Why Administrative Assistants and Executive Assistants Like Their Jobs

Six Reasons Administrative Professionals Like (or Love) Their Jobs

By Karen Porter

The Administrative Professional
Job Performance and Career Success Coach
Assisting Administrative Support Professionals Since 2004

Excerpt From the SPECIAL REPORT: How to Effectively Hire, Partner With, and Retain Your Administrative Professional Staff – A Guide for Managers, Directors and Executives

Here are six reasons why administrative professionals take the job and do what they do (based on ongoing research and hundreds of interviews with working administrative professionals by The Effective Admin):

Why Administrative Professionals Like (and Some Even Love) Their Jobs

1. They like variety in the job.
Many administrative professionals enjoy the diversity of tasks a day brings and even the unexpected challenges tomorrow brings. They like gaining knowledge in different facets of the company and learning about new topics or how to do new things. Often admins will say that no two days are the same in their job – and they're happy about that.

2. They like helping people.
Administrative professionals enjoy helping others, whether it's co-workers, community members or customers. They have caring, nurturing natures and enjoy being needed. (However, they do not want to play the role of "mother" at work.)

3. They like working with a variety of people.
Some even come in contact with celebrities or other prominent or interesting people they know they'd probably never meet otherwise. Plus some administrative professionals point out that they get to meet people globally. They find all of this exciting.

However, even meeting ordinary people of ordinary stature is a positive aspect of the job for administrative professionals. Perhaps the interest and excitement of meeting new people is entwined with the administrative professional's enjoyment for diversity in tasks and learning new things.

4. They like having people rely on them.
Administrative professionals like coming up with the answer or the solution to make your task of the day easier or to make you more effective in your job. And many enjoy being the knowledge bank of company processes and procedures. They thrive on responsibility and trust placed in them. And they enjoy using their repertoire of skills to make their managers and executives look great.

5. They're proud of the product or service their company produces.
Meaningful service work and quality company products that serve a useful purpose give administrative professionals pride and satisfaction in their jobs.

6. They like freedom on the job.
By this it's meant that some administrative professionals are left alone to do their tasks in the order and manner they see fit. They appreciate a certain degree of autonomy to carry out their work as the professionals they know they are.

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