The Results-Oriented Administrative Workplace

Administrative jobs, whether administrative assistant, office management, administrative services, records management, or corporate library, are involved in a lot of detail-mostly paperwork. When administrative people are so engrossed in the details of their jobs, it's easy for them, for anyone actually, to lose sight of the job's major contribution.

A Results-Oriented Administrative Job Description is different from a traditional job description because it focuses an employee on the several job results that answer the question: What results must this administrative job accomplish for the organization?

Administrative Job Standards added to job expectations tighten management controls by clarifying how well and when results must be accomplished.

Administrative Job Objectives establish management and employee plans by highlighting important current and future results needed.

Job-specific Administrative Employee Management Forms maintain consistent and legally sound management actions by basing manager-employee interactions on job results.

The Purpose of Administrative Jobs

Stated in a results-oriented, three-line style, administrative jobs--

SUPPORT OPERATIONS by

providing administrative systems and services, including records management; maintaining communications systems, office equipment, office supplies, facilities, buildings, grounds and security.

Types of Administrative Jobs

Some administrative jobs assist managers by providing secretarial and clerical support. Others take over parts of the manager's job in order to free him/her up to attend to professional responsibilities.

Administrative managers and supervisors identify, contract with, and coordinate services and systems that are necessary to keep the organization functioning, such as, communications, maintenance, office cleaning, and security.

Some administrative people organize and index corporate information, while others keep track of where files are kept, how they are kept, and when and how they can be destroyed.

And, of course, somebody has to supervise the administrative, secretarial and clerical people and processes.

Administrative Job Management Tools

Here are actual job examples of how administrative job actions can be focused on results and kept on track using each of our job management tools:

Results-Oriented Administrative Job Descriptions form the foundation of all job management tools. Our uniquely structured job descriptions focus on the result to be accomplished first and prominently, followed by the duties performed in order to accomplish the result. For example,

RECOMMENDS ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Administrative Job Standards sharpen employee attention and management control by defining and communicating how well the administrative results must be accomplished and what benchmarks will be used to measure job results. For example, for the job result above, the job standards might be:

• Administrative situations are correctly understood.
• All options are identified and evaluated.
• Administrative recommendations are ready when needed.

Administrative Job Objectives point the direction for employee actions by focusing job efforts on current and future administrative issues. Job objectives are written in the three-line, results-oriented structure. For example, for the job result above, a job objective might be:

SPEED-UP DECISION MAKING by

reducing time to deliver administrative recommendations by 10% by (date).

Administrative Employee Management Forms tied specifically to each administrative job description are more helpful (and legal) than generic forms used for all different kinds of jobs. Job-specific forms are used to state job qualifications, guide job interview questions, orient new employees, plan job training, and appraise job performance.

Administrative Job Qualifications are stated in the same terms used in the job description. They are not translated into generic (typically behavioral) terms. For example:

RECOMMENDS ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Administrative Job Interview guide questions are inserted directly below each job result in the job description: For example:

• "What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?"
• "Where did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "When did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?"
• "What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?"
• "In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?"
• "How did you overcome the challenges?"

The Administrative Job Orientation guide reformats the job description sequence so that job explanations, policies, protocols, processes, and procedures are logical and complete and can easily be checked off. For example:

RECOMMENDS ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Here's the procedure and format we use to analyze and present administrative recommendations."

The Administrative Job Training plan guides a thorough examination of actual job knowledge, skills, and abilities as described in the job description that need improvement or that might be enhanced. For example:

RECOMMENDS ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might decide: "Analytical skills would be improved by enrolling in a statistical analysis class."

The Administrative Job Performance Appraisal guide is a job-specific form. It is not a universal form used for all jobs. The guide adds an appraisal scale below each job result in the job description so that attention can be drawn to each job requirement and expectation. For example:

RECOMMENDS ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

__ Great! Just want we wanted.
__ We have a problem.
__ Improvement is needed.
__ Much, much more than we asked for.

Comments: _________________

Administrative Résumé Template

Potential employers want to know what a job applicant has accomplished in his/her administrative work career. They don't want to be bored with minor details. Our Résumé Template provides:

• an outline to help assemble personal background information.
• a Results-Oriented Job Description to provide the administrative job language-focused on results-needed to write an effective résumé.
• Administrative Job Objectives to orient thinking in terms of accomplishments.
• instructions on how to use a Results-Oriented Administrative Job Description and Administrative Job Objectives to express job accomplishments.

Use the administrative job description responsibility statement as a base:

RECOMMENDS ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Select the administrative job objective that fits your experience:

REDUCE COSTS 10% by

improving administrative processes.

Combine the two into a résumé statement:

Reduced costs 10% by analyzing, identifying, and recommending new administrative system controls.

Administrative Career Links

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

Solid information about secretarial and administrative jobs including training and education, pay, job prospects, responsibilities and working conditions.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Administrative Services Managers

Administrative services manager information regarding salaries, job prospects, job responsibilities and working conditions.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office Clerks

Facts about clerical jobs including training and education, pay, job prospects, nature of the work and working conditions.

Careeroverview.com, Administrative Support

For administrative support careers, such as professional secretary or executive assistant, here's information about job opportunities, earnings, and training requirements.

Careeroverview.com, Administrative Services Manager

Information provided regarding job opportunities, earnings, and training requirements for a career in administrative service management.

Worldwidelearn.com, Administrative Services Managers

Planning information for a career in administrative services management including job outlook, related occupations, working conditions, education, training, qualifications, salary expectations, associations, accreditation and other resources.