If you want to become a Business Administrator, there are certain skills you will have to acquire so you can enter the field you are interested in. Plus, future Business Administrators must focus on more than just their education and instead must gain practical experience. Hiring Managers are more likely to hire someone who has completed thorough training and hands-on experience using the tools, technologies, and methodologies of the average Business Administrator. You will also want to build a portfolio that professionals would be impressed by, including any previous projects and research opportunities you have completed. Networking with other professionals can be useful as well since it helps you develop new relationships and learn more about different industries and companies. Ultimately, demonstrating a proactive approach to learning business administration skills and diving in head-first to learn all the various job responsibilities will make you a strong candidate for any business administration role.

What is a Business Administrator?

A Business Administrator is a business professional who is tasked with managing and optimizing various aspects of an organization to ensure smooth operations and success. This role requires a blend of skills ranging from financial management and project management to communication and adaptability. In this position, a Business Administrator will often monitor projects to achieve certain objectives. For instance, they will often promote products through different marketing techniques and manage resources to help develop the project in less time and with maximum efficiency. 

Moreover, Business Administrators work in all kinds of industries, including healthcare, finance, retail, technology, education, and tourism. They are also hired in different departments across the organization, so they are virtually everywhere. This career path is highly desirable and requires learning several skills that are preferable to Hiring Managers. Mostly, companies look for Business Administrators who can use tools like Microsoft Project or Trello. They may also prefer candidates who are familiar with Agile and Waterfall methodologies. All in all, the skills you’ll acquire will directly impact the organization’s ability to manage their projects and reach their goals.

An average work week for a Business Administrator may differ based on what’s going on in the organization. Typically, they’ll complete a variety of tasks aimed at monitoring project success, improving organizational processes, and increasing profits. Business Administrators may also handle finances by compiling reports, allocating resources, and budgeting for new projects. They will also plan projects, make sure everyone stays on task, and meet with teams and department leaders to confirm with them that the project is running smoothly. Additionally, they will handle staff duties like conducting and planning meetings, resolving employee concerns, and preparing for the next day.

Hard Skills

Financial Management

Financial management is essential for a Business Administrator to master. It involves the effective planning, organizing, and controlling of an organization’s financial activities. This may mean they manage a budget, allocate resources to different departments, and ensure projects align with the company’s financial abilities and goals. Additionally, they often work on financial reports, which include performing data analysis and visualization before sharing findings with others. Administrators must also develop a plan as a way to avoid financial risk and loss, as future financial conditions can be unpredictable despite all efforts to forecast the trends in the market. Mastery of different financial tools, such as Microsoft Excel, will likely prove beneficial as well.

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Project Management

Business administration and project management are two very similar fields and are often interchangeable or at least overlapping. Both roles require defining, planning, and implementing project plans from every angle and aspect of the process. For example, effective project management requires strong budgeting, scheduling, and leadership skills. Most will learn methodologies such as Scrum, Agile, or Waterfall and tools such as Microsoft Project and Trello. Business Administrators and Project Managers alike will use these skills and tools to manage multiple projects at once, balancing different priorities, and delegating tasks. The ability to oversee a project from start to finish is essential for reaching the company's goals and providing a desirable end product.

Marketing

Marketing is necessary for a Business Administrator to learn because they will often be part of the promotion process. This may include overseeing social media content creation or employing search engine optimization techniques. Likewise, Business Administrators must be adept at using certain marketing tools and technologies, such as social media, Adobe Creative Cloud applications, and other forms of digital advertising. Analyzing marketing techniques and tactics to understand how consumers are responding to the company is essential as well. Business Administrators typically learn data analysis to a certain extent, as do Digital Marketers and other marketing professionals. Overall, strong marketing skills enable Business Administrators to increase the brand’s visibility, retain customers, and contribute to the company’s growth.

Operations Management

As a Business Administrator, you will have to handle daily business operations to ensure that everything in the office and beyond moves smoothly. They will focus heavily on managing the company’s resources, implementing new policies that help employees function smoothly, and figuring out ways to reduce costs while still providing the user with a pleasant experience or worthwhile product. This also requires coordinating with other departments, complying with industry standards, and ensuring that projects are aligned with company goals and consumer demands.

Soft Skills

Communication

Effective communication is non-negotiable when working as a Business Administrator. This encompasses both verbal and written communication skills as the average Business Administrator will spend much of their time discussing new concepts with stakeholders, delegating tasks to various colleagues, and defending their ideas to others in the department. As a result, Business Administrators must tailor their communication style to suit different groups and situations. Mastering this skill is not only essential but enhances the overall business practices, making it easier to collaborate, build trust, and serve as a respected leader in the business.

Problem-Solving

Business Administrators are also strong problem solvers, which is no surprise since they handle so many different tasks and manage different departments. Between operational inefficiencies, budgeting concerns, timeline mishaps, and technological failures, it is important to think critically and clearly about the ways you could mitigate the issue. Effective problem-solving also requires thinking outside the box and evaluating situations with tact. If you are able to employ these skills, you will grow to become a dependable and well-respected Business Administrator.

Adaptability

When problems arise, it’s important to be adaptable. The ability to adapt to changes and roll with the punches is highly desirable in most fields and positions, but especially in business administration. In this position, it is essential to be flexible in your approach as there are constant shifts in the market, projects can go awry, and organizational structures can falter. Adaptability is important because it means you will be able to remain resilient and creative in the face of setbacks and come up with new and interesting ways to fix problems. This skill is useful across different job positions, but especially in business administration.

What Other Jobs Require These Skills?

Some jobs have similar tasks and require the same skills as a Business Administrator. For example, a Project Manager shares several key skills with business administration roles, including project planning, resource allocation, and task delegation. Similarly, they must use certain management techniques to ensure the projects are completed on time, within budget, and in line with the company standards. In addition, soft skills such as communication, adaptability, and problem-solving are used in both positions. Project Managers are closely aligned with Business Administrators in these ways and others, seeing as the two roles often overlap.

Likewise, a Human Resources Manager is similar to a Business Administrator as both roles may involve overseeing teams, following and implementing policy, facilitating healthy workplace communications, and recruiting new employees. Their parallel skills allow them to complete these tasks in more ways than one and create a productive, safe work environment. Additionally, Human Resources Managers need strong skills in staff management, conflict resolution, operations management, and general organization, much like a Business Administrator. These roles demand experience in these skills and more, so they are closely related and often found working with one another. 

Financial Managers also have similarities with Business Administrators. They both rely heavily on financial management, analysis, and planning skills. For most, they are responsible for implementing and maintaining budgets as well as forecasting changes in the market. These roles also make more informed decisions based on data analysis and help businesses understand the trends and changes in data to decide how to prioritize resource use in the next project. Some may oversee the entire financial operations of an organization, whereas others may focus on the budget for a particular project. Regardless, these roles have shared tasks and require an understanding of financial concepts.

Learn the Skills to Become a Business Administrator at Noble Desktop

If you want to learn essential skills that will help you become a Business Administrator, Noble Desktop has numerous programs, bootcamps, and classes to help you prepare yourself accordingly. For example, the 132-hour “MBA” Business Certificate program gives you insight into all the necessary tools and concepts to help you excel in the business world. You’ll build strong project management skills and learn how to handle financial reports, accounts, and other budgeting concerns. Moreover, you will learn to develop marketing strategies that help connect the business with consumers and improve visibility, engagement, and profits. The instructor will even show you how to leverage generative AI to become a more productive workplace. Overall, you’ll gain a basic understanding of daily business operations and take your business acumen to the next level. By the end, you will feel confident enough to work in a business setting and benefit from a plethora of resources such as a free retake, additional mentoring sessions, and a digital certificate of completion.

Throughout the ChatGPT and AI for Business Bootcamp, students will learn how to use generative AI and ChatGPT to improve business operations and make otherwise menial or time-consuming tasks much easier. As a student in this bootcamp, your instructor will guide you through real-world applications of ChatGPT such as task automation, project management, and data analysis. You will also learn how to use ChatGPT to improve your communication and write prompts that generate the most meaningful and useful responses. Through completing hands-on projects and reviewing real-life case studies, you will see all the different ways AI can be used in a business setting. After 12 hours of instruction, you will feel confident using generative AI and will earn a certificate of completion.

If you want to sharpen your writing skills, the six-hour Advanced Business Writing class will help you do just that. You will prepare complex business documents and feel more confident communicating different concepts to others. Through an easy-to-follow four-step process, your instructor will teach you how to write out schedules, proposals, project plans, and contracts. Likewise, you will learn how to outline and format different business documents as each will have different requirements. You should complete the Effective Business Writing course or have equivalent knowledge before enrolling in this course, as it is an advanced-level class. Once you complete the course, you’ll be able to retake it for free within one year and will earn a certificate.