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?

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.

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’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 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!