Administrative Assistant's Update

APRIL 2016 4 Jennifer Adams Adams estimates that 25 per cent of Strictly Staffing temp placements convert to full-time positions in time. As well, she estimates that the Hali- fax market for admins is at about the same level of demand as a year ago. In Alberta, where many energy- related businesses have trimmed per- sonnel, the demand for admins has shrunk in the face of low oil prices. But OfficeTeam's Ashleigh Brown also notes "there's a lot of business in Alberta outside of oil and gas," including demand in transportation, agriculture, healthcare, construction and government as well as from com- panies with national headquarters in the province. Payroll specialists in demand Across Canada, people with payroll processing or administration experi- ence are in "high demand," Brown says, and companies are also hiring human resources specialists. Execu- tive assistants with C-suite experi- ence are "highly sought after," she adds, along with those with procure- ment experience. Technology skills are more impor- tant than ever as "must-haves" for the admin's toolbox. In most situa- tions, demonstrated competence in Microsoft Office Suite is a given. Fa- miliarity with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems such as SAP, PeopleSoft and Oracle is often a plus. One of the fastest-emerging technology skills is competence with social media in the business environ- ment, across a wide variety of func- tions. Brown says admins need to demonstrate they can operate a tablet, handle Skype for Business, interview people through FaceTime and incor- porate the various dynamics of social media. Today, the duties of a senior level administrative assistant range from updating company profiles on social media and monitoring user com- ments to writing social media posts and monitoring competitor activities. Admins monitor websites Monitoring websites for feedback about one's own company is increas- ingly embedded in an admin's job description. As well, says Brown, the e-commerce element, now so integral to businesses, also figures into the ex- panding job profile of admins. "We're doing business so differently now." People in senior administrative roles are characteristically early adopters of technology and often become "go-to" people in organiza- tions, including taking on responsi- bility for the hiring process of more junior admins, says Brown. While skill and experience with technology are crucial to the admin- istrative professional's skill sets, the ability to communicate clearly and suc- cinctly remains critical as well. Strictly Staffing tests its candidates, as do other agencies, on their writing skills. Jennifer Adams says spelling, grammar, vocabulary and proofread- ing are "basic skills they no longer teach in schools." While Strictly Staffing candidates generally score well overall, she says, at least half fail the proofreading test. "It's basically [lack of] attention to detail, knowing where to put the apostrophe in: before the s, after the s or not at all, knowing all those basic things … if you can't communicate with us … who is going to pay you [to work for them]?" What about certification? Does certification help candidates get noticed? For some jobs, such as in payroll or HR, it's likely to be a requirement. For the admin assis - tant or executive assistant, the QAA (Qualified Administrative Assistant, from the Association for Administra- tive Assistants) or the CAP (Certified Administrative Professional, from the International Association of Admin- istrative Professionals) can make the difference between two candidates of similar qualifications, says Office- Team's Brown. Keeping current with the mar- ketplace, staying up-to-date with requisite technologies and practic- ing appropriate soft skills (including resourcefulness, initiative, flexibility and a willingness and capacity to take on whatever comes your way) are seen as key. For administrative salary levels across Canada, check the OfficeTeam 2016 Salary Guide, available at www. roberthalf.com/officeteam. Credit: Gustavo Frazao/Shutterstock Hiring market for AAs, EAs Continued from page 1

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