The 21st Century Administrative Professional by Penny O’Reilly, NSW Practice Manager, Hudson Human Resource Consulting

1. The 21st Century Administrative
Professional
Penny O’Reilly

2. Agenda
• The ongoing evolution of the administrative professional
• Emerging skill-sets,capabilities and experiences for future
career success
• The role of the organisation in nurturing and developing talent
• Career pathways to an executive administrator role in a
leading company

3. Evolution of the Administrative Professional
• Survey Results (Completed survey on 339 people)
What is your preferred job title?
- 22% PA’s , 21% EA’s , 12% Administrators , 6% Office
Managers, 6% Receptionists , 3% Secretary , 27% Other
Do you have formal training for your role as an Office
Professional?
- 49% Yes , 43% No

4. Evolution of the Administrative Professional
What do you think is your most valuable role as an office
professional?
- 51% Organisational Skills , 23% Relationship Building , 12%
Administration & Typing , 10% Other , 3% Event Organisation
Are your duties and job title clear to you?
- 69% Yes , 21% No , 2% Both
Do you view being an office professional as a long-term
career path (5+ years)?
- 66% Yes , 19% No , 17% Don’t know

5. Evolution of the Administrative Professional
How valued do you feel as an office professional in
your organisation?
- 50% Highly Valued , 40% Valued , 9% Under Valued
Do you think that specific secretarial or business
administration qualifications are an essential
component for the new generation of office
professionals?
- 63% Yes , 35% No

6. Traditional EA Role
Past
Communication
Organisation
and Time
Management
Flexibility
Technical Skills
Confidentiality

7. Present EA Role
Presen
t
Interpersonal
Skills
Organisation
and Time
Management
Drive, Flexibility
& Adaptability
Technical Skills
Confidentiality
Human
Relations &
Cultural
Diversity
Business &
Financial
Overview &
Vision/Foresight
Project
Management

8. Evaluating your current skills
Technical Skills Non-Technical Skills
MS Office suite Emotional intelligence
In-house systems Intuition
Typing Flexibility
Minute taking Adaptability

9. Emotional Intelligence
Definition
The capacity for recognising our own feelings and those of
others. For motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions
well in ourselves and in our relationships

10. Emotional Intelligence
• Emotional Intelligence is largely learned and continues to
develop throughout our life
• Studies show people improve as they grow more adept at
handling their own emotions, at motivating themselves, and at
honing their empathy and social skills
• Maturity = growth in emotional intelligence

11. Emotional Intelligence
Five Basic Emotional and Social Competencies:
• Self Awareness
• Self Regulation
• Motivation
• Empathy
• Social Skills

12. Self Awareness
Definition:
The ability to recognise and understand your moods, emotions and
drives, as well as their effect on others
Hallmarks:
• Trustworthiness and integrity
• Comfort with ambiguity
• Openness to Change
• Innovation

13. Self Regulation
Definition:
The ability to control or direct disruptive impulses and moods
Hallmarks:
• Trustworthiness and integrity
• Comfort with ambiguity
• Openness to change
• Innovation

14. Motivation
Definition:
A passion to work for reasons that go beyond money and status.
A propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence
Hallmarks:
• Strong drive to achieve
• Optimism, even in the face of failure
• Organisational Commitment

15. Empathy
Definition:
The ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people.
The skill in treating people according to their emotional reactions
Hallmarks:
• Expertise in building and retaining talent
• Cross – Cultural sensitivity
• Service to Clients and Customers

16. Social Skills
Definition:
Proficiency in managing relationships and building networks. An
ability to find common ground and build rapport
Hallmarks:
• Effectiveness in leading change
• Persuasiveness
• Expertise in building and leading teams

17. Emotional Competence
• A learned capability based on emotional intelligence resulting in
outstanding performance
• The five elements of emotional intelligence determines our
potential for learning the practical skills

18. Adding Value…
• Be the ‘eyes and ears’ of your Manager.
• Establish strong working relationships within the wider team.
• Be at the crux of communication.
• Project a positive and professional image.
• Make confidentiality ‘non-negotiable’.
• Reflect the insightful behaviour of your Manager and the
Management team.
• Be a role model and mentor.
• Focus on the solutions, not the problems.
• Networking

19. Professional Development
Course Institution
Exec PA Suite IPAA (Institute of Public Administration
Australia, Queensland)
Management Skills for PA & EA Institute for International Research
(ACT,WA,NSW,QLD)
The Indispensable Personal
Assistant
University of Adelaide
Moving from PA to EA University of Adelaide
Management Skills for EA Australian Institute of Management

20. Role of organisation in nurturing &
developing talent
• Be proactive
• Know the organisational structure to identify possible career
moves
• 360 feedback
• Career framework
• Seek advice

21. The Current Career Model
Age
Stage
Exploration
Maintenance
Establishment
Disengagement
Achieved
Maintenance
Establishment
Disengagement
Exploration Exploration

22. Career Pathways
Self Awareness and
Self Assessment
Researching
Opportunities and Options
Informed Decision Making
Effectively Managing
Career Transitions

23. Career Pathway
Taking control of the Career Management process involves making an
accurate assessment of your current position, in terms of your:
• Interests
• Skills and abilities
• Values and Career drivers
• Achievements and strengths
An accurate self analysis of “where” you are right now will help you to
identify and clarify career goals which are: realistic, time-framed, attractive,
measurable, and specific.

24. Understanding the Current Market
• Gain awareness of the job market
ANZ Job Ad Series
The Hudson Report
• Salary Guides
• Industry movements

25. Salary Guide

26. Researching Career Options
Networking is a very effective method of researching options, it helps:
• Improve your chances of being considered for opportunities even if
you don’t know they exist.
Developing the ability to network is critical in your career management
planning.

27. Narrowing the Options
Decide internal and external career/occupation options you consider
to be most appealing.
These need to be assessed against:
• Skills, knowledge,experience and background
• Personal values, needs and goals.
Also consider factors which may work against these options and
how these barriers can be overcome.

28. Goal Setting
Goals are most likely to be achieved when:
• We have set them ourselves, ie. we “own” them
• They are realistic and attainable and related to our interests, skills
and abilities, career related values and drivers
• We establish them within a timeframe that is realistic and attainable;
and
• We are comfortable with the consequences of attaining the goals.

29. Developing long term career goals
SMART Goals
S Specific and Stretching
M Measurable
A Attractive
R Realistic
T Time frame

30. Steps to achieve career growth
• Take the time to develop your business and commercial
acumen
• Mirror the behaviours of leaders within your organisation
• Communicate your goals and timeframes
• Contribute to the organisation
• Grow your network
• Adopt a mentor or coach
• Tertiary qualifications
• Feel the fear

31. Questions