Administrative Assistant Jobs in Canada

Administrative Assistant Jobs Overview

If you’re a natural people person, are highly organized, and love a good spreadsheet, then administrative assistant jobs could be for you. An administrative assistant often serves as the backbone of a company or organization, as they help keep everything in order behind the scenes.

A role of considerable responsibility, an administrative assistant may be the first person a manager or even a CEO goes to when a pressing organizational matter needs to be taken care of. Administrative assistant jobs typically involve managing phone enquiries, scheduling meetings, maintaining various calendars, and welcoming visitors. No two days will likely be the same with this varied role. So, if you thrive in a fast-paced environment, you may be well-suited to this line of work.

Admin assistants are employed throughout the public and private sectors in Canada. Organizations such as hospitals, schools, police departments, governmental departments, and universities all typically hire many administrative assistants. But so do private businesses such as law firms, private medical practices, large corporate organizations, and many more. And if you’re interested in exploring other roles within the administrative jobs field, you may want to take a look at:

• bank teller jobs
• booking agent jobs
• civil service jobs

Administrative Assistant Education and Skills

A successful administrative assistant will need solid computer, organizational, and time-management skills. An admin may be required to use various software tools such as Excel, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and in some cases QuickBooks. They will also likely be managing various online calendars through a program such as Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook.

Canadian administrative assistants will usually be required to have graduated high school. Some roles may require a two-year or a bachelor’s degree to be considered, while other roles may ask for certificates (such as Microsoft Office Specialist) that demonstrate particular administrative skills. Before you apply for roles, first check which qualifications and skills are required.

How Much are Administrative Assistants Paid?

Salaries for administrative assistant jobs can depend on seniority and skill levels, as well as location. In British Columbia, you can expect to earn a median salary of $22.10 an hour, compared to the national median of $20.49 per hour. The same role has a median salary of $18.01 per hour in Newfoundland and Labrador, and in Ontario, administrative assistants earn a median salary of $19.98 per hour. Use our Salary Tool to find out what you can expect to earn in your desired area.

Update your Administrative Assistant Resume

Employers will likely be looking for resumes that demonstrate relevant experience and qualifications. You’ll want to provide specific examples of where you’ve excelled in administrative duties in past roles. And be sure to list all your technical computer skills such as Microsoft Office as well as database and calendar-management expertise.

To help you out, Monster has various sample resumes available, including one for a temporary administrative assistant and one for a finance administrative assistant. Plus, to make your application really stand out, you’re going to want to provide a cover letter too. Check out our office assistant cover letter sample if you’re in need of some inspiration.

Interviewing for Administrative Assistant Jobs

Interviews can be intimidating, but you’ll have a much better shot at scoring the job if you attend your interview thoroughly prepared. Use our various job interview advice articles to help you during your preparation. Here you’ll find tips on how to master the phone interview, answer challenging questions well, and much more.

Research Companies That Interest You

Part of the interview-preparation process includes researching the company you’re applying to. Interviewers love to see that you’ve taken the time to find out about their organization, as it demonstrates the proactive skills that are highly valued in many companies.

And to help make your research process a little easier, we’ve created a company profiles portal. Here you can find out more about many of Canada’s top companies including:

• company size and locations
• company benefits
• company culture

Ready to Apply for an Administrative Assistant Role?

Once you have created a free profile with Monster, you can start applying for administrative assistant jobs. When your profile is set up, you can get application updates, tailored job recommendations, connect with recruiters, and much more.