Office Manager job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 3 of 5

medium preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$69,500

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers (O*NET-SOC 43-1011.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

1. Supervise the work of office, administrative, or customer service employees to ensure adherence to quality standards, deadlines, and proper procedures, correcting errors or problems. importance 4.4 of 5
2. Resolve customer complaints or answer customers' questions regarding policies and procedures. importance 4.4 of 5
3. Provide employees with guidance in handling difficult or complex problems or in resolving escalated complaints or disputes. importance 4.3 of 5
4. Review records or reports pertaining to activities such as production, payroll, or shipping to verify details, monitor work activities, or evaluate performance. importance 4.2 of 5
5. Discuss job performance problems with employees to identify causes and issues and to work on resolving problems. importance 4.1 of 5
6. Prepare and issue work schedules, deadlines, and duty assignments for office or administrative staff. importance 4.1 of 5
7. Recruit, interview, and select employees. importance 4.0 of 5
8. Interpret and communicate work procedures and company policies to staff. importance 4.0 of 5
9. Evaluate employees' job performance and conformance to regulations and recommend appropriate personnel action. importance 4.0 of 5
10. Train or instruct employees in job duties or company policies or arrange for training to be provided. importance 4.0 of 5
11. Research, compile, and prepare reports, manuals, correspondence, or other information required by management or governmental agencies. importance 4.0 of 5
12. Implement corporate or departmental policies, procedures, and service standards in conjunction with management. importance 4.0 of 5
13. Compute figures such as balances, totals, or commissions. importance 4.0 of 5
14. Coordinate activities with other supervisory personnel or with other work units or departments. importance 3.9 of 5
15. Participate in the work of subordinates to facilitate productivity or to overcome difficult aspects of work. importance 3.9 of 5
16. Make recommendations to management concerning such issues as staffing decisions or procedural changes. importance 3.8 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Working with Computers, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Processing Information and Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Develop work schedules according to budgets and workloads.
• Analyze financial activities of establishments or departments and provide input into budget planning and preparation processes.
• Design, implement, or evaluate staff training and development programs, customer service initiatives, or performance measurement criteria.
• Keep informed of provisions of labor-management agreements and their effects on departmental operations.
• Coordinate or perform activities associated with shipping, receiving, distribution, or transportation.
• Monitor inventory levels and requisition or purchase supplies as needed.

Knowledge areas: Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative and Computers and Electronics.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Facebook, Henry Schein Dentrix. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists less than 5 years of work experience in a related occupation as typical.
• Training on the job: BLS lists no typical on-the-job training once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 3 of 5 (medium preparation). Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become an office manager.

The most common answer among office managers surveyed by O*NET is a bachelor's degree (45%).

Job title: Office Manager
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring an Office Manager.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Supervise the work of office, administrative, or customer service employees to ensure adherence to quality standards, deadlines, and proper procedures, correcting errors or problems.
- Resolve customer complaints or answer customers' questions regarding policies and procedures.
- Provide employees with guidance in handling difficult or complex problems or in resolving escalated complaints or disputes.
- Review records or reports pertaining to activities such as production, payroll, or shipping to verify details, monitor work activities, or evaluate performance.
- Discuss job performance problems with employees to identify causes and issues and to work on resolving problems.
- Prepare and issue work schedules, deadlines, and duty assignments for office or administrative staff.
- Recruit, interview, and select employees.
- Interpret and communicate work procedures and company policies to staff.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists less than 5 years in a related occupation as typical; adjust to this role]
- Strength in social perceptiveness, coordination and reading comprehension
- Working knowledge of Administration and Management and Customer and Personal Service
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $69,500 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $33.41. BLS estimates about 1,436,680 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers to grow 0.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 127,400 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full office manager salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real office manager posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Supervise the work of office, administrative, or customer service…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only office manager work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (social perceptiveness and coordination); office manager interview questions turns them into practice questions.