First of all, don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember that you play an essential role not only to your boss but to the company as a whole. Secretaries and admin assistants are the rock upon which a business is founded, enabling each team member to get the job done. Lots of companies would fall apart without the admin assistant holding it all together.
Secondly, being an admin assistant gives you a front-row seat to the inner workings of the business. You get to see firsthand how your boss goes about his/her responsibilities in ways that nobody else in your company can. Channeled properly, all that information you’re exposed to can be used to further your own career.
Developing your secretarial skills further will not only make you a more valued member of the team but also allow you to use your administrative assistant position to propel you to your ultimate career goal. Here are ways to realize these ideals.
Use Technology to Your Advantage
This is the most important advice if you want to lean into your administrative position. It’s important to have a strong background in digital tools that can make your work easier, now more than ever.
Microsoft Office tools like Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, as well as Google programs like Drive, Mail, Maps, and Calendar, are part of the basics, but depending on your responsibilities, it can also help immensely to be familiar with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, SEO, and even social media. Many small and medium businesses need these skills but often do not have the budget to hire a dedicated specialist in these areas. Armed with exceptional talent in these areas of tech, you effectively make yourself indispensable. Large corporations are using these due to the sheer amount of workload.
The Rise of AI
Let's also not forget about AI. It is changing the way offices run - and administrative roles are feeling the shift. From smart scheduling tools and voice transcription to auto-replies and inbox filters, more of the routine tasks that once filled a secretary’s day are now being handled by software.
It’s easy to wonder: What happens to my job in all of this? AI doesn’t have to replace you. In fact, it can help you. You should aim at utilizing technology for all the repetitive work and lean into the human side of your role that tech can’t replicate. Things like discretion, adaptability, intuition, and emotional intelligence still matter, and many organizations are much more valuable than before.
Here are practical steps you can take to stay ahead when it comes to technology:
- Learn to work with the tools, not against them: Explore platforms like Microsoft 365, Notion, Slack, Trello, or Calendly. The more fluent you are in these tools, the more valuable you become.
- Build on your people skills: AI can’t lead a team meeting, manage personalities, or spot when a colleague needs help before they ask. That’s where you shine.
- Be open to evolving roles: Many secretaries are transitioning into operations, HR coordination, or executive support. These paths value both structure and people, and they’re harder to automate.
At the end of the day, AI will continue to shift the landscape of work; there is no way to stop progress. But it won’t replace the unique perspective and problem-solving abilities you bring to the table. If you stay curious, keep learning, and lean into your strengths, AI won’t be your competition but your biggest ally.
Develop a Deep Understanding of the Business
Having a strong business acumen lets you see the big picture and create better solutions that benefit the business. To develop a good sense of business, you need to improve your analytical abilities, uphold logical thinking, and remain calm and focused in the face of challenging tasks. Research more about the company and its market. Get to know not only its customers but also the competitors. Here are a few tips on how to deepen your business acumen:
- Follow your own company - read internal newsletters, listen to podcasts, go on company retreats, and set up Google alerts for the competitors and industry buzzwords. Do not limit yourself to only what your job description is asking of you. Stay curious!
- Understand your customers - whether you interact with them directly or not, learn what they care about. Read reviews, explore case studies, or chat with the support teams. The better you understand client needs, the more thoughtfully you can support the business from your position.
- Learn how different departments work together. Ask a colleague in sales, HR, or product about their challenges. This cross-functional knowledge helps you anticipate needs, spot inefficiencies, and collaborate more effectively. It will also let you understand better where you want to grow once the time comes.
- Think critically and offer ideas. Don’t be afraid to speak up if you see a way to streamline a process or improve communication. Good ideas can come from any level, and modern leaders often take note.
By developing a well-rounded understanding of your business, you position yourself as someone who contributes beyond the job description — and that’s exactly what leads to new opportunities.
Become More Finance-Savvy
Be more curious about your company’s cash flow and learn as much as you can. Get smart about budgeting, payroll, overheads, taxes, and basic bookkeeping. Request financial training if possible. The fact is that all businesses are indeed for profit, and if you can help the company earn money, then your boss will be more inclined to give you more responsibility and opportunities to grow.
You don't have to work in finance to understand how money moves through a business. And the more you do, the more valuable you'll become. Developing financial awareness helps you make smarter decisions, suggest cost-saving ideas, and understand what leadership cares about. Here's how to get started:
- Be curious about where the money goes: Pay attention to how your team spends on tools, services, or day-to-day operations. Even noticing patterns in what's prioritized can teach you a lot about the company's goals.
- Learn the basics — one concept at a time: Terms like "profit margin," "cash flow," and "operating expenses" come up more often than you think. A quick YouTube video or blog post can go a long way in building confidence with financial terms. Here is a quick one that explains 26 financial terms as simply as possible:
- Speak up when you see potential savings: If you find a more affordable option or a faster process that saves time, don't keep it to yourself. Leaders appreciate people who think about the bottom line.
- Keep track of how your work adds value. Maybe you streamlined a system that saved hours or helped avoid a mistake that could've cost money. Those wins matter - and they show that you're thinking like a business partner, not just an employee. It will also be a great addition to your resume or LinkedIn profile - learn how to correctly frame your accomplishments for maximum impact.
Be an Effective Communicator
As an admin assistant, you are often the crucial link between your boss, the employees/team members, clients, suppliers, upper management, and more. This means you need to hone your communication skills to razor-sharp perfection.
