Administrative assistants often get overlooked as simple paper pushers. Though they’re not CEOs, CFOs, or other high-level managerial staff members, they’re critical to the efficiency and effectiveness of the offices they work in. They’re unsung heroes and often the most important staff members in your office. They’re relied upon, and if they aren’t qualified enough, myriad problems can ensue.
Administrative assistants have important duties that allow for their offices to run properly. From preparing and modifying documents, scheduling and coordinating meetings, appointments and travel, managing correspondence, and answering calls, their job descriptions often vary, but there’s no doubt that their work is important.
To do their work effectively, they are required to have great verbal and written communication skills, problem-solving skills, computer skills, project management skills, customer service skills, and many other qualifications. The wrong administrative assistant can wreak havoc on productivity and make major costly errors.
The fact is you need to ensure that the administrative assistants you find and hire are qualified for the job. Here’s how to do so.
Avoid Hiring on Your Own
Using your in-house hiring process might seem like the smartest way to go about finding and hiring admin assistants but it might be wise to actually avoid going this route. Managing recruitment functions in house has its drawbacks. Because this position requires little experience, education, or specialized skills, you’re likely going to be inundated with resumes from hundreds of unqualified applicants. You’ll be spending all of your time sifting through resumes. Plus, due to the fact that many of the qualifications required to excel at this job are soft skills, it can be tricky to effectively interview candidates and ensure that they are adequately qualified. It takes expertise and experience to find and hire the right people with soft skills. Anyone can say that they have great communication skills and collaboration skills, but they might not be the right fit.
Engage a Niche Staffing Firm
Instead of wasting your time on unqualified applicants and potentially making a hiring mistake that costs you significantly, consider engaging a niche staffing firm instead. A niche staffing firm has the expertise and experience needed to effectively find and hire the right administrative assistants that will be assets to your company.
And because these niche agencies are in the business of recruiting administrative personnel, they’ll have deep connections with a wealth of qualified candidates for the choosing. This will speed up the process and ensure that you’re hiring qualified administrative assistants who are already pre-screened and pre-approved.
Consider Temp-to-Perm Employment
If you’ve had your fair share of bad administrative assistants who couldn’t handle their responsibilities, kept making mistakes, or left soon after arriving, you might be hesitant to hire anyone new. If you’re worried about making yet another hiring mistake, consider temp-to-perm employment. With this type of employment, you get to hire a temporary worker for a pre-determined amount of time, for example, three months. During that time, you can see the worker’s hands-on skills, see how he or she meshes with your staff, and see if it’s the right fit, all without the commitment of a permanent hire. Temp-to-perm employment, offered through a staffing agency, is a sound approach to hiring that will lead to more informed decisions.
Hire Smart
When you’re looking to find and hire qualified administrative assistants, you might not want to go through your in-house hiring process. Instead, you should consider engaging a staffing agency. An agency can ensure you hire the right person for the job, thanks to its recruiters’ experience and expertise. Plus, you’ll enjoy faster hiring so your clerical work won’t pile up while you’re recruiting. And if you want to make a more informed hiring decision, consider taking advantage of the temp-to-perm employment model.
