Current job title: Administrative
Assistant, Senior
Industry: Law Enforcement
Department: Office of the Chief of
Police
Years worked in this industry: 4
Years worked in this department: 4
Special training or attributes needed or helpful to
get job in this industry (or specific department): It helped
that I had a B.S. in business management. Oftentimes in law enforcement,
some of the business focus can be lost because of the nature of the
industry. My boss wanted to be assured that his office would be run like a
business.
Number of
managers and/or staff supported: I work directly with the
Chief of Police so I provide direct support to him.
Typical work hours: I typically work a
40-hour week. There are instances when I go over that timeframe, but this
does not happen frequently unless there is a special circumstance.
Weekends or overtime hours: There are
times when I come in on the weekends to catch up on work. During these
times, I don’t receive pay or any other form of compensation because this
is considered to be on “my time.” However, if I am asked to come in to
handle a matter or if I work overtime during a regular work day, I am
awarded compensatory time at 1 ½ times the hours. I do not receive
overtime pay.
General salary range
(Note: This is a general figure or range provided by survey respondent and may
NOT be an exact salary in order to
give survey respondent some privacy. Also you must take into account that
the number of years worked in industry/department may contribute to this
salary as well as criteria such as level of position and person reports
to, required hours and geographical location.): I am not
certain about the general salary range. I believe it is between
$30,000 - $45,000 depending on where you work. However, it was explained to
me that in other parts of city government there are people that are acting
in the capacity as Admin Assistants or Secretaries, yet their positions
are classified under other titles such as “Special Assistant”. This allows
their salaries to be upwards of $85,000 if, for instance, they work in
the Mayor’s office or some other part of city government that will justify
this higher salary.
Benefits (direct or indirect): I feel
that benefits are very good as compared to other friends of mine who do
not work in government.
Lingo you might hear in this industry:
I cannot think of very many right offhand although I’m certain there are
many. One that is common is:
“Perp”, for example, means perpetrator (anyone that has committed a
crime).
A typical day on the job: My main
responsibility is to coordinate the boss’ professional life. This includes
scheduling him for meetings, speaking engagements, media appearances, and
all travel including conferences and trainings. I am his liaison between
internal and external persons at many different levels.
I arrive and begin checking email, voicemail, and my inbox in the main
office to find out what needs to be put on the “to do” list. I organize my
list and meet briefly with the boss to find out if there are any special
tasks that he requires for the day. I check with those that I supervise to
find out about any informal matters that may need to be handled. I
prioritize my list so that I know what to work on first. It may include
things from the day before or from the week before.
I receive many calls and other immediate requests throughout the day.
Putting out these fires can be time consuming so it requires building in
extra time when planning my day to ensure I have time to complete them.
Otherwise, there are two wonderfully professional assistants in the office
that I can delegate things to.
Positive things about being an administrative
professional in this industry: It is extremely rewarding for
me to provide support to a professional that is so highly visible in such
a large city. This is a great opportunity for me to build a network base
with professionals from many different industries because of the amount of
contact that I have with them. This may not be the case with all
assistants, but I have the kind of boss that encourages growth and this
includes networking. Because I work for a law enforcement agency, I feel a
lot more confident about any safety concerns I may have had prior to
working here. I see firsthand the kind of emphasis that is placed on
solving critical security issues.
Negative things about being an administrative
professional in this industry: When you’re the assistant to
the big boss, everyone thinks coming directly to you will solve their
issues. As with any professional environment, there is a protocol that
must be followed. Also, when you’re the assistant, people sometimes tend
to believe that you are the shadow and should be treated as such. There
are those people whose egos dictate the way they feel about themselves and
the way they treat others. I try to remain composed to handle these
instances.
Type of workspace/office:
office
Primary responsibilities as an administrative
professional in this position:
Scheduling/Coordinator
Liaison for the boss with employees, city officials, the public, etc
Advisor to the head of the organization
Supervising employees;
Confidant/Shoulder to cry onJ!
Top thing(s) incumbent admin would require of job
applicants seeking to be her/his position replacement:
Detail-oriented and must be able to multi-task
Professional and able to handle highly-sensitive information; must be
confidential
Please wear your thick-skin at all times!
Office machines or equipment operated regularly:
Phone, computer, fax machine, copy machine, scanner, label maker,
television, and my deluxe massage chairJ
(just kidding).
Technology (hard) skills used regularly:
An in-depth knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook is mandatory. Drafting correspondence is a
must so break out your dictionary, your thesaurus, and your creativity.
Critical soft skills: Ability to
multi-task while still being extremely organized; must be diplomatic in
which great communication skills are key; MUST be an active listener;
being psychic doesn’t hurt eitherJ.
You must be able to understand what people mean by what they say and by
what they don’t say. This intuitiveness will take you a long way in the
workplace.
Pace of this position: very fast-paced
Geographical region: Southeast U.S.
Karen Porter, The Administrative Professional Job Performance and Career Success Coach™