Candidates will have at least a bachelors degree in business administration.

Personality

Candidate will show evidence of loyalty, reliability, initiative, problem solving skills, and organizational capabilities.

There are a variety of higher-learning institutions with a curriculum focused on office-management. Candidates graduating from these programs are ideal for hiring in to such a position.

Summary

Managing the office efficiently and effectively will give the firm the best opportunity to be as productive as possible thereby leading to increased profits, as well as professional staff morale and a culture which inculcates the values important to the firm. Whether the firm begins with a part-time office manager or a full-time person, creating the position, monitoring performance, and putting structure into place will enable efficiency and is critical to promoting culture and impressing clients.

Determining the appropriate services to centralize at the office level will also enable the firm to capture economies of scale and leverage scarce resources. It will also reduce the amount of time professionals worry about managing such resources.

Maintaining the facility is equally important. The office manager is well positioned to manage this function. Providing an ergonomic and well-maintained office space that enables efficiency and productivity for the professional is critical.

Successful firms also find a systematic way to build culture and capture firm history. The office management is well suited for this responsibility.

Finally, hiring the right office manager is important because they lead these functions and set the tone of the office.

RESOURCES

The Association of Professional Office Managers (APOM). APOM promotes excellence in office administration and management.

APOM supports the performance and professional careers of office managers by providing central resources and services designed to functionally assist members with their responsibilities. The APOM has web-based resources available to members including reading lists, white papers, and policy and procedure recommendations. APOM can be found at http: www.apom.us.

Information on Microsofts SharePoint document management and collaboration tool is available from http: www.microsoft.com/sharepoint.

Office-aide, an office management software productivity suite is available from http: www.office-aide.com.

The Professional Association of Health Care Office Management specializes in information and resources for physician practice management professionals is available from http: www.pahcom.com.

LOMA is an association of insurance and financial services professional services companies. LOMA was founded in 1924 and has over 1,250 affiliated firms in 70 countries. LOMA is focused on research and education to member firms interested in improving company operations is available from http: www.loma.org.

The Institute of Management and Administration is available from online at http: www.ioma.com.