Office manager: who is this and what does it do?

In modern business, not a single company with an office can do without the work of an office manager. This position involves the administration and management of the workflow of an organization’s office.

In essence, the office manager is that informative and leading link where all working moments of the company converge and are decided. He interacts between the manager and his subordinates, informs ordinary employees about the documents signed by the manager, interacts with the company's clients, monitors correspondence, monitors the company's performance and provides the office with an office, follows the direct instructions of the director and his deputies.

Office manager - an employee who provides the entire office with a full-fledged workflow. Description of the profession will help to better understand the essence of the work.

According to the classifier of working professions and positions of employees, the profession of office manager and his duties are significantly different from the profession of secretary. The office manager, first of all, the organizer of the office space of the company, manager and administrator in one person. The profession of a secretary implies his subordination to a specific person (director, deputy directors, top managers) and the conduct of his affairs only.

The office manager controls all the current work of the office, mainly paper work. Keeps track of uninterrupted office equipmentprovides company employees stationery, timely informs employees of the orders, instructions and announcements for the office issued by the head, receives incoming phone calls, if necessary, keeps a calendar of meetings and trips of the director. In this case, the vacancy is called "office manager with the functions of a secretary."

Since the work of the office manager includes organizational, informative and administrative actions, his job responsibilities include certain functional tasks. It is in this that the employment and essence of the office manager’s activity lies, which should:

• to prepare the office for the new working day: check the operation of telephones, computers and office equipment, the availability of consumables (paper, refilled printer cartridges);
• monitor, monitor cleanliness in office premises, compliance with sanitary standards (proper lighting, ventilation, temperature conditions in the premises), check the operation of split systems;
• timely purchase of office supplies and provide them with office workers on time;
• order drinking water, detergents, toilet paper, napkins;
• control the current workflow: prepare the necessary documents, reports, working materials necessary for the full-fledged work of the office, solve other working moments and tasks;
• daily monitor the work of the driver and courier;
• as directed by the manager, office manager distributes duties among employees, sets tasks for them, brings to their attention the necessary working information, determines the level of their responsibility, analyzes the effectiveness of the result;
• calculate and estimate monthly financial expenses on the maintenance of the office, monitor its implementation;
• keep a time sheet the number of days and hours worked by each employee within the calendar month, on time to transfer the time sheet to accounting for payroll;
• monitor compliance with labor discipline: in case of delays, early departure from work, absenteeism of employees, inform the company management, keep track of violations and non-compliance with the dress code;
• organize meetings register and assist visitors in resolving their issues.

The main competencies of the office manager include the preparation and conduct of negotiations, meetings, meetings:

• he must prepare all the necessary materials, ensure attendance at the events of all interested parties, keep a meeting minutes
• to correspond with clients and partners of the company, do mailing materials;
• work with incoming and outgoing office correspondence, register it, send;
• provide assistance and assistance to employees in resolving conflicts and disputes;
• coordinate office work at the end of the working day, check office equipment, lighting, split systems, air conditioners for their disconnection from the power supply;
• in some cases, the office manager is responsible for finding and hiring new employees (places information on the necessary vacancies on special sites, looks through resumes, carries out preliminary selection of applicants, conducts interviews);
• informs potential clients in writing or over the phone about the cost of goods and services according to the price list;
• advises on the location of company departments, their functions;
• maintains a customer base enterprises;
• Performs site maintenance duties, advertising about goods and services, orders souvenirs, printing, distributes information materials.

In order to occupy the office manager position, the candidate must have the key skills necessary to carry out this work, as well as have certain personal and professional qualities.

A person’s personal qualities are the biological and social components that make up his personality. Biological components a person receives from nature, his parents and ancestors in the form of a certain set of genes. Social component - This is the social environment in which a person grew up.

Both of these components form character and personality, endowing the individual with certain qualities, both good and negative. By putting together all the personality traits of a person, you can get an objective reliable psychological portrait.

The positive qualities of the personality include such character traits as:

• honesty;
• persistence in achieving the goal;
• attentiveness;
• self-discipline;
• responsibility and organization;
• industriousness, perseverance;
• inner nobility;
• objectivity;
• sociability, politeness, friendly attitude to people;
• composure, determination, attentiveness, punctuality;
• lack of conflict, ability to resolve disputes between employees, optimism and positive in everything;
• quickness, quick wit, helpfulness;
• activity, ambitiousness.

