Administrative Assistant
(Female, Age 52) from goleta, CA
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 52 who works as a Administrative Assistant in goleta, CA. 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 | $25,500 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 40 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | goleta, CA |
| Years Experience | 18 months |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| 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.
I work for a school district at a local junior high school.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Scheduling, hiring substitute teachers, accounts payable & receivable, parent/teacher contact, liaison with the district office, payroll
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
1 vacation day / month; 1 sick day / month, blue shield health insurance
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
well- compensated
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes – I interface with the public, the administration, and the teachers, and kids. I love it.
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.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 3
Benefits: 2
Hours: 1
Co-Workers: 5
Supervisors: 6
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 7
The Actual Work: 4
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 | Got to work, found out who was calling in sick, check fax machine to find out what substitutes have been arranged, make sure classes are covered with substitutes, generate attendance and paperwork to have ready when the teachers come in. |
| 8am to 9am | greet the teachers / staff / students. Check in the substitute teachers and give them their instructions. Help out at the office counter with questions, tardies. Field radio calls from security / maintenance / nurse & staff throughout the day. |
| 9am to 10am | Emails – field phone calls, and write down the requests for the day of various things the staff / administration would like to have done. Record days and hours for payroll submission at the end of the month. |
| 10am to 11am | Meeting with the Principal to go over the weekly schedule and accounting. We often discuss the budget and how we think it should be distributed…problem solve with various activities going on on campus. Help with planning of fun activities – such as the dances / parties / drill team. |
| 11am to 12pm | Accounts payable / accounts receivable. Also in charge of the ASB account – determining which requests are appropriate for the accounts, and submitting the proper paperwork to either the District Office or the ASB officers on campus. Once that paperwork is received back, generate the checks and distribute / mail. |
| 12pm to 1pm | lunch / sell bus tickets in the office. Walk around the campus to help out with security while the kids are at lunch. |
| 1pm to 2pm | phone messages / return calls / check email / finish paperwork. Prepare the time cards for the substitute teachers who worked during the day so they are ready when school is out. Write letters of thank you for donations. |
| 2pm to 3pm | Help at the counter as students / faculty leave the school. Keep a general pulse on the comings and goings of the campus and it’s people. |
| 3pm to 4pm | two teachers calling in sick for tomorrow – spent the better part of this hour calling substitute teachers to come into work tomorrow. Research into products and prices of items wanted by staff / faculty. |
| 4pm to 5pm | off at 4:00. |
| 5pm to 6pm | home |
| 6pm to 7pm | |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Internet / word of mouth
What was the application process?
submitted application & resume / letters of reference / interview
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
yes – just one interview with the principal and several office staff who I would end up supervising.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Past job experiences / my best achievement
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Actually more than this employer usually prepares…yes.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
I had two weeks of overlap with my predecessor, although it was during the summer, and not the school year.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
not really…I have an AA in Fine Arts…my job experiences is what is helping me the most.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
work in office situations, any type, learn as much as possible.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Social, computer, English / verbal skills, organization.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
not necessarily…when possible, I feel that experience is better than education.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
take a deep breath, the second year is easier than the first.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
yes – I will plan to retire from this position.
What are your current career goals?
retirement is around the corner
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
Enjoy the position you’re in…it’s your life…have fun.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Inst Asst | 3.5 years | minimum | Aided the teacher in a local high school computer lab with paperwork, and helping the kids learn computer skills. |
| Prior Job 2 | Itmed. CLerk | 16 years | minimum + | dissemination of information to the public, worked with applications to a specialized program at the college level. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.5
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3 | SBCC | AA fine arts |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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