Evaluative essay on literary and cultural analysis

Job Evaluation

Office assistants in our consulting firm are expected to fulfill a number of varied tasks and duties. Responsibilities of the job include accurate filing of forms; data entry; and answering phones. Occasionally the phone lines are busy and therefore the office assistant needs to be able to juggle many calls at once and politely place people on hold or take down meticulous messages. All messages must be delivered on time. Memos must be composed daily, and may include progress reports. The office assistant must also maintain the firm's contact information by occasionally updating information. The assistant must be able to write well, as he or she composes a fair number of e-mails. E-mail messages must be responded to in a timely and professional manner. Computer skills are required and include proficiency in all Microsoft Office applications. The office assistant is also expected to be able to troubleshoot computer problems. As we are a relatively small company, we cannot afford to maintain a full-time position for computer technicians. In addition to computer skills, the office assistant must also manage hard copy materials, such as official documents and forms. The office assistant position therefore demands a high level of organizational skills, communications ability, and a willingness to work under pressure. Moreover, the office assistant position requires the ability to multitask.

Lauren has been working as an office assistant with our company for a year. She has fulfilled all of the most important duties and tasks of the position, as outlined above. She has also demonstrated the ability to learn quickly, as she did not have a strong grasp of some of the MS Office applications when she first applied. However, after a few weeks and some basic training she was soon able to operate the Office applications with full efficiency and accuracy. After a few months, Lauren was able to perform advanced functions within programs such as Excel. In fact, her software proficiency is among the best in the office and she has already started to help her coworkers when they run into problems. Her ability to troubleshoot Microsoft software products has come in handy many times.

Lauren is a speedy worker and performs all the basic office duties such as photocopying and filing with aplomb. We have not noticed any misfiled documents since her arrival. She writes well and communicates effectively. We have received no complaints about her replies to e-mails, her office memos, or her typed letters. Her grammar skills are top-notch. However, she sometimes buckles under the pressure of a particularly heavy day on the phones. When the phone lines are ringing constantly sometimes Lauren becomes flustered. Lauren would do well to improve her telephone skills, as occasionally she forgets to take down important messages and sometimes forgets to forward calls to the appropriate department.