What Are Business Administrator Skills? (With Definition)

Business administrators manage a business, optimize its various components, and help ensure its best performance. They employ a variety of skills when attending to the different aspects of a business, such as finance, human resources, marketing, business operations, and project management. Identifying the relevant skills for a business administrator's role can help you determine how to apply them for better performance. In this article, we discuss business administrator skills, list examples, suggest how to improve these skills, examine their use in the workplace, and outline ways to highlight them in the workplace and when applying for a role.

What are business administrator skills?

Business administrator skills are the competencies that you apply when fulfilling the duties of a business administrator. In this role, your responsibilities may include record maintenance, policy execution, budget management, and technological innovation. Your competencies, which usually include hard and soft skills, allow you to perform your role efficiently. For instance, project management, attention to detail, problem-solving, technological knowledge, time management, and customer service skills enable you to manage a business across various industries. Employers prioritize these skills when recruiting and require you to demonstrate them if hired.

Examples of business administrator skills

Here are some skills that can contribute to your success as a business administrator:

Communication

You use your communication skills when interacting with others. Good communication contributes to the expression and reception of critical business information. You can apply it in various forms, such as verbally or in writing. For instance, your written communication skills can help you write compelling e-mails, reports, and memos. Non-verbal communication skills enable you to respond to non-verbal communication, like body language and observe the responses of executives, clients, and team members to your presentations or statements. Effective communication also involves active listening, which helps you understand others' needs and intentions.

Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills help business administrators collaborate effectively with others in professional environments. This role involves interacting with various individuals, including executives, team members, and clients. Your interpersonal skills allow you to manage these interactions and establish solid professional relationships. These skills are also useful within team environments to help ensure high motivation and clear direction.

Read more: What Is Interpersonal Communication, and How Can You Use It in the Workplace

Technology skills

Technology skills are the abilities you use in manipulating and leveraging technological resources. Modern businesses depend increasingly on technological solutions and software in day-to-day operations, which means your understanding and application of digital solutions is necessary for success in your role. Your ability to utilize technological resources also optimizes your other skills, such as organization, budgeting, and communication. Troubleshooting common issues, operating basic hardware, and proficiency in file management are all components of this skill.

Organization

Organizational skills refer to the ability to arrange and use resources optimally. These resources include finances, personnel, and time. As a management expert, your role involves scheduling meetings, determining strategies, and managing records. All these duties involve competent organizational skills to ensure business operations run smoothly.

Attention to detail

Attention to detail is a skill that pertains to your ability to focus on the subtle aspects of a process. It also means you are able to carry out repeated tasks with low error margins. Your role as a business administrator involves dealing with documents, handling client interactions, and scheduling resources. Effective attention to detail helps you identify errors and ensure consistency when fulfilling these duties.

Leadership

Leadership skills refer to the qualities you apply when overseeing colleagues within teams or departments. These skills help you instruct, delegate, and inspire others toward a collective goal. Delegating duties, for instance, requires a clear understanding of the capacity of team members in various departments. This helps you hold them accountable and facilitates their professional development. Your duty as an administrator also involves making critical decisions for your team's or department's benefit.

Problem-solving

Problem-solving skills refer to the set of approaches and competencies you use when assessing and resolving problems. Issues can arise at various points when managing a business process. Business administrators are responsible for resolving such issues and minimizing their impact on productivity or output. Applying problem-solving skills involves critical thinking, positivity, innovation, and the ability to work under pressure.

Read more: What Is a Problem-Solving Strategy? (With 9 Examples)

How to improve business administrator skills

Consider applying these steps to improve your skills as a business administrator:

1. Grow your network

Your network allows you to find opportunities that suit your needs and skill set. You can interact with friends who work in similar industries or with experts in roles to which you aspire. Such interactions offer opportunities for strong professional relationships that you can leverage when applying for positions. Professional events, lectures, seminars, professional networking sites, and conferences can all serve as good methods for growing your network.

Read more: How to Become a Business Administrator: A Step-By-Step Guide

2. Improve your qualifications

Consider improving your professional qualifications to build your skill set. For instance, you can complete certifications and courses that allow you to learn new skills and develop existing ones. Courses in specific areas, such as accounting, scheduling, and software management, can help you prepare for the duties in a prospective role.

Read more: Qualifications vs. Skills (Definition, Types, and Examples)

3. Keep up to date

Subscribe to reliable sources of industry information to keep up to date with developments and requirements related to your role. These sources can include newsletters from a company you like, publications, and professional social media channels. You can also inform yourself by becoming familiar with the uses of new technology, such as spreadsheets, databases, and scheduling software.

Read more: What Is Industry Knowledge? (With Levels and Examples)

4. Select a mentor

Nurturing a relationship with an experienced business administrator helps you improve your skills. You can consider many factors when selecting a mentor, including their specialization, years of experience, and reputation. A mentor relationship facilitates your skill development by offering direct insight and guidance. For instance, a mentor can help you identify ways to make the most of a professional course. They can also offer practical administration methods in place of more theoretical ones.

5. Take on new projects

Participating in new projects helps develop your skills. The demands of these projects can require you to develop new skills or apply old ones in a new way. You can identify such opportunities during team meetings or interactions with colleagues. Taking on new projects also helps you collaborate more effectively as you exchange ideas with other team members and colleagues. These people may then recommend you for other projects, which fosters opportunities for your growth.

Business administrator skills in the workplace

Here are some ways business administrators apply their skills in the workplace:

• Maintain records: Creating digital and physical records for a company involves your organizational skills. You can also use records to facilitate seamless references, make projections, and monitor a project's performance.

• Communicate expectations: Effective communication helps you and your colleagues identify targets and work toward achieving them. You can also use communication to develop your leadership potential and encourage others to improve their productivity.

• Adopt technological innovations: Selecting the technological innovations that best align with a business's objectives requires strong decision-making and research skills. You can also conduct risk analysis and determine the financial costs of adopting new digital solutions.

• Introduce schedules: Schedules are an effective tool for monitoring projects, establishing milestones, and maintaining organization. Introducing a team schedule improves your administration by managing resources, encouraging accountability, and improving productivity.

How to highlight business administrator skills

You can highlight your skills in the following ways when applying for business administrator jobs:

Business administrator skills for a resume

Prospective employers will require a resume as one of your application documents when you apply for a new position. You can list your soft and hard skills in the skills section of your document. This helps show employers that you're an experienced expert who can handle the role's technical and interpersonal aspects. Your work experience and professional summary are other sections where you can give context to your skills. Consider using quantifiers when outlining duties of previous roles where you applied your skills.

Business administrator skills for a cover letter

A cover letter offers an opportunity to elaborate on the content of your resume. You can detail specific instances where you used your skills to achieve results. These can show hiring managers what you can contribute to the new role. When highlighting your skills in your cover letter, it's necessary to tailor them to the relevant position. For instance, emphasizing your experiences with clients and your customer service skills aligns with the requirements of a service industry role.

Business administrator skills for a job interview

A job interview is the stage of an application process where hiring managers get to interact with you directly. The answers you provide and your conduct during this interview help them determine if you're a good fit for the role. Researching the company, its values, history, and culture can help you better understand the job requirements so that you can highlight your relevant skills. You can also ask the interviewer questions to clarify expectations.