And Other Duties As Assigned
A Fast-Track Career Guide For SUPER DUPER Administrative Professionals!
by
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AND OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED! I have yet to find a job description that does not include the words “and other duties as assigned”, but what does this really mean? Remember I said your employer may or may not know all that you job entails? Well, this clause allows an employer to simply include anything that should come up. An experienced administrative professional would never work within the confines of a job description, so don’t fall into that trap. I teach my trainees that the phrase “that’s not in my job description” should never be more than a mental thought that remains in your head and never makes its way to your mouth. Yes, those of us in support roles will often find ourselves taking on more and more tasks every day. The fact of the matter is, the better you are with things, the more responsibility you will undertake, but don’t confuse this as a negative, it’s a positive and I can teach you how to use it to your benefit. I can assure you, the phrase “that’s not in my job description” will certainly come back to haunt you and may even signal to your supervisor that you’re not a team player. I often wonder if the phrase “and other duties as assigned” was invented by a ticked off employer who threw that in when their employee said “that’s not in my job description”; or either by someone tired of writing a job description because they just couldn’t think of any more “little things” and decided to write “and other duties as assigned” to make sure they didn’t leave anything out. Even if your job description doesn’t have these five words, pretend that it does and do not only what’s asked, but do those things that aren’t asked but you know should be done – this is what separates the beginners from the professionals; this is a quality of a great administrative professional; not one who’s just good at what they do.
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About the Book
This book was written as a motivational and training guide for support staff, but just about anyone working in any corporate environment could benefit from the tips provided. It is hoped that every reader finds a few “take -aways”; perhaps something that either verified what you were already thinking or something that you can use to step up your game. No, it’s not easy to be in an administrative support role; especially when you’re likely to be recognized for the things you didn’t do far faster than the things you do correctly everyday, BUT there’s something to be said about those of us in these roles who move mountains everyday. After all, some of the stuff we do and do well on a regular basis is nothing short of heroic. The way we save the day working behind the scenes all to better our organizations is representation of SUPER HERO work! No, we may not be actually saving lives (or are we)…but we do some amazing things and while they may fly below the radar and may not be easily noticed, we must still celebrate ourselves and celebrate our profession! Be proud to be in your role! Own it and take responsibility for your success! There’s a saying, “behind every great man, there’s a greater woman”, well behind every successful executive is a Super Duper Admin!
About the Author
The author of this book served more than twenty years as an Administrative Professional supporting Presidents and C-Level Executives for private, publicly traded and non-profit organizations. She’s held nearly every support title in the field such as Administrative Assistant, Executive Assistant, Sr. Executive Assistant, Administrative Lead, Administrative Manager, Office Manager and Administration Manager. She has mentored, trained and managed Administrative Professionals at all levels. She was once responsible for the hiring of all supportive staff within an organization and worked to not only successfully train them, but create company-wide policies and procedures that would aide in the success of their day-to-day roles. Her leadership roles have afforded her the opportunity to provide job leveling in organizations where the titles and salaries weren’t consistent among the support staff. The author has also served in a capacity where she provided management training and served as a liaison between the support staff and senior management. She’s conducted numerous team building activities; off-sight engagements and retreats to include support staff and C-Level Executives. The purpose of this book is to provide some insight into support roles and their daily functions. The book is intended for those currently in support roles and those considering a career in a support role.