If you work as an admin assistant, you already know how much time you spend inside Microsoft Office. And even when you feel comfortable with Word, Excel, and Outlook, there are small tools and shortcuts that change everything once you learn them. These skills help you work faster, stay organized, and support your team with confidence. They also help you stand out when you’re applying for roles or looking to grow in your career.
At AlphaLogic Career College in London ON, many students come to us because they’ve used Microsoft Office for years but never learned the features that make daily work easier. They want training that’s clear, practical, and meant for real office jobs. If you’re looking for microsoft office for administrative assistants, these are three skills that make a real difference but often get overlooked.
Word documents can eat up time. You adjust spacing, bold a title, change a subheading, fix a bullet list, and then do it all over again on the next page. When you use Styles, you stop repeating the same steps.
A Style is a preset format for text. When you apply a Style, Word updates the font, size, spacing, and structure all at once. And if you update the style later, your entire document updates with it. This helps when you create reports, meeting notes, letters, or any document that needs a clean layout.
Here’s how it helps your daily work:
Students in our diploma programs often say this one tip changes the way they use Word. Once you get used to Styles, you never go back to doing everything by hand. It’s one reason our microsoft office for administrative assistants training focuses on habits that support actual office work, not just the basics.
Excel can feel overwhelming if you try to learn everything at once. But most admin work only requires a few core tools. When you know the shortcuts for those tools, you work faster and avoid mistakes.
Here are three shortcuts every admin assistant should know:
Ctrl + Shift + L
Turns on filters with one shortcut. Filters help you sort names, dates, or numbers without changing the rest of your sheet.
Ctrl + Arrow Keys
Moves you to the edges of your data fast. This helps when you work with long lists and need to jump to the top or bottom.
Ctrl + Shift + +
Inserts rows or columns without using the menu.
These shortcuts seem simple, but when you repeat them through the week, you save hours. They also help you handle last-minute requests from your manager with less stress. You feel more in control of your files, and not the other way around.
Many people think Excel training must be complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. When you learn microsoft office for administrative assistants at a career college, you focus on what you actually use: lists, budgets, schedules, and quick calculations. You learn only the tools that support real office tasks.
Most admin assistants spend a good part of the day inside Outlook. You manage meeting invites, reminders, and long email threads. But Outlook has tools that help you stay organized without extra effort.
Rules
Rules tell Outlook what to do with new messages. You can sort emails into folders, highlight important senders, or move newsletters out of your main inbox. Once you set a rule, it works on its own.
Quick Steps
Quick Steps group several actions together. For example, you can set one button to forward a message to your manager, mark it as complete, and move it to a folder. This is faster than clicking three separate buttons all day long.
Calendar Categories
Colour coding your meetings helps you stay on track. You see at a glance what’s urgent, what’s routine, and what needs prep.
These tools help you avoid missed messages and last-minute rushes. They give you a clear system that keeps up even on busy days. When you train in microsoft office for administrative assistants, you learn to build reliable habits with these tools so your workday stays steady and predictable.
People often assume admin assistants just need basic computer skills. But offices rely on you to keep schedules steady, documents organized, and information clear. When you know advanced features in Word, Excel, and Outlook, you support your team in a stronger way.
You also feel more confident. You know how to solve problems on your own and work with less stress. Your manager notices when you stay organized and finish tasks faster. This opens doors for promotions and new responsibilities.
These skills also matter when you’re thinking about going back to school. Many adults in London ON come to AlphaLogic Career College because they want to update their skills, earn a diploma, or get customized training that fits their job goals. And because the GED has been replaced with the CAEC, more adults are looking for clear pathways to build their education and move into stable careers.
When you build stronger Microsoft Office skills, you take a practical step toward that goal.
If you’re ready to build these skills, consider formal training that focuses on real office work. AlphaLogic Career College offers registered diploma programs and customized training solutions that help you learn microsoft office for administrative assistants in a clear and practical way. Our programs are built for adults who want steady career growth and tools they can use right away.
You learn in a friendly environment with instructors who understand the challenges adults face when they return to school. You get support, guidance, and training that prepares you for real jobs in today’s offices.
If you’re thinking about a new start or want to strengthen your office skills, we’re here to help. Let us know if you want to explore your training options or learn more about our programs.
