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How to Become an Administrator

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Overview of the Administrator Role

An administrator role is a great entry-level position for anyone looking for experience in most sectors. Due to the versatility of administration roles, you can find work in most industries around the world – making it a great fit for anyone looking to get their foot in the door. Whether there is a specific industry you’re looking to explore or you’re wanting experience in a career that offers greater flexibility, administrator roles are the perfect position. They require little qualifications but support a wide variety of businesses. Gain experience from the start within a teamworking environment that provides the first step in a career.

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Dress Code

The dress code for most administrator roles is business casual. This can include clothing in block colour such as black, navy, and white, as well as jeans in either black or blue, without rips. It is best to check with your employer ahead of your starting day for their specific dress code. 

Key Responsibilities

The content of your day-to-day duties will often depend on the type of company that you work for. But common tasks will include completing forms, taking internal phone calls, creating reports and organising data. Administrators may also have some customer-facing duties, such as taking and processing customer orders, dealing with customer issues or complaints, arranging postal deliveries and bookkeeping.

Tips for Administrators

While you don’t need qualifications to work as an administrator, transferable skills are useful, so it is important to know and develop your teamworking, communication, and organisation capabilities in order to perform in this role. Excelling as an administrator means managing time, and a keen attention to detail so that the office is organised, meetings are scheduled, and documents are recorded correctly. You might also be required to meet and welcome visitors so having excellent written and verbal communication, as well as any ability to speak multiple languages, can be good for this role.  

Administrator Skills and Qualifications Needed

Administrator roles are the perfect entry-level role that require no qualifications. However, there are some transferable skills and proficiencies that can help you perform in your role. These include:

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

As an administrator, you’ll likely be working with various people within your business, as well as visitors and guests. Being able to communicate effectively, in writing and verbally, is important for ensuring the smooth running of your office. You might be responsible for answering emails, phone calls, or welcoming visitors, so making sure that you’re comfortable, confident, and professional is necessary for this role. Interpersonal skills such as socialising and networking are important for this role, no matter your industry.

Organisational and Time Management Skills

Whether it is scheduling a meeting or recording documents, organisation is essential for a role in administration. Keeping the office, documents, and schedules organised, providing timely responses to incoming queries, and ensuring all tasks are completed are essential responsibilities for an administrator. To develop your time management, it is important to have a method of prioritising that works for you. By finding methods that work for you, you’ll be better able to manage and complete tasks within your deadlines.

IT Proficiency

Understanding the systems that you’re likely to use is important for being able to perform your role. Common systems, including Microsoft 365, are important to know to complete your tasks. While you don’t need any specific qualifications, taking an IT proficiency course online can help give you the basic understanding you need for administration. Free courses and resources are available online so that you can better get to grips with the technology that you’re likely using. However, this is not a necessity and can be learnt on the job.

Administrator Responsibilities

Administrators have the responsibility to manage and organise the office – including scheduling meetings, organising documents, and acting as a vital communicator within the workplace. Your key responsibilities will include:

Office Organisation and Scheduling

One of your main responsibilities as an administrator will be to maintain the organisation of the office, including storage, documents, and general organisation. You will be required to act as a main communicator within the business, ensuring that announcements and important information are shared with the correct people. Scheduling will be another important aspect of your role, as you will be required to send out invitations for events and meetings, ensure schedules align with meetings, as well as organise upcoming company events.

Document and Data Management

Recording, organising, and managing documents is another important task for administrators. This includes the secure sharing of these documents with people both inside and outside of your business. This requires some IT proficiency that you can learn both in-role and online. Data management is another duty administrators will need to perform. This includes maintaining the security and integrity of data and data systems, sharing data, and reporting on data when necessary for your business. A key attention to detail is essential for both responsibilities.

Career Growth Opportunities for Administrators

An administrator role is a great entry-level role for anyone looking for their first step into any industry. Due to the versatility of the role, you can find positions within various sectors across the UK, making it a perfect place for people looking to branch into something new or work in a teamwork environment. Some career opportunities from administrative roles include:

Temp Admin Roles as a Stepping Stone

Administrator roles can be an adaptable role, including temporary positions, that can fit around your lifestyle and personal schedule. This is the perfect stepping stone for students looking to build work experience around classes or people looking to explore new industries while meeting family lifestyle needs. These positions can provide you with the expertise you need to build competence and experience within an industry, giving you a foot in the door to explore other positions within your sector.

Advancing to Senior Administrative Roles

By gaining experience as an entry-level administrator, you gain the expertise and understanding needed to transition into senior administrative roles. These positions are more specialist, with higher pay grades, that provide regular full-time and temporary work for people looking to excel within office administration for any industry. Whether you’re wanting to excel in a particular sector or looking to widen your opportunities, temporary administrator roles are the perfect starting point for more senior positions as it provides the experience and networking needed for career development.

FAQs on Becoming an Administrator

What Qualifications Are Needed to Be an Administrator?

You don’t need any qualifications to become an administrator. This is a perfect entry-level role to get you started in any industry. However, some IT proficiency can be useful for the role, including a basic understanding of how to use common systems such as Microsoft 365.

What Skills Are Most Important for Administrators?

Administrators are vital for the functioning of any office, within any sector. A few core skills that can help you excel in this role include:

  • Organisation
  • Time management
  • Communication and interpersonal skills
  • IT Proficiency
  • Attention to detail
How Much Do Administrators Earn in the UK?

The average salary for an administrator in the UK is £23,000 a year or approximately £12+ an hour. More experienced administrator roles can have salaries up to £37,000+ per year.

What Are Typical Administrator Interview Questions?

Some questions you can expect to be asked in an administrator role interview include:

  • What helps you stay organised?
  • How do you handle stress?
  • What computer skills do you have?
  • Describe some of your significant achievements
  • How do you handle confidential information?

 

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