How to Become an Office Manager

Fancy a career as an Office Manager? Here are the basics to help you on your way…

As a general rule, an office manager is the person that is responsible for the overall management of an office. In larger organisations, this may well be the office management of a specific department, and in smaller organisations it may be the management of an entire office and the associated abundance of responsibility that comes with it. In small offices you may be tasked with managing anything from Administrative, Finance, Personnel and IT functions as well as  the management of people and an office team. In a larger office or in a more corporate environment, you may well be tasked with the responsibility of one specific function only. However either way, progression into an office management role is not always swift and this is a role that requires dedication, experience and hard work.

Qualifications

A degree or HND in a Business discipline may well aid your application, but more often or not, it will not be listed as essential criteria for any company advertising an office management role. Qualifications in certain aspects of IT,  as well as secretarial grades or examinations may be just as valuable as a degree or more traditional academic qualifications.

Experience

If you think a degree in Business Administration is going to mean you are experienced to become an office manager – think again. Degree or not, you will need to gain experience as an administrator and a senior administrator, before you could even be considered for an office management role. This could take anything from 3-7 years – unless you are particularly lucky and your uncle or someone you know owns the business!

Type of Person and Skills required to become an Office Manager

It stands to reason, but this type of role suits someone who has good organisational skills, is methodical, has good customer service and people management skills and likes to manage systems and procedures. A good IT background and the ability to use spreadsheets and business software is not really an ideal, it is an essential. The ability to multitask and to have good communication and time management skills also come in pretty handy – as does some patience!

How to become a Office Manager

Becoming an Office Manager is a good aspiration and anyone leaving school with good A-Levels could potentially become an Office Manager by their mid 20’s. Like any career, gaining practical office experience is key, so in a job market where experience rules and jobs are hard to come by, start by gaining experience, be it paid, or a placement position in an administrative capacity to get your foot in the door…

Fancy a career as a Office Manager? Good luck!! We hope these basic tips help you along the way…

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