The days of the typical Secretarial duties are long behind us with the modern-day update of this job title and description. What we once dubbed "Secretary" is now better known as an Administrative Assistant and comes with a host of additional job requirements and skills.  
  
Administrative Assistant professionals are not only tasked with typing documents, greeting customers, and answering phones. Advances in technology and the role itself demand additional knowledge and expertise, whether for using email to correspond with customers or using a copier to scan documents and convert them to PDF. Other examples of increased demand in this role include the addition of event coordination, office supply, equipment orders, repair, and maintaining multiple executives' schedules. Some research tasks are also attached to this role when Administrative Assistants find themselves performing searches for information and recommendations about products and supplies for the office.  
  
At times, Administrative Assistants must be willing to step outside of their job description. For example, there could be occasions when they could be required to take additional responsibilities and work irregular or extra hours. While not unheard of in many corporate industries, it is something to be mindful of before entering into this line of work. 

Roles and Responsibilities of an Administrative Assistant
If you find yourself wondering what you'll be doing as an Administrative Assistant, you can start by recognizing that the job is multi-faceted and requires multiple, overlapping daily tasks. On top of everyday interactions with customers and third-party visitors, here are more daily tasks these busy professionals may encounter:  
   

• Greeting and directing visitors and handling all incoming and outgoing mail, calls, emails, and faxes.   
• Coordinating messenger and courier services with preferred vendors of the company, shopping for the best price.   
• Receiving, sorting, and distributing daily incoming mail to staff.  
• Creating, maintaining, and reviewing office documents, such as invoices, reports, memos, and other administrative records.   
• Conducting research and generating reports by collecting data from various tools and consolidating it into reports.   
• Typing, proofreading, and distributing general correspondence.  
• Updating and maintaining existing procedures and guidelines while also managing phone lists, mailing lists, and other contact lists.   
• Assisting with data entry and database maintenance.   
• Scheduling and coordinating professional meetings, interviews, and appointments, among others.   
• Maintaining a calendar and coordinating the workflow and meetings.  
• Preparing meeting agendas to maximize time efficiency.   
• Booking conference rooms and other meeting locations.   
• Securing venues and coordinating catering and other logistics when planning more significant events.   
• Writing down and summarizing what was discussed during the meeting and distributing a recap to all parties involved.  
• Handling travel arrangements for company executives.   
• Performing follow-up and regular maintenance of client relationships.   
• Preparing and delivering documents to clients requesting project information and follow-up.    
• Maintaining office coordination and resolving any issues and inquiries.   
• Arranging for repair and maintenance of office equipment.   
• Ordering missing supplies and maintaining inventory, replacing materials and equipment as needed or instructed.    
• Completing expense reports.   
• Ensuring the work area is clean and organized.