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Featured Administrative Professional Job Description:  Financial - Life Reinsurance

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Current job title:  Sr. Administrative Assistant

 

Industry:  Life Reinsurance

 

Department:  Investments

 

Years worked in this industry:  6

 

Years worked in this department:  5

 

Special training or attributes needed or helpful to get job in this industry (or specific department):  My previous experience as a secretary (many years) is what got me in the door. I was brought in as a temp. I was able to prove my abilities on the job and was hired even though most positions in this company requires at least an associates degree. I have no college.

 

Number of managers and/or staff supported:  16

 

Typical work hours:  9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

 

Weekends or overtime hours:  I rarely work overtime and when I do, it simply makes up for those occasions when I go a little over on my lunch. I would receive overtime pay if I asked for it.

 

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.):  approx. $42,000

 

Benefits (direct or indirect):  Medical, dental, 401k, profit sharing, tuition reimbursement, 19 days Paid Time Off, annual recognition lunch, Christmas lunch, Spring-time lunch, paid conference attendance, paid industry exams and monetary rewards for passing those exams.

 

Lingo you might hear in this industry: 

• Reinsurance – Insurance that one insurance company buys from another, called the reinsurer, to cover all or part of the risk that the original company has assumed for itself.

• Actuary – technical expert in insurance, particularly in insurance mathematics. Responsible for the calculation of premium rates, cash values, reserves and other values.

• Retrocede – to transfer insurance risk from a reinsurer to a retrocessionaire.

 

A typical day on the job:  First thing - check e-mail and retrieve daily newspapers for department to read. After that, it’s anything goes. Pick up where I left off yesterday while being interrupted by anyone from the department with requests. If they aren’t urgent, I make a note and try to accomplish everything in chronological order.

 

Positive things about being an administrative professional in this industry: 

• You don’t have to be an insurance expert to be an administrative professional expert.

• It’s a global industry so there is a lot of interaction with other countries and culture.

 

Negative things about being an administrative professional in this industry:  There’s no room for advancement unless you pursue advanced education in finance, actuarial, business administration, etc.

 

Type of workspace/office:  Cubicle

 

Primary responsibilities as an administrative professional in this position: 

• Schedule meetings
• book travel
• produce expense statements
• track expenses and budget
• sort & distribute mail.

 

Top thing(s) incumbent admin would require of job applicants seeking to be her/his position replacement: 

• Interpersonal skills
• Initiative taker
• Technically savvy

 

Office machines or equipment operated regularly: 

• Computer
• Printer
• Copier
• Fax
• Scanner
• Adding machine

 

Technology (hard) skills used regularly: 

• Outlook for correspondence and scheduling

• Word for correspondence and reports

• Excel for expense tracking, expense reports, budget reports and presentations

• Access for databases

• PowerPoint for presentations

• Adobe for transmitting, receiving and editing documents not in Microsoft media

 

Critical soft skills: 

• Interpersonal skills. I work with all 16 people in my department so have to get along with everyone. I’ve had to learn who will not communicate via e-mail and who chooses e-mail over face-to-face. I have to accept that some people require numerous reminders to provide me with information or documents because they view it (and my position) as trivial.

• Communication is critical since I may receive 10 verbal requests in a day to handle something complex. I need to understand what is needed and they need to know that I understand.

 

Pace of this position:  Average

 

Geographical region:  Central/Midwest U.S.