Top Administration Skills For Progression In Any Career
Why Are Administrative Skills Important?
Administration skills are some of the most important to any career. This skill set is applicable in any field, in any role and any position. Strong administration skills can be a fantastic asset to aid in not only the processes of getting a job, or starting a career, but are hugely influential in progress and success. Administration skills are, if not essential, a great advantage in the field of your choice. Largely, administration skills refer to organizational, interpersonal qualities that streamline your working process. These are the top ten administration skills that will help fast-track success.
Communication Skills
Arguably, strong communication skills are one of the most important skills in any scenario. The ability to clearly communicate information in an organized and timely fashion is vital to any workplace. In an office, you are a part of a team working collectively to achieve a given goal. Being able to communication not only what you have done, but your needs and expectations is critical to a smoothly functioning work environment.
Organisation Skills
Strong organizational skills are a lot more than simply having a clear inbox, or a clean desk. Organizational skills of your time, and resources are hugely vital to being a successful and productive professional. Specific organizational skills like schedule management and maintaining files and records in a cohesive fashion are hugely important.
Time Management Skills
Time management goes hand-in-hand with traditional organizational skills. The ability to control your time, both in and outside the workplace, and stay on top of tasks and expectations is a hugely important skill for success. Strong time management skills generally increase productivity and decrease stress.
Technology Skills
Technology skills, in this sense, refers to a level of comfort with computers, phones, and software or systems that are widely used in professional settings. This includes, but is not limited to, competence with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, ability to work with computers of various makes and models, and general competence with computers or other tech, including smartphones, projectors and so on. Strong technology skills do not necessary mean a complete and specific understanding of all possible technology you may run into, rather a general understanding and ability to learn how to work with new kinds of technology.
Problem Solving Skills
Strong problem-solving skills can be one of the greatest advantages to growth in one’s career. Practice in problem-solving allows you to recognize and fix issues early on. Largely, this is done through learning how to identify problems, and then logically work through various solutions. Problem solving involves strong analysis and decision-making skills, which are also extremely beneficial.
Customer Service Skills
Even if your career does not necessarily interface with customers or guests regularly, having a strong customer service knowledge can be advantageous in any workplace. This is due to the emphasis on communication in customer service, as well as maintaining a positive attitude, and an emphasis on working with the customer. This is all to say, customer service in terms of learning how handle requests, complaints, and even disagreements in a polite, and friendly manner are crucial in the workplace.
Proper Etiquette
Proper office etiquette generally refers to the written and unwritten rules and expectations of a professional setting. This includes being on time, polite, and generally nice to your coworkers, as well as taking the proper care of oneself and one’s professional presentation. This also includes taking care of your space in relation to everyone else’s. Generally, strong etiquette is a sign of respect for your coworkers.
Multitasking Skills
In just about any position, there will be a multiple ongoing projects or tasks that you must complete. The ability to multitask effectively is vital to a strong career. Strong multitasking skills come at the intersection of a strong ability to organize, prioritize, and time manage to be able to complete smaller tasks in the interim of bigger ones. With that, however, it is not expected to be simultaneously completing multiple tasks, rather, it is that you are expected to be able to work on multiple projects at any given time. Strong multitasking is rather an ability to shift focus and switch between tasks at will.
Attention To Detail
Attention to detail is one of the most beneficial skills in the workplace. Essentially, strong detail-orientation means that there are fewer errors in your work. Being able to focus on the minutia of projects makes it possible to see any potential errors or problems in the details, whether it be the fine print, or the specific numbers in a sale. It also allows you to check your own work critically, whether it be a report or a review, for accuracy and specifics. Attention to detail allows you to catch problems or issues that are small and may otherwise slip by.
Prioritization
Finally, the ability to prioritize tasks is a valuable skill in any professional environment. As mentioned in multitasking, in any job or position there will be multiple tasks asked of you, and it is important to be able to complete them in a timely manner. Though, of course, there are only so many hours in a workday, so it is vital to be able to know which jobs are the most important, and which are less. Strong prioritization skills not only save time and effort, since you may not be rushing to get everything done, but also demonstrates strong analytical and evaluative skills through being able to accurately determine which tasks are the most important.
How To Improve Your Administration Skills?
Strong administration skills are vital, but even if you are not naturally inclined to organization, they are learnable. The skills described above are all intrinsically intertwined, so that strengthening one area, will also help to improve all of the others. In order to strengthen your administrative skills, here are some tools and tips that makes it easier to become more organized in the workplace.
One of the biggest tips is to practice communication. Arguably is can be the greatest advantage. A way to help hone your communication abilities is to practice identifying exactly what you need, and actively listen to what others are saying. Through repetition, it will become easier to express your needs and wants while being able to receive information from others clearly.
Another great tip is to focus on organizational skills. Even if organization does not come naturally, there is an element of trial-and-error at play. In order to practice organization, you may have to test out a number of tools that work for you, whether it be organized lists, a well blocked schedule that has what tasks you need to do at what times, or even something as basic as writing everything down in one place. Any of these tricks will make it easier to identify and prioritize different tasks and projects, and stay on top of them as you work.
If you are at a loss for where to begin in strengthening your administration skills, there are a number of online resources that can keep track of tasks and needs for you, and have tips and tools to make the process easier. By working on communication and organization, things like prioritisation, multi-tasking, and problem solving, as well as the rest of the above list, will also strengthen. Administration skills are less about knowledge, and more of a system of working that works for you. There is no one fits all for administration abilities, rather, it is about finding what allows you to clearly understand and identify key points, projects, and tasks, and understanding the tools you need to be able to complete them to the best of your ability.