Administrative Jobs

Behind most professionals are people who provide clerical support. Administrative personnel help keep offices organized, do research, keep files up-to-date and help maintain schedules. Generally, those with administrative jobs need only a high school or equivalency diploma, and perhaps some specialized training. Those who want administrative jobs have many choices. Learn about some of them here.

Human Resources Assistant

Human resources assistants keep track of salaries, benefits, address changes and changes to job titles as well as any other information contained within an organizations' personnel records. To work as an HR assistant, one needs a high school or equivalency diploma. Human resources assistants earned a median annual salary of $36,650 and median hourly wages of $17.62 in 2009.
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Library Assistant

Library assistants help librarians and library technicians do their jobs by organizing materials and making them available to the public. You need a high school diploma or equivalency if you want a job as a library assistant. Library assistants earned a median annual salary of $22,980 in 2009 and median hourly wages of $11.05.
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Medical Assistant

Many medical assistants perform administrative tasks in doctors' offices. Some also perform clinical tasks and there are others who only have clinical responsibilities. Medical assistants need at least a high school or equivalency diploma. Most receive on-the-job training, while some attend a one to two year formal program. Medical assistants earned a median annual salary of $28,650 and median hourly wages of $13.77 in 2009.
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Medical Secretary

Medical secretaries perform clerical duties in medical offices. You need a high school diploma and specialized training in medical terminology if you want to do this job. Medical secretaries earned a median annual salary of $30,190 and median hourly wages of $14.51 in 2009.
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Medical Transcriptionist

Medical transcriptionists create written documents from doctors' or other medical professionals' dictated recordings. Some work in doctors' offices and have additional clerical duties. Many employers prefer medical transcriptionists who have post-secondary training, but it is not required. Medical transcriptionists earned a median annual salary of $32,600 in 2009. They earned median hourly wages of $15.68.
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Paralegal

Paralegals assist lawyers by helping them with a variety of tasks, including preparing for trials, hearings and closings; doing research; and drafting legal documents. Many paralegals have earned associate degrees. Paralegals' median annual salary was $46,980 and median hourly wages were $22.58 in 2009.
Learn More About Becoming a Paralegal

^{Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ and
Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET Online, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/ (visited February 17, 2011).}

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Comparing Administrative Jobs
	Minimum Education	License	Median Salary/Wage
Human Resources Assistant	HS	none	$36,650/yr. or $17.62/hr.
Library Assistant	HS	none	$22,980/yr. or $11.05/hr.
Medical Assistant	HS	none	$28,650/yr. ir $13.77/hr.
Medical Secretary	Specialized Training	none	$30,190/yr. or $14.51/hr.
Medical Transcriptionist	HS	none	$32,600/yr. or $15.68/hr.
Paralegal	Associate	none	$46,980/yr. or $22.58/hr.