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First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

Directly supervise and coordinate the activities of clerical and administrative support workers.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Resolve customer complaints or answer customers' questions regarding policies and procedures.
    • Discuss job performance problems with employees to identify causes and issues and to work on resolving problems.
    • Develop or update procedures, policies, or standards.
    • Analyze financial activities of establishments or departments and provide input into budget planning and preparation processes.
    • Arrange for necessary maintenance or repair work.
    • Interpret and communicate work procedures and company policies to staff.
    • Review records or reports pertaining to activities such as production, payroll, or shipping to verify details, monitor work activities, or evaluate performance.
    • Maintain records pertaining to inventory, personnel, orders, supplies, or machine maintenance.
    • Plan layouts of stockrooms, warehouses, or other storage areas, considering turnover, size, weight, or related factors pertaining to items stored.
    • Evaluate employees' job performance and conformance to regulations and recommend appropriate personnel action.
    • Implement corporate or departmental policies, procedures, and service standards in conjunction with management.
    • Maintain records pertaining to inventory, personnel, orders, supplies, or machine maintenance.
    • Design, implement, or evaluate staff training and development programs, customer service initiatives, or performance measurement criteria.
    • Develop work schedules according to budgets and workloads.
    • Participate in the work of subordinates to facilitate productivity or to overcome difficult aspects of work.
    • Make recommendations to management concerning such issues as staffing decisions or procedural changes.
    • Train or instruct employees in job duties or company policies or arrange for training to be provided.
    • Consult with managers or other personnel to resolve problems in areas such as equipment performance, output quality, or work schedules.
    • Prepare and issue work schedules, deadlines, and duty assignments for office or administrative staff.
    • Resolve customer complaints or answer customers' questions regarding policies and procedures.
    • Coordinate activities with other supervisory personnel or with other work units or departments.
    • Keep informed of provisions of labor-management agreements and their effects on departmental operations.
    • Research, compile, and prepare reports, manuals, correspondence, or other information required by management or governmental agencies.
    • Compute figures such as balances, totals, or commissions.
    • Research, compile, and prepare reports, manuals, correspondence, or other information required by management or governmental agencies.
    • Coordinate or perform activities associated with shipping, receiving, distribution, or transportation.
    • Recruit, interview, and select employees.
    • Monitor inventory levels and requisition or purchase supplies as needed.
    • Plan for or coordinate office services, such as equipment or supply acquisition or organization, disposal of assets, relocation, parking, maintenance, or security services.
    • Supervise the work of office, administrative, or customer service employees to ensure adherence to quality standards, deadlines, and proper procedures, correcting errors or problems.
    • Provide employees with guidance in handling difficult or complex problems or in resolving escalated complaints or disputes.

    Skills

    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.

    Abilities

    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    Less than 5 years work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    77630/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    37.32/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    33,930
    Yearly Projected Openings
    3730

    Personality

    Enterprising: People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Integrity
    • Dependability
    • Leadership
    • Self Control
    • Attention to Detail
    • Concern for Others

    Tools

    • Desktop calculator
    • Desktop computers
    • Laser fax machine
    • Laser printers
    • Liquid crystal display projector
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers
    • Photocopiers
    • Postal scales
    • Scanners
    • Special purpose telephones
    • Voice mail systems

    Technology

    • Access software
    • Accounting software
    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Business intelligence and data analysis software
    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Cloud-based data access and sharing software
    • Communications server software
    • Computer based training software
    • Customer relationship management CRM software
    • Data base reporting software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Desktop publishing software
    • Document management software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Financial analysis software
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Human resources software
    • Information retrieval or search software
    • Instant messaging software
    • Internet browser software
    • Medical software
    • Multi-media educational software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Presentation software
    • Process mapping and design software
    • Project management software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Time accounting software
    • Transaction security and virus protection software
    • Video conferencing software
    • Video creation and editing software
    • Web page creation and editing software
    • Word processing software