1. ADMIN PRACTICES TASKS, SKILLS AND QUALITIES OF THE

2. Filing information and documents (electronic and paper ) and being able to find them again when necessary Reprographics eg photocopying documents and booklets, binding, scanning etc Looking after non-computing office equipment, maintaining and ensuring it is in good working order (eg copiers/printers/collators/laminators) Keying in information to databases and spreadsheets and keeping the information up-to-date Dealing with requests for information (eg electronic/paper and spoken). This may be for colleagues or customers Preparing documents (eg preparing letters agendas; invoices; reports by keying them in to a word processing document) DUTIES OF AN ADMIN ASSISTANT – JOBS THEY HAVE TO DO

3. Recording information in diaries and organising meetings and events Organising travel arrangements (eg arranging taxis; researching and booking flights; hotels; meeting areas) Overseeing office supplies and making sure there is always enough (eg paper; office stationery, printer toner) Recording small cash payments – issuing money to staff if they have used their own money to pay for business items (eg bus/taxi fares) Answering the telephone and representing the organisation during initial telephone calls Welcoming and looking after visitors – making sure they have appointments and showing them to the correct area in the organisation; keeping the reception area in good order. DUTIES OF AN ADMIN ASSISTANT – JOBS THEY HAVE TO DO … CONTINUED

4. A quality is a personal attribute – something which describes the type of person they are … eg polite, friendly, honest, trustworthy, patient, “people person” etc WHAT ARE QUALITIES?

5. QUALITIES OF AN ADMIN ASSISTANT Describe the kind of person

6. QUALITIES OF AN ADMIN ASSISTANT Hard working – be able to work on their own without having to be told what to do all the time Enthusiastic – enjoy their job and be polite, friendly and helpful while doing so Reliable and dependable – turn up for work on time every day Honest and trustworthy – should be able to be trusted to handle money on behalf of the organisation Flexible and willing to learn – be willing to go on training courses and learn new things Accurate and careful - understand the need to check their work carefully in order to avoid making mistakes Polite - understands the importance of being courteous and polite to others – both colleagues and customers Able to get on well with others – be able to work well in a team and communicate well with others Able to cope with pressure and multi-task when necessary.

7. A skill is something you are good at – it might be a natural talent, eg being good at drawing or it can be something which is learned and can be improved eg IT skills WHAT ARE SKILLS?

8. SKILLS OF AN ADMIN ASSISTANT Something you can do

9. SKILLS OF AN ADMIN ASSISTANT Effective communication: Someone who will listen to instructions carefully and act on these with minimal guidance or support. Someone who speaks and writes ‘professionally’. Computer literacy and IT skills: Someone who can use computer software (eg Word Processing, Spreadsheets, Databases; Presentation software). Someone who is capable of using email and the internet properly. Problem-solving/Creativity: Someone who can anticipate problems before they occur and problem- solve quickly and effectively. Someone who can process information carefully and organise their workload. Teamwork skills: Someone who understands the importance of ‘getting on with’ others and can work as a responsible member of a team. Someone who can work with minimum supervision but knows when to ask for help and advice. Tolerant of others: Someone who recognises that different people belong to different cultures and religions and can build relationships in a multicultural environment. Planning and organising: Someone who can organise their workload efficiently (eg use time management skills to prioritise their work).

10. FINDING AN ADMIN ASSISTANT Job AdvertJob Description Person Specification Skill Scan Application Form or CV

11. JOB ADVERT Job Advert: Name Duties Salary Type of contract The job advert may be placed in a newspaper, in the Job Centre, on notice boards, perhaps on-line. It should be drawn up carefully so that it is quite clear what the job involves and should include other relevant information, eg wages rates.

12. JOB DESCRIPTION Job Description: Job Title Salary Conditions Holidays Duties/Responsibilities Location The job description is sent out in the application pack –it gives details of the JOB and makes it clear to potential applicants exactly what they would be required to do if they were successful in their application.

13. PERSON SPECIFICATION Person Specification: Skills and Qualities  Qualifications  Skills required Experience Divided into Essential (necessary) Desirable (not necessary but good to have) Keywords: Essential Desirable The Person Specification is also sent out in the application pack. It lists the skills and qualities required of the PERSON who will get the job. Skills and qualities are normally under 2 headings – essential and desirable.

14. APPLICATION FORM Application Form: Used to collect comparable information from all Applicants. Can be done on-line The third document in the application pack is the application form. Job applicants should complete it in black ink and capital letters. They should give as much detail as possible in order to make their application stand out from the rest.

15. Send out application packs – Job Description, Person Specification and Application Form When the application forms are returned, read through them carefully and decide who will be on the short list Decide on who will be on the interview panel Decide on the date for the interviews Send out letters to those being interviewed inviting them to attend Book a suitable room Decide on questions to be asked Prepare the interview checklist PROCEDURE FOR FINDING NEW STAFF

16. SKILL SCAN SKILL SCAN FOR SPREADSHEETS Skill/TechniqueKnow/ can do Know/ with help Still to learn about Target date Work with multiple worksheets 31/12/2 013 Link data within worksheets using named cells 31/12/2 013 Use max, min, count, IF formulae Combined and absolute cell references Create bar chart and format texts Print worksheets and extracts Print charts Integrate data in Word document Skill Scan: completed by employer and employee. Used to consider employee strengths and weaknesses then plan future targets. When the new employee has been appointed, they may complete a skill scan to help plan training requirements. It identifies what the employee can already do and what they still need to learn to do.

17. The duties, qualities and skills of an Admin Assistant Documentation – – Job advert – Job description – Person specification – Application form – Skill Scan Know the procedure which an organisation should follow before appointing new staff TO SUM UP, DO YOU KNOW …