Administrative assistants are usually all rounders who pick things up quickly. Administrative assistants tend to be organised people in their own lives, usually the one that arranges where to go with friends and what to do while out. If you're naturally organised and love the idea of being able to work in any industry, picking up the skills it takes to be a secretary or administrative assistant will open masses of doors to you, and could be the start of a satisfying and varied career.

Administration assistants and secretaries organise businesses and keep them running smoothly. Roles vary from assisting one employee to carrying out tasks for the whole company; in both cases and everything in between, you'll be leaving other workers free to focus on more specific work.

Duties are usually based around organising the company or employee you're responsible for, and communicating with other companies. You could be answering and making telephone calls, composing or typing up drafted letters and emails, maintaining files and filing systems and organizing employees' diaries and events. There is often some crossover with these roles to those of personal assistants (otherwise known as PAs). In some cases, more specific tasks like making travel arrangements, managing budgets and maintaining websites will be on your to-do list for the day.

The industry has changed significantly over time; it used to be mainly dominated by men. More females began to fill these types of roles around the time of World War 1 with the invention of the typewriter and it is now a field primarily occupied with women.