Requirements

Office manager - requirements

As an office manager, you’ll be responsible for ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of an office, using your financial, administrative and managerial skills. Find out what it’s like to work as an office manager, what skills you’ll need and what you should study to qualify.

Know what you'll need to land a job below.

What qualifications do you need to be an office manager?

Your options at undergraduate level are varied. Subjects to consider include:

Entry without a degree is possible but this tends to be a basic requirement for many job applications. You’ll also gain many transferable skills that are applicable to the role of an office manager no matter what subject you study.

Please note this is a beta version. We'll continue to improve our suggestions here so that we show you the most relevant subjects.

Do you need a postgraduate qualification to be an office manager?

While you can become an office manager without a degree, it definitely helps to have one. Degrees from all disciplines are usually accepted for office manager roles.

Examples of taught MAs and research degrees at the postgraduate level include MAs in:

Business administration
Human resource management
Information technology
Public administration
Modern languages
Marketing
Psychology
Law

What skills do you need to be an office manager?

Hard skills usually include:

IT skills
Microsoft Office
Fast typing
Data entry
Conflict resolution
Accounting

Soft skills include:

Leadership
Teamwork
Organisational skills
Management
Communication
Attention to detail

Do you need work experience to be an office manager?

To work as an office manager, you’ll need to show experience of working in an office environment. You’ll also need to prove that you have administrative skills such as using Microsoft Office and filing. While at university, you could contact the careers team to find out about relevant internships or work experience placements.