Administrative Officers keep every company running efficiently and productively. It’s often a fast-paced, multi-faceted position that requires the person in that role to have their finger on the pulse of each system in the office and respond accordingly. As a result, finding the candidate that matches up with each company’s needs for an Administrative Officer can be difficult.
Here are 5 skills you must highlight on your CV or in your interview to be that successful candidate:
- Be a Tech Wizard (Or at Least Willing to Work at It)
Every Business Admin Officer should be able to wiz around Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook. However, demonstrating a working knowledge of Microsoft PowerPoint, WordPress, any of the cloud-based information processing systems, and/or Photoshop is key to breaking away from your potential competitors. Because Business Admin Officers often step into other roles in either a teaching or temporary capacity, it’s also very useful to have a working knowledge of social media (both how to use them and a few strategies for implementing them effectively).
- Know Your Industry
Too often Business Admin Officers rely on their organization skills, networking prowess, and even their tech backgrounds to pull them through an interview. Know the industry you’re stepping into before the interview. Understand what’s happening in your sector’s technological advances, what’s obsolete, what some of the jargon is, and what’s trending. This will allow you to have a conversation with your recruitment officer that’s more frank and a lot less anxiety-inducing.
- Make Cost a Priority
Your primary job is to make the office more efficient while keeping overhead low. How can you cut costs while promoting efficiency in the office? If the opportunity to talk about cutting costs comes up during your interview take advantage of it. It’s often the little savings of day-to-day operations that cut thousands off of an annual budget. And that’s a big deal-maker or deal-breaker for your new employer.
- Use Your Words
Eloquence, word economy, and comprehensibility are your new best friends. As the thread between all of the departments in the office, it is your responsibility to be the connector, mediator, and communicator. Demonstrate a keen understanding of clear and concise language during your interview and that job offer’s not far away!
- Be an Innovator
By keeping up on the latest tech, trends in your industry, ways that other companies are cutting costs, and listening to colleagues and thought leaders, you’re very likely to already be thinking out of the box. However, let your recruitment officer know that you’re an out-of-the-box problem-solver. Go above and beyond. Take initiative. Business Administrative Officers are often required to be so fluid in the office that taking initiative to fill in gaps before they become problems are huge pros for potential employers.
