I can’t seem to land an administrative assistant job. I’ve had skills for such jobs for years; took a certificate course at a trade school…during the ‘96-97 academic year! For 8 years following that, all I was offered was straight data entry, no other daily task. I pursued tech associates degree, still only data entry jobs. Fast-forward to May ‘24, I get a part-time office assistant job, $16 per hour, 15 hours a week. Admin assistant jobs were always something I thought I could easily find…

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I don’t want to assume here and I don’t mean any disrespect, but it could be agism that you experiencing. I’m experiencing some of that and I’m in my early 40’s. Agism is real and it’s not widely talked about enough.

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What I learned and have gotten more traction and responses back from recruiter is I stop listing graduate dates, certification completion dates. And keeping my job experience history only the last 10 years. Nothing further. I also noticed some applications requires for graduate dates, or to upload a picture or even a short introduction video. I stay away from those types of requirements.

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There is NO job that is easy to find and has not been for the last 20 or so years. I would look at a different path especially since your coursework is so old. Recruiters are only looking at the last 10 years of employment and education which I do have 3 diplomas in one year programs in Accounting and Finance related specialties although the only certificate / diploma that has any weight is the high school diploma other than a college degree. Since the Great Recession, I have primarily been only able to find contract, seasonal, temporary work in Customer Service even if I try to get back into the banking / financial world.

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I'm sorry you're dealing with that. This job market is not easy to navigate at all. And it's not necessarily that you're doing anything wrong or that you don't have the right skills, it's just really tough to find a job right now.

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This actually can be a difficult field to break I to. I actually took a data entry job and moved over internally when there was an opening and they were more familiar with my work ethic.

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You mention it could be your interview skills- Admin Asst roles work very closely with their supervisor and other staff- if you come across as a "wet blanket" you will likely not get the job. I GET being nervous- I am too- but you need to push past it. It's been years of you not getting the roles you want- if you can trick yourself into thinking "I don't REALLY care about getting this job- it's their loss", then you'll come across with more confidence and maybe some personality will come through too. There are a lot of influencers on LinkedIn who do videos about how to prep for certain questions that are typical in an interview, they can be about general interview skill tips. I follow a few who do interview coaching. I'm not there for myself- I'm not even getting interviews for my career pivot. Heck, I'm not getting them for parallel shifts, so my resume likely needs a professional to look at it. I'm going to hold off as at this point I'll get my youngest out of elementary school and then start pushing again in the summer. Point being- maybe you should save up and hire a pro but I'd try the free online video tips first. If that's not working maybe find something on the tech side that's a next step up but with AI breathing down our necks I'd choose carfully. Data Entry is one that's at risk so moving is still a good idea. I'm also over 40 but I took older jobs off my resume, removed graduation dates (though I took 8 years to leave college so that takes 4 years off my age, lol), and I just got a Masters degree in Feb 2025 in the field I want and still- NOTHING. Good luck. We all need it in this economy!

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That is a great idea on what to think in interviews and congratulations on your masters degree!

The certificate was when I first learn Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. Since then, I’ve regularly used Word, Excel and PowerPoint (mostly in college and for personal use). I’ve probably used every new version released over the years. The part-time office assistant job ended in Oct. ‘24. It was at a landscaping company and heading into colder weather, landscaping work slowed and impacted the amount of office work for me to do. But it was the first and the closest job I ever had to being an admin assistant. Then I couldn’t maintain my rent. Nothing else steady came along (I also apply to media-related jobs; I have a B.A. in communication). I had to move from PA to live with extended family in NJ. I’ve applied to various administrative assistant jobs that are within a 10-minute commute and not even getting interviews( just automatic email rejections. Besides the MS Office skills, I have great attention to detail (thanks to so many data entry jobs and being a staff writer / copy editor for my college news publications). I can manage a calendar, am very organized. I learn new skills quickly (ex. I had to use a PennDot app on the landscaping company’s iPad). I can create documents such as tri-fold brochures, etc. I know Adobe InDesign, in case there’s a need to work on / create a company newsletter. Also, I have physical limits and some jobs are not an option (retail and fast food). I’ve applied to insurance companies for the past year and ran into problems being able to afford the licensing course. Real estate licensing is even more expensive. So, I keep sticking to pursuing admin assistant jobs, but getting nowhere, even when very local to some of them.

How far are you willing to commute? Do you know any other languages? Are you willing to go into the legal field? Is it possible you don’t interview well? Is it possible you are limiting your search too much?

I’d say up to 1/2 hour. Not bilingual, but took Spanish 101 & 102 years back. I’ve only browsed some legal admin assistant jobs / paralegal jobs; open to those. Yes, I think it could be that I don’t interview well, maybe sometimes are better than others. I tend to have on my mind that so much is riding on a job during interviews and it elevates my nervousness. Distance-wise, I’m probably limiting myself. I’ve thought of including train commutes into NYC.

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