Administrative Assistant
(Female, Age 25) from Tallahassee, FL
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 25 who works as a Administrative Assistant in Tallahassee, FL. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
Job Title | Administrative Assistant |
---|---|
Salary | $27,000 |
Other Compensation | None Set |
Hours/Week | 40 |
Company Size | (not answered) |
Location | Tallahassee, FL |
Years Experience | 1 year |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
Years in Career | 0 |
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Education | (not answered) |
Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
Florida Autism Center employs approximately 50-60 people statewide and provides ABA therapy for children with autism, ranging in ages from 2-12. We have an Early Intervention program as well as a School program. Both of these can act as full-time therapy or a part-time, after school therapy to supplement what is taught in mainstream public school. There are currently around 60 clients throughout the state
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I assist the CEO with various tasks, schedule open-houses, prepare and store documents for internal and public use. I am preparing to transfer my skills to a Community Outreach Coordinator position by the end of the year which will focus on public relations including marketing and relationship building.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
2 weeks paid vacation, 401k, health insurance available [which I denied as I currently have insurance through my husband’s work].
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
I feel adequately paid due to the nature of the stress-free work.
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work with approximately 20 people per day, not including the parents that drop off/pick up their child[ren]. I enjoy this very much so; I feel like that number is a perfect amount of people.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I work in an office building that has classrooms, a break room/kitchen, and staff-only restrooms. I like this setting very much so because, while it’s professional, it’s comfortable enough- nothing feels stuffy.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 2
Benefits: 7
Hours: 4
Co-Workers: 5
Supervisors: 6
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 3
The Actual Work: 1
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
5am to 6am | |
6am to 7am | |
7am to 8am | Off work |
8am to 9am | Off work |
9am to 10am | I come in at 9:30, clock in, put my lunch in the frig., and say hi to everyone in the entire building. I check the messages, scan paperwork and file it. I check my email and respond to any outstanding inquiries. |
10am to 11am | I usually talk with the directors somewhere between this hour to see what projects they want to assign me. I research information related to the task at hand. Answer the phone as it rings. |
11am to 12pm | Answer more calls, scan more paperwork as it comes it. Research some more. Make any outbound calls that need to be made regarding services or product procurement. |
12pm to 1pm | At 12:15-12:30 I prepare the children’s lunches and deliver them to the classroom. After I get back to my desk, I check my email again, check to see if anybody Skyped me for help with something. |
1pm to 2pm | I eat lunch from 1-1:30 and come back to my desk. See if anybody needs anything, sit at my desk “on-call” essentially. Research some more. |
2pm to 3pm | Do a clean-sweep: see if any floors need to be mopped/tables be wiped down after lunch and then find a staff to do so. If they’re busy, I pitch in and clean it myself. |
3pm to 4pm | Since I am a nursing mom, I pump while I am at work. I usually pump around 3 or 3:15, and it takes about 20-30 minutes. Thankfully my workplace is totally supportive and understanding and I am able to go in to a quiet, private space and take care of personal business. (I LOVE this about my employers!) After I’m done, I go back to my desk, check my email, answer any phone calls. |
4pm to 5pm | I sometimes help with schedule creation by totaling hours for staff and help shift things around if necessary. Scan more paperwork. This hour is usually when parents pick up their children so I greet the parents and Skype the therapists when parents arrive if they haven’t already brought the child up to greet the parent. |
5pm to 6pm | No joke, this is a veryyyy slow time. I normally chat with other employees who are about to leave. I am here to answer any calls which potentially could come in, and to address any walk-ins with questions (which seldom happens at this hour. At 6, I clock out! |
6pm to 7pm | Off |
7pm to 8pm | Off |
8pm to 9pm | Off |
9pm to 10pm | Off |
10pm to 11pm | Off |
11pm to 12am | Off |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
I found my current job through Craigslist.
What was the application process?
I submitted a resume along with a cover letter, and after hearing back from the hiring personnel, I completed an online application directly through the company website.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I had one, one-on-one interview with the Operations Manager.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
“What can you bring to the table?”
“What is an example of where a situation escalated and you diffused it? What did you do to calm the person down?”
“Describe yourself in 3 to 5 words.”
“Give me your elevator speech in 2 minutes or less- in other words, sell yourself as to why you would be the best person for the position.”
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes, I feel adequately prepared/trained by my current employer for the position which I was hired. Because of the nature of my job, I interact with many people every day. Most of the people are children, some of which display SIB [self-injurious behavior], but some people are strangers walking in just curious what we do, and sometimes they come in frustrated in general. Knowing how to keep myself safe from physical harm makes me feel more comfortable and able to handle a situation should it arise. Thankfully, situations like this are highly uncommon.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes. I had to attend an 8-hour CPI [Nonviolent Crisis Intervention] training, a day-long training on the employee handbook/guidelines, and a brief overview [3 hours] of what ABA therapy is exactly.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
I do not feel like my AA prepared me for this. While I love my job, it’s certainly not hard. Even once I transition in to my new position, I feel like my personal life experience will have lent enough to make me a good fit for the job. However, someone else may find a marketing/public speaking or relations/special education background to be beneficial.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/A
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
I would suggest that his/her resume be tailored for the exact position s/he is applying for, including a great (honest and direct) cover letter. Being socially receptive is very important as well and being able to think on your feet. Persevere, but do so respectfully rather than aggressively.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Social skills are a must, as well as computer and technology literacy (I work in a 90%-paper-free environment, which I like), innovation ability, and patience.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
I truthfully feel, while higher education won’t hurt, more life experience will help in a position like this.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be able to adapt- while there is a lot of routine, there is also a bit of variation. That can be nice, too, because then work doesn’t tend to get “stale”. Being able to think on your feet helps, because sometimes people will come to you with a situation that’s unfamiliar, so learning how to deal with something effectively, calmly is beneficial.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
No. To be honest, I never had a set career plan. I would have ended up doing something that ultimately makes me happy while living happily, only because I refuse to continue do something that genuinely makes me unhappy. I happened to create my own job by coming up with my (our) camp [as described in the next section]. I (we) will be able to work our preferred hours, in a beautiful setting (in WA state!), doing what we love. Not worrying too much about where I would end up has paid off, as I am going to end up exactly where I want to be. (I hope that made sense!)
What are your current career goals?
My husband and I are in the process of opening a non-profit summer camp for approximately children with special needs [autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, etc.]. We will host 30-45 kids at one time and sessions will last one week. This should become a reality within the next 4-6 years with the way things are going and we are very excited about it! You can check us out at www.CampWoodsum.org. [It’s still a new website and undergoing maintenance, but it has some good info on it!]
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
I have had several, random jobs which I feel will be the perfect foundation for me to build my true career of running our camp upon.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
Prior Job 1 | Billing Coordinator | 2 months | 18000 | Prepare reports, schedule payments, collect payments, contact liens regarding mutual customers’ accounts. |
Prior Job 2 | Marriage, Family, and Addictions Therapist | 1 year | 22000 | Prepare and deliver legal documents, prepare and present financial reports, maintain credit card statements and balances, run errands, procure business services and products, other various tasks. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.7
GPA | School | Degree | |
College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.8 | Tallahassee Community College | AA |
Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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