An administrative assistant is responsible for completing many tasks every day, and they are responsible for making sure that monthly and seasonal tasks are complete on time. In order for an administrative assistant to keep track of every task and when it needs to be completed, they need to be organized.
Organization of tasks should be in a written form either on their computer or in a hardcopy printout. The task title, description, due date, and where it needs to go once it is completed should be clearly spelled out and understandable to anyone that reads the description. By having this information in writing, a person filling in for the administrative assistant will know what needs to be done in their absence.
An administrative assistant should also have a well-organized desktop and office space. They should be able find important papers, software, disks, or other items quickly and easily without having to search through piles of debris. This kind of organization will not only help to save time in finding things, it will also create a more attractive workspace in case a customer walks in and needs assistance.
8. Bookkeeping Kills
Not every administrative assistant has bookkeeping responsibilities, however, if the company requires their administrative assistant to keep their books and/or handle payroll, then they will need to be trained in both basic bookkeeping activities, and advanced bookkeeping functions. At first, the basics of bookkeeping should be acquired such as: debits and credits, what entries need to be made each month, how to balance to the books, and what reports need to be printed out every week, month, year, etc.
Once the basics are learned the administrative assistant should try to expand their knowledge and understanding of the bookkeeping process so that they will be able to locate and correct errors that occur. Without an extended understanding of bookkeeping, it may be very difficult to find where errors were made, or even where to look for mistakes and how to identify errors in reports.