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Becoming an Office Manager
No matter the size of the office, there is the need for good office managers. Office managers are usually paid higher than office assistants or executive secretaries, and one can often get into the field without having an advanced degree, making it ideal for smart, detail-oriented people without college degrees.
According to CNNMoney.com, office management was one of the "Top 20 Jobs for parents returning to work," with 90% of the people in this profession earning more than $36,600 per year, and 10% earning more than $70,900. The median pay is $53,400. Further, they state that the 10-year job growth for office managers looks good, with a growth in jobs of 17% between 2004 and 2014.
So, the pay is good and so are the benefits. But, do you have what it takes to become an office manager?
It is important to remember that office managers have demanding jobs. For that reason, you may first want to make sure that you are cutout to be an office manager, both in skill sets and temperament.
Office management jobs are often demanding, in more ways than one. As an office manager, you often have a large to-do list. This to-do list can include answering all incoming phone calls, keeping the boss' or business owner's calendar up to date, developing project lists for the other office staff members, as well as train new employees. It quickly becomes apparent you have to have the ability to multi-task. Therefore, if you find it difficult focusing on more than one project at a time, a career as an office manager may not be right for you.
In addition to multi-tasking, it is also important that you have a good sense of time management. Time management is important when working as an office manager, because not only are you responsible for completing your own tasks, you have to make sure that all the other staff members are completing their tasks on time as well. If you regularly find yourself distracted or if you regularly miss important deadlines, a career as an office manager may not be in your best interest. Also, if you find you have outside interests, such as additional schooling or hobbies which may take you away from the office, you may not want to take on the time demands of an office manager.
Being an office manager is not one of those jobs where you can "zone out" while doing your work. You have to keep up on everything going on in the office, from your boss' schedules and deadlines to your co-workers deadlines. Office management is truly a career, more than a job.
An office manager usually will be required to know different types of computer programs, such as:
* Outlook * Word * Excel * Powerpoint * Access * Quickbooks
An office manager must also know how to deal with people, from the co-worker who's always late to the co-worker who can't seem to finish his or her tasks on time. If you are the type of person who doesn't like to confront others, again, a career as an office manager may not be for you. If you're the type who just wants others to like you, rather than making sure the job gets done properly, then you might want to choose another career. Since office managers must make sure the other co-workers are "toeing the line," you might not be the most well-liked person in the office.
However, if you have great organizational skills and love delegating, and find satisfaction with helping an office run smoothly, then you probably have what it takes to be an office manager. Don't let the fact of having no college degree get in the way of choosing a career as an office manager. There are numerous certification programs in office management at community colleges, as well as online programs with private companies. If you have a great deal of office experience, but find yourself lacking in some skill sets, such as writing or computer skills, you can always take community college courses in such areas without having to obtain a college degree.
We hope this information was helpful to you. Be sure to visit some of our other pages for information on other careers and training programs you might be interested in:
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Synonyms: Officemanager and office manager are used synonymously. ffice, fofice, ofice, ofice, ofifce, offce, offcie, and offie are typos for "office." Anager, amnager, mnager, mnaager, maager, maanger, manger, mangaer, manaer, manaegr, managr, managre, and manage are typos for "manager." |
