Office jobs are in demand since the career appeals to many people looking for work from entry-level to executive. Most positions in an office have standard daytime hours, benefits like paid time off and healthcare, and offers opportunities for advancement. It may be intimidating to try to get an office job with little to no experience, but it’s not as hard as it may seem.
There are many reasons people look for entry-level positions in an office, including to learn about an industry, to gain work experience, and master their skills. In addition, entry-level positions offer a foot in the door to someone looking to advance their career in higher-level positions like office manager or executive since many of these positions require experience.
Your duties may include documentation, filling, database management, and data entry in an office job. For this reason, you also need basic computer skills and may need to learn additional computer programs.
Depending on your experience and skill set, you can start working in an office with a salary of $18 per hour. While some office workers start at a lower pay rate, there are opportunities for advancement to earn much more after you gain experience and learn additional skills.
Types of Office jobs
When you start your job hunt for an office position, it’s important to know what positions are available in offices, what the title is, and what the duties entail so you could seek the right job for you. The exact responsibilities of each position vary depending on the company, but understanding each job description will give you an idea of what duties are required in each role.
Here are some of the most common entry-level positions in an office:
Receptionist
A receptionist performs various administrative tasks, including answering telephones, scheduling appointments, handling emails, and provides information to the public and customers. When not busy, receptionists are usually expected to assist other administrative staff by doing various office tasks. Receptionists are often the first contact an individual has with a company, so the position is responsible for making a good first impression for the organization, which can affect the company’s success. Since receptionists work directly with the public, great interpersonal skills are required. Some other common titles for this position are front desk clerk, secretary, and front desk attendant.
Customer Service Representative
Customer service representatives interact with customers of an organization. They provide information about products and services, answer questions, take orders, and process returns. When a customer calls in with an issue, a service representative will do what is required to solve the problem and try to make the customer happy. They may also make changes to customer accounts, such as make corrections to orders or update contact information.
Administrative Assistant
Administrative assistants help a business run smoothly by organizing filing systems, maintaining a database, drafting documents, creating spreadsheets, answering phones, and greeting clients.
Depending on the organization, the administrative assistant may also be asked to create presentations, reports, or documents for meetings. Some assistants are also responsible for ordering supplies, managing stockrooms, and getting quotes for future purchases.
Learn the Right Skills
In order to land a career in an office without experience, you will want to develop specific skills to complete the work successfully. Perfecting your skills will make up for any lack of experience.
Most office job duties and responsibilities require computer skills, so learning the latest programs and applications used in offices is a great idea and may be required in some positions. Some of the common programs used are in the Microsoft Office Suite, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. If you are not skilled in these programs, taking online courses to learn them is a great way to improve your resume.
Typing is a skill that is needed for most office jobs. However, you may not need to be an extremely fast typer but need the ability to type up documents and reports with ease. To perfect your typing skills, you could take some of the online lessons that will help you type faster, more accurately, and learn the keyboard shortcuts.
Create a Resume
Most office jobs will require you to submit a resume, so it’s important to spend time creating one now. You can think of your resume as a ticket to get an interview. A hiring manager will look at your resume before they speak to you, so it’s critical to create one that stands out. A resume should include your skills, training, work experience, education and highlight any accomplishments you have made with past employers.
Remember, your resume may be one of many the hiring manager is reviewing, so you want yours to stand out. Therefore, it’s essential to follow the general format of a resume and ensure there are no grammatical or spelling errors.
If you are unsure how to create a professional resume, first review sample resumes, then use one of the online templates. Your resume should include your full name, phone number, and email address.
Finding an Office Job
Once you have your resume and you are ready to apply to positions, you’ll have to find openings near you. Many job boards post openings, but you will find they typically have a lot of competing job seekers applying. You could use a staffing agency that will connect you with employers seeking workers for the positions you are interested in and have the right skills and qualifications.
As a job seeker, a staffing agency is free to use as fees are collected from the employers. You will work directly with a recruiter who will also prepare you for the interview and hiring process.
Applying for Office Jobs
Once you’ve found open positions that interest you, apply and submit your resume. You want to ensure you provide correct contact information and quickly respond when you hear back from the company. The company may ask to provide any supporting documents and be sure to do so right away as if you keep them waiting, they may move on to other applicants.
The Interview
You have one chance to make a great first impression, so you want to go into an interview prepared to show the hiring manager you are the right candidate for the job. Make sure you have professional attire to wear to the interview and look clean and put together. You will want to bring a few copies of your resume, including references, and bring them in a folder to keep them from getting wrinkled. You should also bring copies of any degrees or training certificates that you received.
Another thing to do to prepare for an interview with a company is to do your homework on the company and the industry. By doing research, when the interviewer asks you questions related to their business, you have the right answers and sound knowledgeable. You could start your homework on the company by simply doing a Google search. The more you know, the better you could answer questions that may come up in the interview.
The next thing to do to prepare for an interview is review sample interview questions. You will want to be confident going into the interview, and being prepared with the right answers to questions will boost your confidence. Spend time thinking about your answers and practice saying them out loud along with any accomplishments or attributes you will mention. If you seem confident in your abilities, it will be much more believable to the hiring manager. You could ask a friend to do a mock interview with you. If you work with a staffing agency, a recruiter will help you prepare for the interview.
In Summary
Landing an office job is a great step in a career that offers benefits and room for advancement. Perfecting your existing skills and learning new ones that are commonly used in office jobs will help you stand out for competing job seekers and increase your worth to the organization.
You don’t need the experience to get into many office jobs, but certain skills may be required, like basic computer knowledge or other programs commonly used in offices. In addition, since a lot of office jobs work with the public and customers, great interpersonal skills are necessary.
Prepare yourself for the interview to ensure you go in with confidence and get the job you want. Once you land your first entry-level office job, it will be much easier to advance your career with experience under your belt.
Are you ready to find the right office job for you, or do you need to hire office workers? Contact the Pocketbook Agency, and we will find you your best match!
Sources:
May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates