Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Administrative Assistant
An administrative assistant provides office and document support to a manager or executive. He or she is
expected to know how to use a word processor to create and format documents. The templates supplied with word-
processing software make the formatting and spell-checking processes much easier, but an administrative assis-
tant should be familiar with how they work and be capable of producing neatly formatted reports with charts and
graphs. An administrative assistant's duties may also include creating printed materials in other applications, such
as Excel and PowerPoint, and combining content from multiple applications into reports and presentations.
All administrative support roles require a solid understanding of office productivity programs and strong organi-
zational skills. A diploma in administration, information technology, or business management is also expected.
A business administration or IT degree plus vocational courses will help progress your career into office
management.
Understanding Spreadsheets
A
spreadsheet
program is used to analyze and present numeric data. For
example, you might use a spreadsheet to create a budget, summarize
sales data, or compare mortgages. Figure 6.3 shows a sales summary
report with a chart created in Microsoft Excel, the most popular spread-
sheet program available today.
spreadsheet
A program that presents rows and
columns of figures and other items against which
time and other variables can be plotted.
Figure.6 3
Use spreadsheets to record everyday expenses and make simple calculations.
