"Familiarity with Smart Phones a Plus..."

I recently came across a job posting for an Executive Administrative Assistant for a small local family-owned company. As all job posting do, it had a list of requirements and duties of the job. They were looking for a seasoned professional able to multi-task and work with minimal direction. The ideal candidate would know what “Confidential” meant and should be able to produce references that could attest to his/her ability to work in a stressful environment. They had to be able to make travel and hotel reservations at the lowest price, write and publish a quarterly newsletter and respond to requests from the Executive Team at all time. These were pretty standard requirements for an Executive Assistant. Proficiency in Office Suite software was also a requirement. But at the very end of the posting was a short sentence that caught my eye: “Familiarity with smart phones and how to resolve phone problems is important.” This was a new twist on a familiar position. It made me realize that in subtle ways, all jobs are changing and there is a new set of required skills that will soon be taken for granted. Cell phones, smart phones and texting are taking the place of voice mail and email. The ability to use the features of a smart phone, train others and troubleshoot problems keeps the office communicating. The Administrative Assistant of the future is going to need to be an expert on a whole list of new technology. Video conference, conference calls, webcasts, Skype--these are all new ways of meeting, quickly replacing the old, boring, time-wasting, two-hour conference room in-person meetings. Social media networking, instant messaging, chat rooms and texting are the preferred methods of communications and more efficient, cost effective and comfortable for a younger workforce used to choosing their “friends” and being connected wherever they happen to be. The Administrative Assistant of the future is going to be required to not only be familiar with this new technology but be proficient in its use, application and maintenance. In order to be familiar with and know how to resolve phone problems with smart phones, you would probably need to own one. This opens up another question on who will be eligible for the jobs of the future and how you become competent in the necessary skills. I have never seen a class on the operation and maintenance of smart phones. Getting that knowledge will be left to the individual and that means keeping up with technology that changes with light-speed. Otherwise, the only thing standing between you and your next great job may be a 4G (5G, 8G?) Apple IPhone. Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for Administrativejobs.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing Alto II with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients discover what they love and spend their life on it. You can read more of her blogs at administrativejobsblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.