Certificate in Administrative Assistant

With the number of businesses and organizations increasing, the importance of administrative assistants is being realized in every profession. These professionals work in a supportive role and this can be a role of supporting a manager or a department as defined by the job specification. Generally, they help in running the business operations to make them smooth and efficient.
The job responsibility of administrative assistant includes understanding business processes and handling the documentations of the office.  As all organizations take care of their data on computers, administrative assistants must therefore be familiar with computer software and word processing programs.

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Organizations prefer those who have administrative assistant certification. International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) offers these courses that train a student to become a Certified Administrative Professional (CAP). It is generally a one year long course and a student becomes a certified administrative professional after clearing a four part exam. Certified professional can look forward to better job prospects and salary packages.
 Many community colleges, vocational and business schools offer administrative courses and associate degrees as well.  Administrative assistant certification programs can be completed in a year or two. The subjects can vary according to the program being taken but generally these would include the following:

• Communication
• Data management
• Office management
• Business writing
• Accounting principles
• Word processing
• Administration fundamentals
• Organizational behavior
• Electronic communication
• Project management

For certain professions, additional guidance and specific training may be required. In the case of medical assistants, a student must be familiar with healthcare office procedures and must be aware of medical terminology for handling the processes efficiently.  In the same way legal assistants must know about law proceedings and the legal jargon.
To seek administrative assistant certification online students can explore the programs offered by online colleges. It is important to check the curriculum and compare the subjects offered by different institutes to settle for the one that is more suitable. Online programs are generally easier to pursue because of the convenience and flexibility they offer in terms of time management. Generally they are also much cheaper. Selecting the right program is important as that determines the job prospects.