In-person, written, or electronic - all types of communication are important to your work. What is the first step to being an effective communicator? Be a good listener. Ask for clarification to ensure proper understanding of instructions and correspondence. Also, learn how to read people and what they’re really saying beyond their words. When you’re a good listener, you reduce the potential for communication errors and achieve a stronger relationship with those around you. Likewise, you also discover different points of view to broaden your perspective and retain more useful information that you can apply to your life and career success.
Practice Resourcefulness
The ability to adapt and roll with the punches is a necessary skill to have for an administrative assistant professional. Business conditions can change in an instant, and you need to be able to confidently and adaptively handle setbacks. Like any skill, resourcefulness requires practice to cultivate. By developing your resourcefulness, you become solution-oriented instead of problem-oriented, and in the process, you save time, money, energy, and more. This brings priceless rewards not only to the company but to your own personal growth and advancement as well.
Here’s how to put that into practice:
- Ask “what else can work?” instead of stopping at the first roadblock.
- Get comfortable making decisions with limited information.
- Use available resources, even people, creatively.
- Reflect on past setbacks and how you overcame them. What worked? What didn’t?
Over time, resourcefulness becomes a mindset. The more you rely on yourself to figure things out instead of waiting for direction, the more confident and capable you’ll become — not just in your current role but in any future challenge.
Anticipate Problems before They Arise
When you have well-developed resourcefulness skills, the ability to anticipate problems before they present themselves or get bigger becomes second nature. The greater your vision of the types of issues you might face, the more prepared you will be to solve them.
Anticipating problems doesn’t require a crystal ball — it just takes awareness, pattern recognition, and the ability to think a few steps ahead. The more familiar you are with your workflows and your team’s habits, the easier it becomes to spot when something might go off track.
- Pay attention to recurring issues and log them.
- Use checklists or weekly reviews to spot gaps or delays early.
- Communicate more, ask questions before assumptions turn into problems.
- Build a habit of double-checking details for high-stakes tasks.
Prioritize Quality of Your Work
If you have a job to do, you have to do it well. Regardless of how you may feel about that particular responsibility or project handed to you, make sure your performance results reflect someone ready to move up the ladder. Act above and beyond your admin role, and work with your boss to create opportunities that allow you to master new skills, take on weightier responsibilities, and develop a path toward development and growth.
Going above and beyond doesn’t always mean working longer hours — it means bringing focus, care, and attention to the work you do every day. People notice when someone shows up with a sense of ownership and high standards.
Here are a few ways to level up your quality:
- Review your work like it’s being handed directly to the CEO.
- Ask for feedback, and actually implement it.
- Keep learning - from tools to time-saving techniques.
When you treat every task, big or small, as a reflection of your professionalism, you build a reputation. Quality isn’t just about perfection. It’s about consistency, effort, and the willingness to improve.
Uphold Efficient Time Management
As the one in charge of coordinating most, if not all, of your boss’s functions and responsibilities, both in and outside work, you may start to feel that you’re spreading yourself too thin. To make sure your work quality doesn’t suffer, it’s crucial that you have good time management skills. Plan your tasks while taking into consideration how long each task will take so that your efforts are properly allocated.
Time management isn't just about staying busy - it's about making sure you're spending your time on the things that actually matter. When you're the go-to person for managing your boss's calendar, meetings, travel, and everything in between, it's easy to feel stretched thin. That's why being intentional with your time is one of the best habits you can build. The first step? Prioritize. Learn to understand what can wait and what cannot.
Time Management Tips
Here are a few practical tips on how to approach time management:
- Time blocking. Group similar tasks together and give them a dedicated calendar slot.
- Set limits. Giving yourself a reasonable time frame to complete a task keeps things moving and prevents over-polishing.
- Leave space for surprises which are inevitable. Build in buffer time between tasks. Last-minute requests are a given in this role.
- Look back at your week and analyze. Tracking how you spend your time (even rough estimates) can reveal where your energy is going and where it's getting drained.
- And don't be afraid to speak up if your load becomes too much.
Good time management also means knowing when to delegate or reprioritize. You're not just getting tasks done — you're setting the pace and rhythm for the entire team. That kind of leadership shows.
Maximize Your Potential
Being an administrative professional today means so much more than just managing calendars or answering phones. You're often the person people rely on to keep things moving, fix problems before they escalate, and help entire teams stay on track. And that kind of value doesn't go unnoticed - especially if you're looking to grow.
Whether you want to climb the ladder within your current company or you're considering a bigger career transition, you're in a great position. You've built up real-world experience in skills that matter everywhere — communication, organization, multitasking, problem-solving. These are highly transferrable skills that open doors across industries, from HR and operations to project coordination and executive support.
The key is to keep learning and stay proactive. Don't wait for the opportunity to come to you, instead, build your own path. Take online courses, join professional groups, and update your resume regularly. And when you're ready to move forward, don't be afraid to ask for help.
Working with the best resume company or a team of expert resume writers can give you a serious advantage. They know how to tell your story in a way that speaks to today's recruiters - especially on the top job search platforms where your first impression often happens long before an interview. A resume done by a professional helps you stand out where others fade into the background.
And remember - your job title doesn't define your career, your attitude to your job does. So, keep going and keep growing. And your dream job will find you.