The Job of All Trades

I’ve been working under the title Administrative Assistant for about 2 years now, but I find that explaining what I do to be the biggest challenge.  It seems just as difficult for everyone else to understand it.  It finally hit me when a friend of mine recently said, “I know you’re an admin, but I still have no idea what it is that you do.”  

The term secretary created an image (answering phones, scheduling appointments, and greeting guests), which is why the term is pretty passé now.  We do so much more.  When people ask me what my job entails, I say, “I do a little bit of everything”.  It’s so vague that no one will ever understand it.  To help explain, here’s a list of just some of the hats I’ve worn in my position (some of them are a little more figurative).

As an administrative assistant, I am a(n)…

Gatekeeper

IT Help Desk

Firefighter

Waitress

Bus Boy

Maid

Graphic Designer

Babysitter

Event Planner

Decorator

Organizer

Magician

Typist

File Clerk

Therapist

Moving Man

Psychic

Editor

Auditor

Mailman

Entertainer

Negotiator

Teacher

Answering Service

Pick any 10 of them, and you’ll have a good example of what I am doing in a single day.  I say that out of pride and not complaint.  Looking at that list, it’s amazing and mind boggling how much I do in a day.

You fill in the blank.  As an administrative assistant, I am a(n)…