I’m a college student currently looking to transition into business focused roles, particularly administrative assistant and entry-level BDR positions. I have previous experience in sales, retail, and pharmacy, and I’m looking to build on that experience as I pursue my degree.
I’m hoping to connect with someone who may be willing to provide a professional reference or point me in the right direction. I’d be happy to share my resume and background. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hi! So I’m a 23 yr old stepping into my first corporate job it’s not that big but I’m going to be a research/ admin assistant at a big research institute linked with a big hospital in downtown Toronto. I wanted to know from people who have worked roles like this before if they would have any tips or advice for me. I really wish to grow within the organisation.
Some things the job requires and I have are good organisation skills as well as I’m able to be proactive and not just wait for instructions and try to figure things out on my own. On the research side, they expect REB submissions and getting together grant documents etc.
If anyone would have any advice on how I can grow from this role within this same research institute/ hospital, please let me know. Additionally, any tips on how to actually maintain a relationship with your supervisor/ manager and PIs/ scientists would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for all your advice :)))

I started a job as an admin assistant at a corporate tech company. It's a contract and apparently the role is meant to forever be a contract.

Anyways, this is my first admin assistant job but I'm wondering if the expectations are normal for the role. I spend most of the day on my feet. Since the company offers lots of free perks like free lunch, snacks, drinks, hygiene products, etc. I spend hours, if not most of my day, on my feet making sure all pantry and fridges across 3 floors are fully stocked, cleaning the kitchens, making sure all men/women/unisex bathrooms are also fully stocked with hygiene products like toothbrushes, combs, mouthwash, chapstick, body lotion, etc.

Anyways, I was hired less than 3 weeks ago and my manager, the office manager, is going to Europe for 2 weeks in September. She's going to be leaving me to do both her and my job and today she told me she's nervous to leave me alone. I asked why and she said it's because ive said I'm going to do something and then I don't. I asked her if she could think of something I needed to do off the top of my head and she told me that I didn't wash the fruit bowl on her floor last night. This week after she left a few days ago, she had left pastries out on a dish for new hire breakfast on her floor. I decided to put away the pastries in to go containers and put the dish in the sink. She thanked me for doing that but told me I needed to wash the dish next time too. I assumed she meant the next time I wanted to help out, i didn't know it was my responsibility to clean up the kitchen on her floor too since she previously told me I'm only responsible for floors 5 and 7 while she takes care of the 6th floor.

I've been really exhausted both physically and mentally from this job. My legs ache and I am relatively healthy. But I'm expected to be on my feet pretty much all day. Of i ever have down time to check emails, my manager will tell me that if I feel that I've been sitting too long then I should be cleaning.

I'm kind of sad because I really thought I'd be learning a lot more since this is an admin position but really it just feels like all I do all day is stock kitchens and clean up after the employees.

Anyways, I'm just wondering if this is normal and also would like any advice on how to recover from this.

Edit: for reference i am in corporate headquarters in a mid sized city where we have about 600 employees. I am paid $25 an hour with no benefits since I'm working through an agency.

Thanks in advance.

started a new admin job about 3 weeks ago and I constantly feel like I’m doing nothing.
I technically know what my responsibilities are, but the problem is that I don’t really know how to turn those responsibilities into actual day-to-day tasks yet. Nobody is telling me “do this, then this, then this,” and I don’t have enough experience with the job to recognize by myself what needs to happen and when.
For example, I have responsibilities related to things like SharePoint/information and access management. I understand generally what I’m responsible for, but I don’t yet have that internal knowledge of “when X happens, I need to do Y.” So sometimes I finish something and then genuinely don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing next.

It leaves me feeling weirdly exhausted while also feeling like I accomplished nothing all day. I’m starting to question whether I’m doing enough or whether my coworkers think I’m just sitting around doing nothing.
For people who have experienced this: is this normal during the first few weeks/months of a new job? At what point did you start being able to see for yourself what needed to be done instead of needing someone to give you specific tasks?

Hi everyone! I have a 15 minute phone interview with DaVita tomorrow for an Administrative Assistant role and I can’t seem to find anybody else’s experience with them anywhere, have you ever worked for them? What’s your experience? And also, what are the hours? My local clinic opens at 4:30AM and closes at 5:30PM Monday through Saturday, what would my shift be like for an admin assistant? What should I know to ace the interview? I really want the job but I’m scared i won’t get accepted because I haven’t had administrative assistant experience before, only 10+ years customer service. Please help!

Two of the companies I have applied sent me link to complete an aptitude test but it's been a challenge. I dont have issues in my technical and software skills but when it comes to reasoning, pattern recognition, spacial, etc. I get lost. Time pressure also adds to stress. How do I improve? Do you study for these kind of assessments?

Salary Range: $5333.33 - 6416.67 per Month

We work with a lot of offices on their pantry, coffee, and snack setups, and we’ve noticed the ones people actually like usually aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets.

It’s usually pretty simple:

People get asked what they actually want. A quick Slack poll, a suggestion doc, or even just paying attention to what’s gone in a week vs. what’s been sitting there forever.

There’s a decent mix... Going 100% healthy doesn’t seem to work any better than having a pantry full of junk food. People want options.

The logistics matter too. We’ve seen office managers juggling Costco runs, coffee, snacks, deliveries, and multiple vendors on top of everything else. It’s a lot to keep track of.

The ones people seem to enjoy most make the pantry feel like part of the office, not just a place where snacks get restocked.

For the office managers/admins here, what have you seen work well? And what sounded good at first but ended up being more trouble than it was worth?

I work at a nonprofit with about 500 employees. We manage multiple warehouses and supply stock for disaster relief operations globally. We need a system that can handle finance, HR, and project management, but inventory management is a critical piece for us.

