Overview
All Personal Assistants
-
$1,432 Weekly Pay
-
Decline Future Growth
-
52,500 workers Employment Size
-
High skill Skill level rating
-
72% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
41 hours Average full-time
-
42 years Average age
-
97% female Gender Share
Personal Assistants perform liaison, coordination and organisational tasks in support of Managers and Professionals.
You can work as a Personal Assistant without formal qualifications, however, a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course in business administration, secretarial and clerical studies, accounting or another related field may be useful.
Tasks
- liaising with other staff on matters relating to the organisation's operations
- researching and preparing reports, briefing notes, memoranda, correspondence and other routine documents
- maintaining confidential files and documents
- attending meetings and acting as secretary as required
- maintaining appointment diaries and making travel arrangements
- processing incoming and outgoing mail, filing correspondence and maintaining records
- screening telephone calls and answering inquiries
- taking and transcribing dictation of letters and other documents
- may supervise other secretarial and clerical staff
Prospects
The number of people working as Personal Assistants (in their main job) fell over 5 years:
from 60,900 in 2014 to 52,500 in 2019.
Caution: The Australian jobs market is changing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These estimates do not take account of the impact of COVID-19. They may not reflect the current jobs market and should be used and interpreted with extreme caution.
- Size: This is a very large occupation.
- Location: Personal Assistants work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: They work in many industries such as Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; Public Administration and Safety; and Health Care and Social Assistance.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $1,432 per week (similar to the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Many work full-time (72%, higher than the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 41 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 42 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 97% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Caution: The 2019 employment projections do not take account of any impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and are therefore no longer reflective of current labour market conditions. As such, they should be used, and interpreted, with extreme caution. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, National Skills Commission trend data to May 2019 and projections to 2024.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Pathways
You can work as a Personal Assistant without formal qualifications, however, a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course in business administration, secretarial and clerical studies, accounting or another related field may be useful.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Business Services VET training pathways.
Skills & Knowledge
Employers look for Personal Assistants who have good interpersonal skills, reliable and can multitask under pressure.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Transportation
Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Geography
Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
Philosophy and theology
Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
-
Foreign language
Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Negotiation
Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
-
Systems analysis
Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Far vision
See details that are far away.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Brainstorming
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Memorization
Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
-
Perceptual speed
Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
-
Multitasking
Do two or more things at the same time.
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Providing office support
Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Communicating with the public
Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Working with the public
Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
-
Documenting or recording information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Scheduling work and activities
Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
-
Helping and caring for others
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Thinking creatively
Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 43-6011.00 - Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants.
Work Environment
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Electronic mail
Use electronic mail.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Spend time sitting
Spend time sitting at work.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Repeating same tasks
Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Letters and memos
Write letters and memos.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Making repetitive motions
Spend time making repetitive motions.
-
Loud or uncomfortable sounds
Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.
-
Physically close to people
Work physically close to other people.
-
Angry or unpleasant people
Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
-
Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
-
Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
-
Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
-
Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
-
Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
-
Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 43-6011.00 - Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants.
All Personal Assistants
-
$1,432 Weekly Pay
-
Decline Future Growth
-
52,500 workers Employment Size
-
High skill Skill level rating
-
72% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
41 hours Average full-time
-
42 years Average age
-
97% female Gender Share
Personal Assistants perform liaison, coordination and organisational tasks in support of Managers and Professionals.
You can work as a Personal Assistant without formal qualifications, however, a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course in business administration, secretarial and clerical studies, accounting or another related field may be useful.
Tasks
- liaising with other staff on matters relating to the organisation's operations
- researching and preparing reports, briefing notes, memoranda, correspondence and other routine documents
- maintaining confidential files and documents
- attending meetings and acting as secretary as required
- maintaining appointment diaries and making travel arrangements
- processing incoming and outgoing mail, filing correspondence and maintaining records
- screening telephone calls and answering inquiries
- taking and transcribing dictation of letters and other documents
- may supervise other secretarial and clerical staff
The number of people working as Personal Assistants (in their main job) fell over 5 years:
from 60,900 in 2014 to 52,500 in 2019.
Caution: The Australian jobs market is changing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These estimates do not take account of the impact of COVID-19. They may not reflect the current jobs market and should be used and interpreted with extreme caution.
- Size: This is a very large occupation.
- Location: Personal Assistants work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: They work in many industries such as Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; Public Administration and Safety; and Health Care and Social Assistance.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $1,432 per week (similar to the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Many work full-time (72%, higher than the average of 66%).
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 41 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 42 years (compared to the average of 40 years).
- Gender: 97% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Caution: The 2019 employment projections do not take account of any impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and are therefore no longer reflective of current labour market conditions. As such, they should be used, and interpreted, with extreme caution. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, National Skills Commission trend data to May 2019 and projections to 2024.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
You can work as a Personal Assistant without formal qualifications, however, a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course in business administration, secretarial and clerical studies, accounting or another related field may be useful.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Business Services VET training pathways.
Employers look for Personal Assistants who have good interpersonal skills, reliable and can multitask under pressure.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Transportation
Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Geography
Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
Philosophy and theology
Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
-
Foreign language
Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Negotiation
Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
-
Systems analysis
Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Far vision
See details that are far away.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Brainstorming
Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Flexibility of closure
See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Memorization
Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
-
Perceptual speed
Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
-
Multitasking
Do two or more things at the same time.
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Providing office support
Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Communicating with the public
Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Working with the public
Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
-
Documenting or recording information
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Scheduling work and activities
Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
-
Helping and caring for others
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Thinking creatively
Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Explaining things to people
Helping people to understand and use information.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 43-6011.00 - Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants.
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Electronic mail
Use electronic mail.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Spend time sitting
Spend time sitting at work.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Repeating same tasks
Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Letters and memos
Write letters and memos.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Making repetitive motions
Spend time making repetitive motions.
-
Loud or uncomfortable sounds
Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.
-
Physically close to people
Work physically close to other people.
-
Angry or unpleasant people
Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
-
Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
-
Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
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Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
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Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
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Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
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Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
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Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
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Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
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Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
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Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
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Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 43-6011.00 - Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants.