS administrator, the required education qualifications were 5 'O'levels/GCSEs including English and Maths. By the time I retired, they were still 'essential' - but 'degree' was 'desirable'.