Senior Administrative Assistant
(Female, Age 25) from Forest Park, IL
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 25 who works as a Senior Administrative Assistant in Forest Park, IL. 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 | Senior Administrative Assistant |
---|---|
Salary | $35,000 |
Other Compensation | None Set |
Hours/Week | 40 |
Company Size | (not answered) |
Location | Forest Park, IL |
Years Experience | 2 years |
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 small non-profit university. It employs approximately 250 employees, not including faculty. It is a Christian University with a Christian Mission.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
My duties include creating documents, managing the budget, managing the Vice President of Planning and Research’s calendar, research, and other assorted tasks.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
Insurance, tuition reimbursement, 403b company match
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
Well to Under
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
My department is very small, just my boss and me. I do not have much interaction with others (aside from the rest of the VPs) for work-related tasks. This is the part of my job that I like the least because I enjoy interacting with others.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
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: 1
Benefits: 4
Hours: 6
Co-Workers: 3
Supervisors: 2
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 5
The Actual Work: 7
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 | |
8am to 9am | I arrive at work at 8 am. The first hour is spent dealing with any emails I received after work hours. |
9am to 10am | From 9-11 every other Monday I have an important meeting. For these meetings, I prepare documents and then sit in as scribe for the meeting. Being an alumna, I also provide an interesting perspective on certain subjects discussed. |
10am to 11am | I am still in the meeting at this time. |
11am to 12pm | After the meeting, I return to my office to type up the notes from the meeting as well as make any changes to the documents used during the meeting. Some meetings this requires very little work, other meetings require extensive notes and changes. |
12pm to 1pm | During this time, if I have finished with the notes and changes from the meeting, I move on to any other projects I have. These projects vary based on what our department is working on. |
1pm to 2pm | Lunch |
2pm to 3pm | During the afternoon I am working on various projects. I often have to create presentations for other meetings (Board meetings, Cabinet meetings, meetings with outside consultants, etc) or I am creating documents. I have created everything from degree outlines to the Strategic Plan. |
3pm to 4pm | See above. |
4pm to 5pm | Leave work at 4:30. I deal with anything that needs to be done before the end of the day such as finishing documents or presentations, submitting budget forms or requisitions, etc. |
5pm to 6pm | |
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?
I found it listed on the University website.
What was the application process?
I submitted a resume, an electronic application, had an interview with my boss, then a computer skills test.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I first interviewed with the HR reporesentative who told me a bit about the job and company. Then I met with my boss directly and interviewed. After that, I took a computer skills test.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I’m sorry, I don’t remember what questions I was asked specifically. I was doing a lot of interviews at the time. I believe one question was ‘is there a type of co-worker you would not want to work with.’
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
In terms of the actual work I do, yes. However, the way things are done at the university was never explained so some processes (like budget areas) I had to learn through trial and error.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
There was no training for my current position.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
I studied to be a teacher or a theatre person. My teacher preparation prepared me for the organizational skills I would need along with creating documents but that’s about it.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
I did not have an internship.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Go in and meet with the company recruiter, it pays to make a face to face impression. Also make sure your computer skills are sharp.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Organization skills because it’s the bulk of what I do. Technical skills including internet research, Microsoft Office products, and Adobe Photoshop because they’re standard across all industries.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes, a bachlor’s degree is required.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Make sure you know how to manage your time well and stay organized.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
I currently do not have a career plan as I am unsure of where I want to go next. However, the skills I’ve learned here will serve me well no matter where I go next. In that way, it is part of my career plan.
What are your current career goals?
I would like to persue a career in healthcare management.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
I’ve always been a planner, but my life has taken numerous unplanned turns and I find those have been the best. So my lack of plan is intentional.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
Prior Job 1 | Patient Coordinator | 1 month | 35000 | Coordinate patient appointments, bill insurance, handle collections. |
Prior Job 2 | Admissions Advisor | 2 months | 35000 | Cold call potential students and enroll as many as possible. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:
GPA | School | Degree | |
College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.9 | Concordia University | Secondary Education, Communications/Theatre |
Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
NA | Dominican University | MBA |
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