Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

receptionisttoadministrative assistant

A receptionist already meets 34% of what the administrative assistant role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.

From receptionist
34%
Overlap1
To administrative assistant
12 Skills carried over
12 Required, not held
65.8 Difficulty2
Career overlap Distant match

34%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

65.8/ 100

1 Share of the administrative assistant role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the receptionist profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A administrative assistant role treats 8 of its required skills as things a receptionist already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • company policies
  • disseminate internal communications
  • disseminate messages to people
  • file documents
  • handle mail
  • organise facilities for office personnel

What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A administrative assistant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a receptionist background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held organise facilities for office personnel management skills
  • already held file documents information skills
  • already held disseminate internal communications communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held disseminate messages to people management skills
  • already held handle mail management skills
  • already held deliver correspondence management skills

All 12 carried skills, including the 8 the administrative assistant role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 29 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 information skills 5 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held perform business research required
  • required, not held ensure proper document management required
  • required, not held fill out forms required
  • required, not held keep task records required
  • required, not held maintain statutory books required
  • optional, not held maintain inventory of office supplies optional
  • optional, not held monitor staff absences optional
02 management skills 3 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held organise business documents required
  • required, not held perform office routine activities required
  • required, not held plan schedule required
  • optional, not held coordinate events optional
  • optional, not held fix meetings optional
  • optional, not held manage personnel agenda optional
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 7 supplementary
  • required, not held disseminate general corporate information required
  • required, not held draft corporate emails required
  • optional, not held create import-export commercial documentation optional
  • optional, not held liaise with managers optional
  • optional, not held maintain internal communication systems optional
  • optional, not held organise travel arrangements for staff optional
  • optional, not held prepare presentation material optional
  • optional, not held process commissioned instructions optional
  • optional, not held speak different languages optional
04 working with computers 2 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held manage digital documents required
  • required, not held use spreadsheets software required
  • optional, not held use personal organization software optional
05 assisting and caring 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held respect data protection principles optional
  • optional, not held provide customer follow-up services optional
06 arts and humanities 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held transcription methods optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a administrative assistant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 12 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held company policies knowledge
  • already held disseminate internal communications skill
  • already held disseminate messages to people skill
  • already held file documents skill
  • already held handle mail skill
  • already held organise facilities for office personnel skill
  • already held use microsoft office skill
  • already held use office systems skill
  • already held accounting techniques knowledge
  • already held deliver correspondence skill
  • already held handle petty cash skill
  • already held issue sales invoices skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 generic programmes and qualifications 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held business communication optional
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held respect data protection principles optional
  • optional, not held business communication optional
  • optional, not held coordinate events optional
  • optional, not held create import-export commercial documentation optional
  • optional, not held fix meetings optional
  • optional, not held liaise with managers optional
  • optional, not held maintain internal communication systems optional
  • optional, not held maintain inventory of office supplies optional
  • optional, not held manage personnel agenda optional
  • optional, not held monitor staff absences optional
  • optional, not held organise travel arrangements for staff optional
  • optional, not held prepare presentation material optional
  • optional, not held process commissioned instructions optional
  • optional, not held provide customer follow-up services optional
  • optional, not held speak different languages optional
  • optional, not held transcription methods optional
  • optional, not held use personal organization software optional
23 held skills the administrative assistant role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role adhere to organisational guidelines skill
  • not needed by the target role administer appointments skill
  • not needed by the target role assist at check-in skill
  • not needed by the target role check tickets at venue entry skill
  • not needed by the target role communicate by telephone skill
  • not needed by the target role communicate verbal instructions skill
  • not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
  • not needed by the target role customer service knowledge
  • not needed by the target role develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements skill
  • not needed by the target role greet guests skill
  • not needed by the target role handle customer complaints skill
  • not needed by the target role keep personal administration skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain correspondence records skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain logbooks skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain reception area skill
  • not needed by the target role office administration knowledge
  • not needed by the target role process booking skill
  • not needed by the target role process data skill
  • not needed by the target role process payments skill
  • not needed by the target role register visitors skill
  • not needed by the target role respond to customers' inquiries skill
  • not needed by the target role screen clients skill
  • not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held business communication optional
  • optional, not held transcription methods optional
Index
Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.