How do you break away from administrative assistant work?

22 Comments

1. Danielle GenslerApril 14,2023 at 2:23PM UTC

   I hear you. I am lumped in this field from my work as a Personal Assistant . However, I don't have the skillset of an Executive Assistant. I have interests that I have explored and done some informational interviews but these career paths are not growing in today's market. I am trying to pivot and get back into an old career field but have heard that my experience is not recent enough. It is a bit frustrating . Good luck !

2. Diane Frances Lesley-NeumanApril 14,2023 at 2:25PM UTC

   Take courses. Harvard has certificate programs in Business Essentials that can get you the training to move up.

3. AnonymousApril 14,2023 at 2:30PM UTC

   Do you have anything on your LinkedIn profile that indicates you're looking for new challenges? As others have said, you'll need to expand your current skill set and work portfolio (and highlight that work publicly) if you want to be considered for other roles. How would recruiters know any different?

4. AnonymousApril 14,2023 at 3:20PM UTC

   You need to specialize.
   So do some research on jobs you'd like to move to and the job descriptions. Then find ways to train on those tasks or responsibilities. Like meeting planning, hosting events, facilitating conferences. If your company won't allow it, volunteer to do this for charity events, museums and gallery openings etc. Get creative but get that experience for your resume. Once you've done this, also look into applicable certifications you can earn to bolster your credentials. As an admin, you have people skills, project management skills, organizational skills so you are well positioned to go in a multitude of areas.

   You need to drive this effort. Identify what you like and find job titles to go with your interests.

5. AnonymousApril 14,2023 at 3:52PM UTC

   You have transferable skills and you need to convey that in your resume for specific jobs you apply for. Find out what field you want to work in and take online training, webinars, seminars, classes, maybe volunteer part-time.

6. KatApril 14,2023 at 4:08PM UTC

   I'm having the same issue. There's no growth where I'm at. I like most parts of admin work, but I'm not interested in EA level jobs. Not looking for that kind of stress or anything that says "fast paced environment". Looking at remote jobs and trying to find things where I can use my strengths but move out of just the admin space. It's not easy, so I'm hoping this thread has some good suggestions.

7. Manshuk KereyApril 14,2023 at 4:58PM UTC

   Apply internally to other positions if you are working.

   I switched from exec assistant to HR this way.

8. AnonymousApril 14,2023 at 5:04PM UTC

   Something I learned just last week from a recruiter on LinkedIn: most will search by title first.

   Following this logic (I actually had her cite her process as I found it illogical). I later had it verified by my coach.

   If they search by the title and you have Administrative Assistant in your current role title, you'll be considered a match.

   If they search by title and you have your DESIRED role in your HEADLINE, you'll be considered a match when they search for that title.

   So, if you have not optimized your LI headline to include your desired position (first) followed by your three strongest skills for that position, and end with a strong personal branding statement on how you can help in that role/company, you're wasting the 220 characters that are considered PRIME real estate on your LI profile. LESSON here is that if you don't optimize the headline, it will pull your current work position into that area. Thereby you'll be missed for that position you really want, and they'll continue to find you for AA roles.

   I hope this makes sense. Good luck to you.

9. MislynApril 14,2023 at 10:27PM UTC

   Change your job search category. LinkedIn is a very good source for job searching. Also try indeed and job2career. Best of luck

10. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistApril 15,2023 at 12:05AM UTC

    You said what you don't want to do but you haven't said what you do want to do.

    What have you done so far in your job search?

11. AmyApril 15,2023 at 12:13PM UTC

    One thing to do with your LinkedIn profile open up interest to recruiters. You can have your profile show to recruiters without showing publicly on your page. You then want to select categories and jobs moving you towards what you want to do. Also begin applying for jobs you are interested in. As is with many things in this tech world your algorithm will start putting those positions you show interest in to you.

    Hope this helps!

12. AnonymousApril 15,2023 at 5:25PM UTC

    What have you done to get more skills? Have you done any training for areas of the workplace that interest you? If so use those as levers to perhaps move internally in your current company or take on projects and then position yourself as a problem solver which could lead to roles in project management, project coordination, or customer success. Decide how much you want to be involved in interactions with those who do business with your employer vs only internal people. If you have excellent communication skills both written and verbal you can really excel in customer facing roles where you enhance the customer experience.

13. Erica MitchellApril 16,2023 at 2:03PM UTC

    Start applying for jobs you're interested in, upgrade your skills, and show your preferences on Linkedin. List your transferable skills in your resume and on applications.

14. Megan PikaardApril 16,2023 at 2:20PM UTC

    I was stuck in admin for over 15 years even with a masters degree so as annoying as it is, I’m back in school and landed a fellowship immediately in my new field. You don’t have to take as dramatic a turn as I did (I made a full career change that requires a degree in that field) but you can audit classes somewhere or sign up for seminars. Doesn’t have to be a whole back to school thing. Then put in your bio your new training and what you’re looking for. The LinkedIn profiles are swept by AI and look for keywords so make sure they are there. And like one other user said, just keep applying for the roles you do want and eventually your profile/skill set will match someone’s job.

