For today's administrative office assistant is more familiar with the workings of a spreadsheet, e-mail and the assortment of software loaded on an office computer than with the workings of a percolator. And while answering the telephone is still a prime duty, the purpose now is to provide the most direct and fastest service, whether dealing with clients or company staff in far-flung offices. Just as the name of the recognition day and week have changed, so has the job, said Patsy Wells, who supervises a staff of 15 administrative assistants at Utility Engineering's Amarillo headquarters. Laura Ramirez, Amarillo College student, checks her work in the office administration department computer lab. Additionally, communication skills in customer service, organization and attention to detail are skills that have not gone out of style, regardless of the job title, she said.
Administrative assistants work in two separate groups, each working as a team.
If they see problems, we ask them to be innovative to find a solution. Business has doubled over the past two years for Utility Engineering, a power plant design and engineering firm, she said. Her department started with eight assistants but has grown steadily. Such skills require a degree of professionalism that has risen in recent years. For Wells, her experience in office work started after graduation from Nazareth High School in 1985 and a move to Amarillo to attend Amarillo College, earning a degree in office occupations.