Office Manager 

(Female, Age 45) from Tarzana, CA

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 45 who works as a Office Manager in Tarzana, 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 Office Manager
Salary $47,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week 40
Company Size (not answered)
Location Tarzana, CA
Years Experience 20 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.
Plumbing, liquid waste disposal, sewer contractor. Small family owned business, 10 full time employees, part timers as needed.

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Schedule routes for services, AR/AP, supply clerk, computer tech, adv and marketing, maintenance crew…in other words I do just about everything but actually plumbing, but then again I have filled in on jobs in emergencies.

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
health insurance, paid vacations, paid sick leave, cell phone, lunch program

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
adequate pay

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 work with the service staff, customers, vendors, etc on a daily basis. I don’t like handling problems I can’t resolve on my own. I like the flexible schedule I have and the ability to take time as needed.

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 now work from a home office, however I do go into the main office 2 to three times a week, as well as run errands, banking, see vendors and suppliers several times a week. With the internet, call forwarding and cellular phones I’ve been able to have more freedom in a daily schedule so I’m not tied to a desk in a typical office. Since my home is so far from the actual office I can leave my house during the less heavy traffic hours and return home before the rush hour begins.

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 6
Benefits: 1
Hours: 5
Co-Workers: 3
Supervisors: 2
Job Title: 7
Level of Responsibility: 4
The Actual Work: 5

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
referred by a friend

What was the application process?
submitted application

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
no

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
doesn’t apply, they were familiar with my work at my previous employeer

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
yes, seeing first hand how a septic system works, how to repair a leaking toliet, etc made it easier to handle customer calls.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
I really needed to learn about plumbing, septic systems, and contracting law. I went into the field with the guys, sort of hands on training so I’d know what I was doing when I spoke to customers or needed to order job materials. My previous similar job had been in auto parts.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
no, my education was in the criminal justice system.

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?
Well it would be hard as this is a small family owned business and those types of businesses are becoming fewer and fewer as most people now seem to work for big business. The pay isn’t as much as you’d get with a bigger company but you have other benefits such as flexible scheduling.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
You need to be a jack of all trades, bookkeeping, phone skills, people skills, some knowledge of the business you’d like to work for, computer skills.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
accounting would probably be the best way to train for this type of job

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
you won’t make big bucks but you;’ll have greater personal satisfaction

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Yes, now I’ve been doing this for so long I couldn’t see myself playing the big company corporate climb the ladder game.

What are your current career goals?
If I was to leave this job it would be to either go back to school and get a degree in social services or to take up full time volunteer work in the animal resur arena.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
If you’re looking for pats on the back and ego gratification working for a small company isn’t what you want.

Prior work history

Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:

Title Length Salary Description
Prior Job 1 Office Manager 20 years 45000 already described at the beginning, however girl friday, customer service, payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, computer tech, adv and marketing manager, you name it i do it.
Prior Job 2 Office Manager/bookkeeper 5 years 27000 as above plus filling in for cashiers as needed, stocking selves as needed, and working the parts counter as needed.

Educational background

Please list your educational background:

High School GPA:

GPA School Degree
College (Undergraduate)
or Technical/Vocational
3.7 northridge criminal justice
Graduate or Professional
(Masters or Doctorate)
n/a

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