15. AnonymousApril 16,2023 at 3:36PM UTC

    I was stuck in a job that pigeon-holed me for about a decade. I couldn't get any other work, admin assistant or otherwise. After a LOT of soul searching, I went back to school. At first part-time around my work schedule. Then I resigned and went to school full-time. I lived off credit cards and student loans. Applied for any grant I could. Went on Medicaid (so grateful for Medicaid!!) It wasn't easy and I was in debt for several years, but ultimately it was worth it, because it was my only way out.

16. AnonymousApril 16,2023 at 4:22PM UTC

    you have a lot of transferable skills as an admin. I do think that sometimes the easiest is to apply internally, that being said, jobs in project management, etc require the same skills.

17. Marquisha ThomasApril 17,2023 at 1:13AM UTC

    I don’t know if this will be helpful, but I started as administrative assistant for a few years. But showed a proclivity for technology, and that was also needed within this specific job, so I was able to transition to a tech and administrative role. Even if there’s something that you can slightly add to your administrative role that’s a specialty, that would be helpful for you! That could open the doors for other areas as well, future companies included.

18. AnonymousApril 17,2023 at 1:15AM UTC

    I have been an Admin for years supporting C-level execs. I have my Masters and find it impossible at my company to move up. I also can't find anything to pay me what I am paid - so I have decided to stay the course as I have 5 years until retirement. I can run circles around the younger/newer admins and am valuable as I have history where others do not so I have that acknowledgement. I wish you luck, I think you have to know someone to push you forward out of the admin roles. All the ones I have seen get moved up based on connections, not ability at all.

19. Christi LopezApril 17,2023 at 11:35AM UTC

    First, I agree with everyone who has suggested growing your skills in areas of specialization. HR, technology, even expanding your knowledge in accessibility are all good suggestions.

    That being said, can you shadow or cross-train for some of your coworkers' positions? Are there cross-office projects that you can join the team for? My director is really big on "deepening the bench." She is 100% behind having staff who can step in and help if someone has to go on an unexpected leave.

    Especially consider the cross-office project option. Those are specific experiences you can reference on your resume and speak to in interviews.

20. Megan JohnstonApril 18,2023 at 3:02AM UTC

    What are the things you like best about administrative work? What are the things you like least about it? Finding where you should grow toward needs the insights from these questions. For example, if your favorite parts of admin work are organizing things and people, I would start by considering project coordinator roles and experience. If you like numbers and meticulous paperwork - maybe an accounting role would be of interest.

21. Clydene HorriganApril 21,2023 at 10:12PM UTC

    So many possibilities . Many people start out in admin roles and then move into other roles within their organization. The trick for me was to volunteer on projects that had high visibility to many different people across the company. When I did a good job, I would get asked to work on other projects. As I did this, my goal was to learn lots of new things, create great relationships across the company, show that I could lead, take responsibility, and be counted on, and figure out what things were most interesting to me. The relationships were very beneficial because as managers think about their needs, they will also begin to think about who they know that can fill those needs. One key thing is to try to take on tasks that are outside of the normal admin role whenever you can.

    I am now a senior manager with a team of 12. My career path looks a little crazy as I have had roles in tech support, QA, QA management, engineering management, and project management. One last thing - if you see something interesting going on, ask how you can get involved. My first job in QA came because someone gave their notice and I asked the manager if she would be replacing that employee. When she said yes, I asked if she would consider me. She replied that she hadn’t, but she would. I interviewed and got the job with only limited experience in that role. I believe it was because of all the times I volunteered in various roles and that I was able to show I learned quickly.

    Best of luck to you. If you want to talk more, please reach out.

22. Christi LopezApril 24,2023 at 12:22PM UTC

    "The trick for me was to volunteer on projects that had high visibility to many different people across the company. When I did a good job, I would get asked to work on other projects."

    This! Building relationships across the company is the best way to expand your skills. For example, when our department was hit with an ADA suit regarding our web pages, there was mandatory accessibility training, which was great, but a lot of people were confused and the training didn't meet everyone's needs. A coworker and I took it upon ourselves to schedule "work sessions" every other week for about three months. We emailed those out to the department secretaries group and asked them to share. Then we just sat in a conference room and brain-stormed ways to resolve issues people had with their documents. It was a great way to meet others across the department, and to expand our knowledge base together as a team.

    Six years later, I'm still the go-to for accessibility issues across the department. I'm repeatedly told by other directors that they'd love to have me on their team. This knowledge was part of what got me reclassified from a secretary to a department tech, which opened up other career pathways in the organization.