What does a Construction Administrative Assistant do?

Administrative assistants have been around for decades – but how can they help in the construction industry.? Whether you’re a contractor or a management company, hiring an administrative assistant in a construction company can benefit you and your customers in a variety of ways.

At Virtual Construction Assistants, we work to understand our client’s needs. And help them hire the best virtual assistants we can find. Let’s walk through what exactly an administrative assistant in a construction company does. And how they can benefit your business.

What is an administrative assistant in the construction industry?

In the construction industry, there is a high demand for specialized administrative support that can help keep projects on track and help on an as-needed basis. A construction administrative assistant can help with many tasks and responsibilities to keep your business running smoothly.

You can use an administrative assistant in a construction company in multiple ways. Ranging from specialized help to general business support. We see a lot of clients hire admins for low-level tedious tasks that don’t require extensive training or specialized tasks that don’t require a full-time position.

Since working in a virtual role requires extensive written and oral communication. They should also be experts at staying organized, prioritizing their work, and meeting deadlines.

Ultimately, we can find an admin for any specific needs of our clients!

Types of roles they can help with

There are so many different roles and specialties that you can have an administrative assistant in a construction company help with. It’s best to sit down with our team and discuss where you can use extra support to ensure we find the right talent for your needs.

Manage schedules and book travel - Putting your schedule and calendar together can sometimes feel like a puzzle. A virtual administrative assistant in your construction company can help. They’re able to help with things like booking travel, scheduling meetings, and ensuring your calendar is managed.
Develop organizational systems and processes - If you need help keeping your company organized, an administrative assistant can help. Making sure you have a clear system to keep your files, invoices, and more organized is vital to running your business smoothly.
Respond to emails - As a busy executive or business owner, you might not have the time to promptly respond to emails or keep up with your email inbox. An administrative assistant in a construction company can help you respond to emails, organize your inbox and prioritize your responses on time.
Communicate with customers or vendors - Even virtually, an administrative assistant can help you answer phones, respond to online reviews or organize your leads. This can help you maintain a top-notch level of customer service and manage your reputation.
Maintain social media - Social media is a valuable way to grow your brand. But it also can involve extensive time coordinating and tactically executing. An administrative assistant for your construction company can assist with social media marketing. Or in other tactical marketing strategies like deploying emails or printing brochures.
Handle bookkeeping and accounting - It’s common to hire an administrative assistant to help your business's accounting and bookkeeping. This important but often tedious area of business can benefit from an hourly, virtual employee that can help track invoices, process payments, and organize your business's financial records.

Skillsets of successful administrative assistants

When hiring an administrative assistant, they’re are certain skillsets and characteristics that we look for to ensure they’re a good fit for the role.

Communication is key when working with an administrative assistant in a construction company. That’s why the candidate must be excellent at verbal and written communication — especially when working in a remote environment.

They should be able to professionally and promptly respond to emails, instant messages, or other online communication easily while navigating any phone calls or meetings they need to attend.

Additionally, they must feel comfortable with our clients’ basic software programs. Whether it’s Microsoft Powerpoint or Dropbox, they should have an understanding of the most common software used in businesses today. If they’re unfamiliar with the software, they should be able to learn thanks to a general technology aptitude.

Lastly, we expect administrative assistants to exhibit excellent organizational skills. This usually includes prioritizing their work appropriately, multi-tasking, and staying on top of deadlines.

Value of adding an administrative assistant to your team

There are many added benefits to hiring an administrative assistant in the construction industry. At Virtual Construction Assistants, we see the value our clients gain every day from having specialized outsourced help.

Staffing in the construction industry can be tricky. — The number of employees needed can ebb and flow in the construction industry depending on the season or project. Some months can be hectic, while other times, you might have extra time between projects.

When you hire a full-time, in-person employee, you pay for that employee’s work no matter how busy your business.

On the other hand, when you hire a virtual administrative assistant. You can pay by the hour or project, helping to keep your overhead down during the slower months of your business. Hiring a virtual administrative assistant can be a great solution to the staffing challenges many contractors face.

Since this role is done virtually, we recommend our clients have the proper infrastructure to support virtual work. That usually includes things like a preferred platform for digital communication or a way to access files digitally.

If your business is still mostly traditional with paper communication or non-digital methods of organizing. An in-person assistant might best suit your company. In the hiring process, we’ll walk through what systems you have in place to confirm a virtual assistant is the right fit for you.

We can help!

At Virtual Construction Associates, our team can assist in hiring for your company’s key administrative or specialized roles. From experienced administrative assistants to specialized project managers and estimators.

We know the value of great employees. Our team is skilled at finding talented administrative assistants for your construction company. If you’re interested in getting started or still have questions, contact us today!