The major question in the 21st business centuries setting has always been What Does a Secretary Do? Is the secretary’s office always needed? Can one have a life- fulfilled a career as a secretary? Is the Secretary salary something to boost of…..?
Relax, Take a deep breath and smile because in this article lies the answers to all these questions.
Interestingly, An organization cannot write its success story and efficiency measure employed in the accomplishment of its goals without the office of the secretary been mentioned. That is to tell you that the secretary plays a vital role in the smooth running of an organization.
In a nutshell, an Office Secretary maintains the smooth running of an office through a variety of administrative and clerical duties. These duties include not only keeping files and taking minutes but also handle office schedules, coordinate meetings, and visits, organize files, answer phones and perform a huge array of other essential tasks.
Who is a Secretary?
A secretary is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication, or organizational skills.
However, this role should not be confused with the role of an executive secretary, who differs from a personal assistant. In many countries, an executive secretary is a high-ranking position in the administrative hierarchy. In fact in Pakistan, federal secretaries are dubbed as the most influential people in the country.
What does a Secretary do in an Organization?
The Secretary handles Reception work
Reception work in an office setting involves welcoming visitors and making them feel comfortable. In general, the secretariat implicitly helps the new employee and the visitors get oriented.
It includes directing visitors to people who access and view new applications deployed in the home directory. However, a secretary project and promotes the company’s reputation and image by offering a friendly and professional welcome to people who joined the company.
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The Secretary handles Reception work
Reception work in an office setting involves welcoming visitors and making them feel comfortable. In general, the secretariat implicitly helps the new employee and the visitors get oriented. It includes directing visitors to people who access and view new applications deployed in the home directory. However, a secretary project and promotes the company’s reputation and image by offering a friendly and professional welcome to people who joined the company.
Maintain Calendar and Plan Meetings
Office Secretaries schedule appointments and update event calendars. They also arrange meetings and coordinate conference room schedules. In advance of meetings, they assemble background materials and set up the meeting space. They attend meetings and prepare minutes or summaries of the meeting outcomes.
The Secretary Keeps and arranges files
One of the important roles of a secretary is to arrange and keep staff and customers’ files. Apart from the files, the keep record of other things in the company.
Keep the files in alphabetical order and use a file system to facilitate key storage and key retrieval for a successful file organization.
Handles Correspondence and Memo
The Correspondence which includes phone calls and emails that comes in and out of the organization is received and confirmed by the secretary. they receive the emails before sending it to the address department or office.
Furthermore, Receive calls from customers, business associates, workers or community members, and respond to calls or readjustments. Also, on behalf of the manager, they communicate information to clients, schedule meetings or follow up on queries. Take notes from a manager, prepare a note or letter, and review the address of a secretary.
Managing of Documents
Secretaries copy documents for internal shipping or distribution. You can also fax company documents to clients or customers and receive faxes sent to the appropriate person.
Moreso, in some office, the secretary create spreadsheets or documents and distribute them to employees or customers using Word and Excel or email. Furthermore, the correction of documents and the preparation of emails are also his or her duties.
Hence, as the last person to see documents before they are sent, the Office Secretary reviews outgoing correspondence for grammar, correctness, and completeness, and ensures that appropriate material is attached.
They prepare memos or other reports for internal or external distribution. They may also make travel bookings and prepare travel expense reports.
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Performs Routine Works
Now in a small office or organization, the secretary assists the staff and sometimes visitors or customers by running errands for them.
In addition to that, the secretary carries out other routine clerical functions which include: canceling or rescheduling appointments, ordering office supplies, taking notes during meetings, and getting drinks for guests.
Secretary Career: What Does it take?
Having a secretarial work as a career although it’s not much demanding especially in a small office setting, there are qualifications and training required or needed. These qualifications are what most employers look out for when recruiting or employing staff that can work as a secretary.
However, formal academic qualifications are not always needed, some employers do require you to be educated to GCSE/standards or A level/higher level. A small office might ask for a degree, in which case a degree in English, business, IT or information science may be beneficial.
Most employers require applicants to have an office or administrative work experience; relevant experience can be gained through temping via recruitment agencies. This, in turn, can lead to permanent work.
Some organizations ask for the ability to type a certain number of words per minute or to have experience in audio typing; however, shorthand is no longer asked for as standard. A range or secretarial training courses are available online or via further education colleges.
Educational Requirements
You can have a secretarial career with a high school diploma and informational skills. Some companies, such as the legal and medical fields, prefer a secretariat that uses industry-specific medicines because it is familiar with terminology and practices. A license may be required for ejection secretaries.
What are the Skills Required?
