Administrative Assistant's Update

OCTOBER 2016 4 new hires, most will be willing to train admins who have shown themselves to be open and adaptable to learning new technologies. Also in smaller companies, the administrative job may have an ac- counting compo- nent, says Heather Oldenziel, division director for Adecco Professional Staff- ing in the Toronto area. "It may be an asset to have [experience with] one of the accounting softwares, such as QuickBooks or a Sage 50 or Accpac," she says. In general, "the ability to learn new systems or work with databases in general would usually be an asset." Well-developed soft skills are crucial for administrative professionals seek- ing to move up in their organizations or looking to move outside their organi- zation to a more challenging, better paying position. Communication skills and profes- sionalism are demanded at all levels of administration, says Oldenziel. "Short- forming" words and expressions, such as are typical of texting and other social media, have no place in job applications – at the entry level or anywhere else. "That is a big turn-off for employers." Being an administrative professional "is not an introverted role," says OfficeTeam's Gena Griffin. "You have many internal stakeholders and internal clients that you work with, so you need to communicate at all levels of the company." And companies are evolving, Griffin says. Because of constant change in technology and the impact of global- ization on business, companies need people who can adapt to change and be flexible, willing to take on new tasks and come up with ideas to help the company grow. Social media management is becom- ing a must-have skill for administrative professionals. For example, admins supporting director-level managers are likely to be responsible for maintain- ing their online presence, says Grif- fin, "posting things on their LinkedIn account for them or do their tweets for them on their Twitter account." Ultimately, employers are looking for evidence that their new hires are a good "fit" for their organization's particular culture and espoused values – and that they show initiative. Opportunities are "not always going to knock on your door, saying 'this is what I need from you and this is what it looks like,'" says Griffin. "Have the initiative to actually put your thoughts out there to help solve business problems and make a con - tribution." Gena Griffin Hiring market strong for admins Continued from page 1 Heather Oldenziel 2017 Salary Guide for Administrative Professionals Designed as a resource for employers, the OfficeTeam 2017 Salary Guide for Administrative Professionals is also a handy reference for admins to compare starting salaries across Canada for a variety of administrative positions. The Salary Guide covers the United States and Canada. In Canada, as in the United States, candidates with two to five years of experience are especially in de - mand. Employers are particularly keen to fill front desk, project co- ordination and executive assistant positions. An entry-level administrative assistant in Winnipeg will be seeing a starting salary range of $32,800 to $40,500. At the senior executive assistant level, the candidate in Winnipeg will be looking at a starting range of $58,700 to $76,000. In Vancouver and Toronto, the highest paying locations for administrative professionals, the starting pay range at entry level is $37,700 to $46,700. For a senior executive assistant the range is $67,600 to $87,600. Other cities and regions includ - ed in the Salary Guide are Calgary, Edmonton, Fraser Valley, Victoria, Kitchener- Waterloo, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Regina and Saskatoon. Overall, the salary levels in the 2017 Guide are about 3.5 per cent higher than a year ago. The Salary Guide is download- able as a pdf at www.officeteam.ca. FOR ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS 2017 SALARY GUIDE OT_0916_SG_2654-SalaryGuide2017Print_NAM_ENG_BL1.indd 1 7/20/16 8:22 PM

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