Administrative Assistant's Update

3 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE Increasingly, she observes, companies looking to attract skilled candidates have to put enticing first offers on the table or risk losing prized candidates to competitors. "The window of time for a back- and-forth negotiation is not really on the employer's side," she says, since most top-notch prospects are entertaining multiple offers at once. Pay is a critical factor in the compensation package. This year, salaries for AAs and EAs have risen about 4 per cent from 2014, according to the Robert Half OfficeTeam 2015 Salary Guide: Administrative Hiring Trends. Current pay range for an entry-level administrative assistant in Saskatoon is estimated at $32,743 -$38,957, according to the salary guide. The same position in Calgary is paying between $35,997 and $42,828. In Montreal, a senior executive assistant earns between $62,512 and $78,719, compared to $63,727 to $80,249 in Toronto. Griffin anticipates the salary escalation will continue, since in-demand administrative professionals will need financial or other incentives to leave their current situations. Beyond pay, the once-standard two weeks' vacation has been bumped to three for executive assistants, says Griffin, and that's often just a starting point. Bonuses are coming back too, though not necessarily tied to company performance. Instead, a bonus may be tied to an individual's personal milestones and thus becomes part of the personal compensation package. Meanwhile, more companies than before now allow employees, including executive assistants, to work from a remote location thanks to technology. As a result, assistants can work at or close to home and attend to urgent personal matters, if necessary, while still fully supporting the needs of the boss. Rising demand for experienced upper-level office professionals creates opportunities for promotion for admins with the requisite skills. To ambitious admins, Griffin suggests "looking at what you're doing as a profession versus a position and investing in yourself." For example, joining a professional organization to pursue accreditation through certification programs may well "showcase you versus the others," she says. Earning professional credentials sends a message to the C-suite "that you take what you do very seriously, that you see it as a profession and that you're in it for the long term," says Griffin. It's also critical to keep abreast of technology, she advises. Mastery of Microsoft Office remains essential, but other skills such as competence with social media are increasingly in demand. "Most managers today have some sort of personal media presence; it's necessary to manage that presence so that they have the right PR for them and their company." The Robert Half guide identifies other in-demand skills for adminis - trative personnel, including: Adaptability: The capacity to adjust quickly to change, since staff are often called upon to juggle multiple assignments. Communication: Administrative professionals are often the first point of contact in a company, with the onus on them to make a good first impression with strong written and verbal communication skills. Drive: Employers want self- starters who are not afraid to take initiative. As the economy perks up, the best employment opportunities appear to be there for administrative professionals who invest in building their skills. Hiring trends Continued from page 1 More about salaries and the hiring process For more information on a wide range of administrative positions in a Canadian con- text, see www.roberthalf. com/officeteam > salary center. You can download Robert Half OfficeTeam's 2015 Salary Guide: Adminis- trative Hiring Trends. An excellent resource for job seekers – and the curious – is www.askamanager.org. Alison Green is a consultant whose blunt style and man- aging experiences fuel her popular blog. Gena Griffin

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