Some of the key skills that you must possess as a secretary include the following:
Are there Advanced skills Required?
Yes dear, there are advance skills some organizations lookout for which if you possess, you get a higher chance of been employed. These skills include:
I don’t have any work experience…
That shouldn’t bother you at all!
In a situation whereby you don’t have any work experience and you don’t have a degree, you can take a secretarial course before looking for work. There are plenty of full time and part-time courses including GNVQs and GSVQs in business administration, NVQs, and SVQs or the specialist courses run by Pitman, OCR (RSA) and the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Now, let narrow it down a bit….!
Apart from the general duties or roles perform by secretaries, there are other duties which differ based on the type of secretary. like which a club secretary does will be a bit different from what a state secretary, school secretary or a unit secretary does.
What does the secretary of state do at the state Level?
The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser who carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department and the Foreign Service of the States.
The following are some of the duties assigned to different secretaries of state, secretaries of the commonwealth, lieutenant governors and others across the country serving in a secretary-of-state role:
What does a Legal Secretary do?
The role of a legal secretary is to support the lawyers and paralegals in a law office or organization. Most legal secretaries converse directly with attorneys, clerical personnel, courtroom staff members, clients, expert witnesses, and commercial vendors.
However, they are involved in conducting research and reading legal articles, and more, as well as standard secretarial duties, that might include answering phones and email, filing, creating and maintaining schedules for lawyers, ordering supplies, copying, faxing and maintaining the office.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, legal secretaries made a median annual income of $41,500 in 2010 or $19.95 per hour. This depends on the level of experience.
What does a club Secretary do?
When talking about what does the secretary of a club does, taking the primary purpose of the job into consideration matters. The Club Secretary carries out or delegates all the administrative duties that enable the club and its members to function effectively.
The Club Secretary has an essential role within the club, with close involvement in the general running of the club. The secretary and his/her assistant provide the main point of contact for people within and outside the club on just about every aspect of the club’s activities.
What Does a Secretary of Defense do?
The U.S. secretary of defense oversees the country’s Department of Defense, the federal service responsible for the country’s armed services and related military matters. This federal official acts as the principal defense policymaker and adviser.
he secretary of defense exercises authority, direction, and control over the three departments of the U.S. armed forces — the Army and the Navy, as well as the Air Force.
However, the main job of the secretary of defense like in the USA is to plan, develop and execute policies that concern the military affairs and national security of the country.
Also, he or she is responsible for the department’s resource management and fiscal and program evaluation. Furthermore, the secretary runs the entire department from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), which comprises the official’s entire staff. And also, the secretary’s staff assists in carrying out assigned tasks in accordance with their job titles.
What Does a Secretary Salary look like?
Secretaries and administrative assistants in all fields earn a median salary of $37,230 as of May 2016, which means that half earn more, and half earn less. The top 10 percent of secretaries and administrative assistants earn more than $62,230. The lowest 10 percent earn less than $22,930.
Secretaries and administrative assistants in all fields earn a median salary of $37,230 as of May 2016, which means that half earn more, and half earn less. The top 10 percent of secretaries and administrative assistants earn more than $62,230. The lowest 10 percent earn less than $22,930.
Rate at which is Secretary Job Increasing
Over the years, the Job opportunities for all secretaries have been at a declining rate because of the introduction of modern technologies that can help others prepare documentation and other tasks formerly carried out by secretaries. Only one category was not affected.
In the case of executive secretaries, managers are now completing functions of a secretary on their own, or the secretaries can support more than one manager.
The decreases in secretarial categories are as follows:
- general office secretary – 7 percent
- executive secretary – 17 percent
- legal secretary – 19 percent
The one category of secretary expected to have an increase in job growth is a medical secretary. This secretarial field is projected to increase 22 percent over the next decade, much faster than the average for all occupations. This is primarily due to the increasing health care needs of an aging population.
FAQs
The secretary and his/her assistant provide the main point of contact for people within and outside the club on just about every aspect of the club’s activities.
A secretary is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication, or organizational skills.
Teamwork and team spirit
Organization and time management skills
Attention to detail
Good communication, customer service
Relationship-building skills
Negotiation skills
Assertiveness
Flexibility
Ability to work under pressure
Tact, discretion, and diplomacy
The ability to be proactive and use your initiative: to see what needs doing and to do it
And also, the ability to use standard software packages (eg Microsoft Office) and to learn bespoke packages if required.
Secretaries and administrative assistants in all fields earn a median salary of $37,230 as of May 2016, which means that half earn more, and half earn less. The top 10 percent of secretaries and administrative assistants earn more than $62,230. The lowest 10 percent earn less than $22,930.