First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
O*NET files this work under First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers: people who directly supervise and coordinate the activities of clerical and administrative support workers. The strongest interest signal is Enterprising (6.9 of 7), then Conventional (5.7) and Social, which gives it the code ECS. The preparation level is medium preparation, typically one or two years of vocational training, an apprenticeship or an associate’s degree. O*NET’s skill data points to speaking, social perceptiveness, and reading comprehension as the ones to build. Expect to supervise the work of office, administrative, or customer service employees to ensure adherence to quality standards, deadlines, and proper procedures, correcting errors or problems. It tends to suit people who want leading, persuading and making business decisions, and it offers little for anyone seeking creative work with room for original expression.
What they do
Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of clerical and administrative support workers.
Main tasks
- Supervise the work of office, administrative, or customer service employees to ensure adherence to quality standards, deadlines, and proper procedures, correcting errors or problems.
- Resolve customer complaints or answer customers' questions regarding policies and procedures.
- Provide employees with guidance in handling difficult or complex problems or in resolving escalated complaints or disputes.
- Review records or reports pertaining to activities such as production, payroll, or shipping to verify details, monitor work activities, or evaluate performance.
- Discuss job performance problems with employees to identify causes and issues and to work on resolving problems.
- Prepare and issue work schedules, deadlines, and duty assignments for office or administrative staff.
Skills
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
- Coordination
- Active Listening
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You like taking the lead and making the call.
- You like clear rules and getting the details right.
- You are willing to put in a year or two of focused training.
- You are comfortable relying on speaking and social perceptiveness.
May not suit you if
- You would rather not persuade, sell or manage other people.
- You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.0 out of 7 here.
- You need to start within a few months, with no training period.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code ECS takes the three highest, and Enterprising comes first here.
Preparation
Medium preparation. Expect vocational school, an apprenticeship, related experience or an associate’s degree, usually one or two years in total.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Bachelor's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Accounting Manager
- Accounts Payable Supervisor
- Accounts Receivable Manager
- Administrative Supervisor
- Customer Service Manager
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.