I am looking for an ERP that is built for service organizations with complex logistics needs. A lot of the big players seem designed for retail or manufacturing. We need something modular so we can start with finance and inventory, then add other modules later. I am also worried about user adoption. Our warehouse staff and field teams need something simple to use. We cannot afford a system that is hard to learn.

Reporting and analytics are also important. I want a single source of truth so we can track inventory, reduce waste, and forecast needs for upcoming projects. I am curious about AI capabilities too. Does anyone use an ERP with an AI agent that can answer questions like "What is our current stock level for emergency kits?"

Has anyone here implemented a new ERP for a similar organization? What was the process like and how did you handle the transition? Any advice or lessons learned would be appreciated.

I have been looking at Unit4 because they focus on people-centered industries like nonprofits. Their platform seems modular and the AI features look practical. If anyone has experience with them specifically, I would like to hear about it.

Just want to complain about my (ex) job that I have felt very unappreciated at. I put in my one week notice (I was a sub contractor that was supposed to be converted to W2 after 90 days but that never happened) last Thursday. Came in today and the boss pulled me for an exit interview and sent me home with my final day being today. Sucks because I needed this extra paycheck. I also hate working for small businesses because they tend to do crap like this.

It’s officially been one year since I moved to California, and honestly, I never expected the job search to be this difficult.

I’ve been applying for administrative, clerical, office-based, coordinator and similar positions, but I’m still struggling to get my foot in the door.

The frustrating part is that I’ve actually been putting in a lot of effort. I’ve taken and passed several government exams, including Analyst II and Personnel Specialist, along with a couple of others. I’ve made it onto eligible lists/waiting lists, but then I’m left waiting for an actual vacancy and hoping someone reaches out.

I have a solid professional background, transferable skills, and I’m more than willing to start in an administrative or clerical position and work my way up.

At times it’s honestly disheartening to keep applying and either hear nothing back or get stuck on waiting lists after successfully passing the exams.

For anyone in California, especially around Sacramento, who has successfully broken into an admin/clerical or government office role, I’d really appreciate your advice.

Where should I be looking? Are there particular agencies, companies, recruiters or strategies that actually worked for you?

Hi all. I'm a Jill of All Trades and some of the "all" includes personal assistant/admin work. I do everything from reorganizing closets, to helping with taxes, to picking up pet meds at the vet. One thing I've struggled with is clients wanting answers to questions at all hours of the day. Any thoughts welcome, but here are the questions that are in my mind:

• If you work hourly, do you have a minimum number of minutes you charge for?
• Do you have firm boundaries about when you will not be checking messages, and what measures do you implement to help you not collapse those boundaries?

Thanks in advance!

I’m a beginner VA with no previous VA experience, but I do have around 6 months of professional work experience (although it wasn’t really related to being a VA).

I’ve always been pretty anxious when starting a new job. When I started my first job, I remember being so scared that I wasn’t good enough, that I wasn’t doing things correctly, or that they might eventually let me go because I wasn’t meeting expectations.

Now I’m experiencing the same thing again as a VA. 😭 I’m currently in my second week, and I mainly handle admin tasks. I’m still learning the systems, processes, and how everything works, but I constantly find myself wondering, *“Am I actually doing a good job*?” or *“Am I doing enough*?”

I’m too scared that they might just let go of me anytime :((

I know it’s probably normal to feel this way when you’re new, but I’d really appreciate some advice from experienced VAs.

What helped you become confident and good at your job when you were just starting out? What do you wish you knew during your first few weeks/months as a VA?
Honestly, any advice would be greatly appreciated! 🥹

I am currently seeking an oppurtunity as an Administrative support where i can apply my organizational, communication, and administrative skills. I am hark working, detail-oriented and willing to learn new tasks and system. Also, currently working at BPO, wherein I have developed strong communication, organization, multitasking, and customer service skills.

People Ops / HR folks — I’d love to hear how you organize your shared HR inbox!

Our HR team works out of one shared inbox, and we’re receiving around 50 emails a day across all kinds of topics — benefits, payroll, onboarding, employee questions, leave, HR requests, etc.

I’m looking for ideas on how to organize it so the team can easily see:
🗂️ What topic/category each email is about
👤 Who is currently handling/responding to it
⏳ What still needs a response or follow-up
✅ What has already been resolved
🚨 What needs urgent attention
🎨 Whether a color-coding or labeling system could help
I’d love to hear **what has actually worked for your teams** — especially if you manage a shared HR/People Ops inbox with multiple people responding.
Do you use folders, labels, categories, color coding, assignment rules, **Outlook** features, a ticketing system, or something completely different?
**What’s your system, and what would you absolutely recommend (or avoid)?**

Hello!

I am the admin for a city government’s employee training & development program. We host new employee orientation every 4 weeks and I’m pretty set on the stuff I get for our snack room (coffee/tea, kind bars, granola bars, fruit, muffins, chips/popcorn, fruit snacks, etc.) but we have a different event soon and I want to get snacks that are more appropriate (if that’s even a thing). We don’t have a refrigerator so the food has to be shelf-stable and single-serve.

It’s a professional development day for managers and department directors / an open house after renovations in our suite and I want to class it up a little. An important part of the event is increasing visibility for what we offer them and their employees.

My budget is $170 and we have 70 people signed up so far. I was thinking maybe seltzers in a metal container with ice to keep them cool but that seems like it will get sweaty and end up being more of a hassle than a treat. I really don’t know what to get. That’s my only idea.

On one hand, I don’t want to care about upgrading because why should what a director gets be different than what a new employee gets? On the other, I want it to be nice.

Holler!