Behind this personality trait is the psychological and emotional upbringing of a person, his heredity, and the social environment in which he grew up.

The negative qualities of personality include:

• lack of assembly, carelessness;
• depressed outlook on life, lack of optimism;
• inability to collect thoughts in time and consistently solve assigned tasks;
• aggressive nature;
• tendency to gossip and intrigue.

A person’s business qualities are his ability to perform certain labor tasks and functions.

You can judge by business qualities how efficiently the applicant will be able to organize his work process, how well he will fulfill his job responsibilities. In order to successfully manage the office, the applicant must possess, in addition to knowledge and skills, certain business qualities, which include:

• education, skill level;
• experience;
• fast learner, adaptation to new conditions;
• exactingness to oneself and others;
• ability to work in multitasking conditions, simultaneously solve several issues at once;
• analytical thinking, the ability to think flexibly and unconventionally, to draw the right conclusions, to generalize;
• business acumen;
• leadership skills;
• willingness to work overtime;
• oratory, diplomacy and persuasion;
• business communication skills.

Professional qualities of a person are a combination of personal and business qualities, plus all the skills that he managed to acquire throughout his career. In his professional activities, the office manager should:

• have certain knowledge skills in office management;
• professionally put your knowledge and skills into practice;
• be able to work with documents know the principles of the organization of workflow, the rules for the formation of the archive;
• be a confident computer user and other office equipment;
• thoroughly know the workflow process, work with incoming and outgoing mail, know the rules for its registration, promptly bring the head’s resolutions to the structural units, monitor the deadlines for the employees of the company to execute the documents they have written, send outgoing correspondence by mail or courier;
• have administrative skills;
• Be able to type fast know the principles and rules for the preparation of certain documents (orders, instructions, instructions, decrees);
• quickly manage useful knowledge (emergency contacts, electrics, plumbing, lunch delivery services);
• know foreign languages (not always), although in some companies knowledge of a certain foreign language is the main condition for the candidate, and in this case the office manager must be fluent in speaking, reading and writing in a foreign language;
• be able to speak and write correctly, express your thoughts in a good literary language;
• own business etiquette skills.

No higher educational institution teaches the profession of office manager. You can get training and get a diploma or certificate of vocational training in budget or private training centers, colleges.

In large companies, as a rule, they want to see a specialist in this position only with higher education, Small enterprises can hire an employee with secondary or secondary specialized education.

The main thing that any employer pays attention to is work experience in this position, level of computer skills, knowledge of office equipment and the ability to work on it, knowledge of the basics of paperwork and archiving, Knowledge of foreign languages.

To correctly compose a resume and get a cherished position, you need in detail, but honestly state all the information about yourself: personal, professional, business qualities, work experience in a similar position, level of education.

The level of expected salary will make it clear to the employer what he can offer and what the candidate is applying for.

Do not give false information about work experience, education - All this can easily be checked, in this case the vacancy for the applicant will become inaccessible, they will simply refuse him.

The presence of a photograph is a positive moment for the candidate, the employer needs to know whose resume is considering. The office manager is the face of the company, and it is not indifferent to the employer who will represent it.

Be sure to indicate the level of your education, often the employer for this position accepts specialist with higher economic, legal, psychological or philological education.

Such information will be useful to the employer.

When compiling a resume, adhere to its structure:

• personal information - name, age, contacts;
• personal - the section is considered not obligatory for execution, but it is better to fill it out;
• basic skills - indicate which office programs you have, list all continuing education courses, seminars, trainings, other additional training that you have completed;
• experience - list all your practices, internships, completed projects, volunteer programs, in chronological order indicate the enterprises you worked for before, education and training (reflect all educational programs and directions that you completed);
• recommendations - in this section, indicate the names and contacts of people who may recommend you to a new employer, to respond positively to you.

If a job applicant with no work experience is applying for the office manager position, then it would be better not to reflect this section at all. No need to show the employer a lack of knowledge and skills. In this case, it is better to describe your personal and business qualities, what kind of education you have basic and additional (seminars, trainings).

As work experience, one can specify industrial practice, undergraduate internships, skills in organizing specific events, participation in olympiads, conferences, competitions, and all kinds of tests. If you have any achievements and successes that are directly related to your future work, be sure to write this information in a summary.