Am I in the right Admin Job?

If you take a few minutes to review a range of roles on www.adminjobs.ie, the jobs can seem quite different on one level yet the activities involved and skills required are quite similar.   For most jobs in this area, the role of administration is about providing service, executing procedures that require attention to detail to support people and the organisation.

However, our reactions to different opportunities can vary hugely as can the job satisfaction and engagement that different admin roles offer us.  

Have you ever thought about the different aspects of your job and how they contribute to your overall job satisfaction?   Here are a number of key areas for you to assess whether you are in the right administration job.

Your manager

50% of work life satisfaction depends on your relationship your manager.   It is not about being buddies with them (indeed, this can often be a problem if their management skills are poor).   It is about whether they provide good direction, opportunities and appreciation for what you do.

1.       If you feel they are ok or good at managing, then take time to learn about their communication style and get the most from that key working relationship.   In short, think about ‘managing up’.

2.       If they are poor at managing and have a weak track record, you may need to move on within the organisation if it is big enough or to another company.

Your Sector

Different sectors provide a different experience.   If you enjoy administration as a job activity but still don’t feel your job makes you feel proud or fully engaged, then you may be in the wrong sector.

Think about your values.

§          If you feel strongly about helping people, maybe you should work in administration in a charity, health related organisation or the education sector?

§          If you are interested in culture or stylish presentation, you should consider a role in the arts, culture, design or advertising areas?

§          If you are interested in science or analysis, you may consider focusing on engineering, pharmaceutical or science based organisations.

§          Are you interested in money and commerce? If so, maybe a strongly commercial organisation is a better fit for you?

Think about the product or service

Sometimes people like to be involved a product or service that is tangible.   For example, administration of pensions or life assurance products involves dealing with things that are intangible concepts whereas an admin role in a large estate agency organisation is focused on the marketing and sales of something quite concrete.

Culture, Size and Stage of the organisation

§          Culture is defined as “the way we do things around here”.   Some organisations obviously care about their staff whereas other expect performance but are limited on appreciation.   Are you proud of the way your organisation treats its staff and clients?

§          Some people have a strong desire for varied social contact and therefore like big organisations.   In this scenario, your role is more defined.   In a smaller organisation, there is often less variety in contact but your role can be more varied.

§          Some people get a buzz from being in an organisation that is in an early phase. This can be a small or large-scale start-up but it is a different experience from working in a mature organisation.   Do you need to be busy and like that kind of buzz?

A final word of warning is that changing organisation/sector is not a solution to a satisfaction issue if the day-to-day role of administration does not make you happy.

John Deely is an occupational psychologist with Pinpoint.   Pinpoint offers career change and development services to individuals, and selection, management development and outplacement services to organisations.

Contact details:           (01) 6425 721           www.pinpoint.ie