Office Manager

OFO No:

What is an Office Manager?

An Office Manager can work for a small or large company. They are responsible for co-ordinating work flow and hiring, training, and supervising office staff.

There is a need for people with strong administrative skills in any business.

With business processes, equipment, documentation and communication becoming increasingly complicated, Office Managers and professional administrators need a wide range of skills to run the office effectively.

A good Office Manager will be directly responsible for the effectiveness and smooth running of the business.

Here is list of important skills needed to be an efficient Office Manager:

Business documentation: eg reports, quotations, invoicing etc

Communication strategy:  phone, email, Skype etc

Office administration:  petty cash, deliveries, etc

Information management:  filing, backups, etc

What does an Office Manager do?

• answers the phone and takes messages
• writes reports, letters, quotations etc
• participates in meetings
• tracks expenditures like petty cash
• sends out invoices
• keeps up to date with technology
• makes sure office is running smoothly
• organises travel arrangements

Are you … ?

• interested in business?
• efficient?
• organised?
• reliable?
• positive?
• a team player?

How do I become an Office Manager?

There are a number of way to become an Office Manager.

You could start off as a junior in admin and then work yourself up to becoming an Officer Manager. You will need to collect skills and experience to do this. It might take time, but you will get there in the end if you have the determination and drive.

Otherwise, you can jump ahead of the rest and study something relevant:

Here are some training courses to consider:

• Office Management National Diploma or BTech from some universities of technology 
• Office Management Certification Programme from various TVET (FET) and other training institutions
• Various courses through unversities throughout SA including UNISA

TRAINING:

• CLICK HERE to check for a training institution near you to see what they offer.
• Make sure you understand their entry requirements for each course.
• To avoid scams, make sure your institution is registered with the Department of Higher Education. 
• CLICK HERE to check accredited Private Higher Education Institutions. 

OTHER CAREERS TO CONSIDER:  Office Administration … or … Estate Agent

Is becoming an Office Manager the right career choice for me?