What Other Jobs Can You Get in South Africa with an Office Admin Background?

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An office administration job in South Africa affords you exposure to various skills that can be useful when you are looking for growth in your career or venturing into other industries. Working as an office administrator can open doors for opportunities with higher paying jobs in the South African job market. The following job positions can be attained with skills the skills you have learnt from administrative work;

Personal Assistant (PA)

A personal assistant in South Africa basically assists with keeping their bosses (senior executives or managers) organized and on a schedule. The roles include managing calendars, taking notes and responding to correspondence and these are some of the roles you have experience with from your Office Amin backgrounds.

Responsibilities of a PA in South Africa

  • Managing the calendar of schedules and appointments
  • Taking notes of confidential information
  • Being in charge of organizing meetings and minute taking
  • Being the middleman between the executives and their clients

Industries to apply to: Corporate, legal, healthcare and government

Why you shout be Personal Assistant with your office admin experience: your organizational skills, office management and communication will work in handy when looking to work with a busy executive looking for a trusted and experienced assistant.

Office Manager

If you are willing to elevate from an office administration job, the next best step to take is advance to an Office Manager role. An office manager is responsible for the smooth running of the office including making decisions, organizing and supervising administrative activities

Responsibilities of an Office manager

  • Supervising the administrative staff
  • Keeping track of office supplies and resources
  • Implementing and maintaining procedures
  • Keep record of budgeting and financial reports

Industries to apply to; Finance, law, education, health, basically any industry with an office.

Why is it suitable; Important skills like multitasking and organizational skills you got from your office administration is what is needed for a smooth running when managing an office.

Human Resources (HR) Administrator

One other job you can get in South Africa with your Office admin background is an HR Administrator. An HR Administrator maintains personal records, gathers payroll and creates guidelines and FAQ documents about company policies. This is basically just an elevation from your office admin job.

Responsibilities of HR Administrator

  • In charge of employee records and databases
  • Part of the recruitment and selection process
  • Gathering payroll and managing employee benefits

Industries to apply to; Corporate, education, healthcare and manufacturing

Why is it suitable: The people skills, and knowledge of administrative process  you have acquired in your office admin role will come in handy when steppin in your role as an HR administrator.

Project Coordinator

A project coordinator is responsible for managing schedules and deadlines which are the same skills you have acquired from your Office Admin job making it easy to take on the role with ease. In South Africa, Project coordinators also assist project managers in planning, execution, closing projects and making sure that deadlines and budgets are met.

Responsibilities of a Project Coordinator

  • Organizing the project schedule and budget
  • Keeping detailed records of every stage of the project
  • Monitoring the logistics
  • Keeping team members and stakeholders up to date

Industries to apply to: Construction. IT. marketing and engineering.

Why is it suitable: This is the part where your organizational skills and multitasking skills will help you in efficient operation of things as a project coordinator.

Receptionist

Receptionists are the first point of contact for visitors/clients, they have the power to create a good impression and represent the company as welcoming. Your office admin experience with good people skills and customer service experience will make the job easier for you.

Responsibilities of a Receptionist

  • Greeting visitors and answering phone calls professionally 
  • Managing front desk operations while interacting with clients
  • Helping with administrative roles
  • Scheduling appointments and meetings

Industries to apply to: Hospitality, healthcare, education and legal firms

Why is it suitable: Your experience in multitasking from your Office admin background will help you manage front desk operations while providing excellent customer service for clients and visitors.

Administrative Coordinator

An administrative coordinator assist in keeping and organization running smoothly by handling specific administrative tasks, serving as a point of contact for employees and customers while ensuring everything is on schedule.

Responsibilities of an Administrative coordinator

  • Assist in planning and executing projects on various departments
  • Handling administrative tasks according to every department
  • Managing reports and documentation for various departments
  • Coordinating between teams and departments

Industries to apply to: Finance, logistics, education and the government.

Why is it suitable: Your office admin experience in handling general administrative duties and coordinating multiple stakeholders will be essential for the role.

Data Entry Clerk

Any business needs data management to run efficiently, this means that Data Entry Clerk is needed all over South African businesses. The roles are the same as Office admin but married down to specific roles like entering, updating and maintaining important company data.

Responsibilities of a Data Entry Clerk

  • Updating data into the system
  • Making entered sure the data is accurate
  • Being in charge of the organizing digital and physical documents
  • Helping prepare reports based on data recorded

Industries to apply to: Finance, healthcare, insurance and logistics

Why is it suitable: With your Office admin experience especially the attention to detail and your basic office software tools will make you and asset to any company in South Africa looking to hire a Data Entry clerk.

Customer Service Representative

Office administrators must have excellent communication skills and organizational skills which is the type of skills needed to elevate into a Customer Service Representative role. A customer service rep is in charge of customer queries, resolving complaints while maintaining professionalism and satisfying the customer.

Responsibilities of a Customer service representative

  • Handling customer enquiries through a phone call, email or in person
  • Handling customer complaints and resolving issues
  • Keeping precise records of customer interactions
  • Maintaining customer satisfaction

Industries to apply to: Retail, telecommunications, banking and healthcare

Why is suitable: A customer service rep needs to have excellent people skills and problem solving abilities which can also be obtained from your Office Admin background.

Event Coordinator

All an event Coordinator needs is strong organizational skills and the passion for planning, your Office admin experience has equipped you with both making you the right candidate for this job. 

  • Establishing and maintaining relationships with vendors and venues.
  • Planning event details and aspects, including seating, dining and guests.
  • Creating reliable financial reports and collecting payments on time.
  • Remaining under budget with all costs.

Responsibilities of an Event Coordinator

  • Planning event details and aspects of the whole event
  • Creating reliable financial reports and collecting payments on time
  • Maintaining relationships with vendors and service providers
  • Handling invitations and guest logistics

Industries to apply to: Hospitality, corporate, non profit, marketing and entertainment industry.

Why is it suitable: As a former Office admin, planning and organizing things in a detailed manner should come easy to you.

Sales Support Administrator

A sales support administrator provides administrative support to a sales department or team. Your duties are scheduling meetings and arranging travel for the sales team, follow up orders with clients and checking invoices

Responsibilities of a Sales Support Administrator

  • Dealing with customer requests and providing information on stock availability and quotations 
  • Preparing sales reports and tracking sales data
  • Managing sales documents and contracts
  • Helping the sales team with schedules and logistics

Industries to apply to: Retail, real estate, manufacturing and IT.

Why is it suitable: This role is ideal for someone with strong organizational and communication skills that you have from your Office Admin experience.

Conclusion

An office Admin job gives you a variety of skills that can easily be transferred to a pool of other job opportunities. Higher paying jobs like HR, customer service, data entry clerk and many more would award an Office administrator an opportunity to elevate and grow in the South African job market. Beforeyou consider expanding to a different role, explore your strongest skills and choose from the ones that align with the roles you excel in. Good luck with your search.

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