The Role of a Secretary and Office
Professional
Copyright © 2001-2005
The secretarial role is
interesting, challenging and undergoing many changes...and the changes
have made the secretarial profession even more
appealing.
The biggest change of all has
been to the name, 'Secretary'. Did you know that Secretaries
are now becoming more known as 'Office Professionals'?
Of course as the title
indicates, a Secretary's role can now be expected to include some
managerial duties. This could include supervising other office
secretaries or administration staff or even training staff.
So just what role DOES the Secretary and
Office Professional play within an organization? Do you possess the
qualities to become a secretary or office professional if the role is
changing? These are the questions we will give you some guidance with. You also might like to have a look at the following selection which gives you an insight
into the role and some training you need right from the start of your career.
You will know exactly what to expect before you take the plunge!
If you do not already have the qualities to fulfill the role of a secretary
now, we will guide you on how you can acquire them.
The major role of a Secretary or Office Professional
is to provide assistance to a Manager or Managers.
As the new generation of
Managers are doing more and more of their own typing, a Secretary's role
can expect to be more of an organizer, supervisor and trainer rather than the bulk of
the duties being typing. But of course this can and does differ from company
to company.
Tasks can include many varied
duties - research, typing, producing flyers, filing, dictaphone transcription, screening telephone calls, appointments, liaising with clients (and sometimes this includes
handling difficult situations) and other staff members, attending meetings, minute taking, composing letters,
making travel bookings, supervising, training staff (including your boss), ordering flowers and gifts, and
of course there will be menial tasks included too.
To be a competent secretary, you will need to learn how your boss works,
what his/her role and objectives are within the company, what correspondence,
telephone and personal enquiries he/she would like you to refer to him/her, or
whether he/she prefers to take his/her calls at certain times of the day.
Knowing these sorts of things will make your job easier too. The idea is to save
your Manager time with
the daily routine matters and be as helpful as you possibly
can. Books are available on this exact subject - forming a working relationship with your
boss.
As you learn more about the way your company operates and the role of other
company personnel, you will find you will be answering more and more of the
routine enquiries and confidently referring enquiries to the correct officer
without having to bother anyone else, particularly your boss.
Familiarize yourself with company policies so that you know how to deal with certain
issues should the occasion arise in your role as
Secretary. For instance should personnel complaints be put in writing,
or will your boss deal with them verbally. You need to know these things so
you don't waste the time of your boss by putting unnecessary calls through
to him/her. You'll be
able to deal with them expediently yourself because the policy will give you
guidelines on how the company wishes you to handle them.
Also many companies have procedural
books and/or staff handbooks. Ask if there is one and read it and re-read
it. If one doesn't exist, develop one as
you learn the job. Take the initiative. You will find it so handy
when you need to train other staff you supervise.
Now you know some of the types
of duties you'll be expected to carry out in your role, see how you rate in
the desired qualities a secretary should have.
If you want to be a successful secretary, you must have personal qualities
and skills or have the ability to acquire them.
In a nut shell, if you already possess these qualities, you've got the makings of a competent secretary...but if not,
check out some of our tutorials and
links throughout our website. Everything
is here to help you. Nothing is out of reach.
Lee Silber
has written a series of books on how to promote yourself, manage your career, setting goals and
getting the job done, and all have received great customer reviews.
See below the type of information you can
access right here:
What does the Role of a
Secretary entail
The Secretarial role is not for everyone even though it is challenging and
changing. See if you have the desired qualities.
Learn how to use Tips and
Tricks in your Secretarial role
Working with tips and tricks could make all the difference in making you
number one in your profession. See what time saving and other
techniques you can use in your daily routine.
Is there such a thing
as Secretarial Ethics?
Secretaries throughout the world would certainly work using a code of
Ethics - see how the ethics we have developed can assist you in becoming a
valuable member in the workforce and could even assist you in climbing the
corporate ladder.
Books written
specifically for the Secretarial profession
Books are still an invaluable learning aid used by the Secretary and great
for continual reference. You will be surprised how just one piece of
advice will be used over and over in the office and as times continue to
change you will have the need to reference these books time and time
again.
Does the one resume suit all
the Secretarial jobs you apply for?
You need to know what to include, what not to, and most importantly how to
adapt your resume to the job you are applying for.
Have your say when you visit the
Secretarial Forum
A forum is available for you to share or seek information, comments or
advice. Please feel free to post your questions.
Free Office
Tutorials in the following are available
Telephone Etiquette
- Do you answer the telephone correctly? Are you friendly and let
the caller know you're listening and interested? If not, don't
distress, we have a lesson for you that will make your Company proud.
Making Appointments
- you will learn how to make appointments and what information your
Manager needs so he has all the facts and is prepared. Only then will the
meeting will be successful.
Writing Correspondence -
Step by step instructions on how to lay out your office correspondence
with all the relevant information. You will even learn how to write
your letter so the message is conveyed to the recipient successfully.
All about Meetings -
There are many aspects to be aware of to make a meeting run smoothly.
If you are the key person responsible for setting up meetings from
preparing meeting notices and agendas, to taking minutes of the meeting,
you are in the right place. You can choose formats and tools that
will make your job easier.
Useful Links for any
Secretary
Check out the links we've made available for you to be kept informed, save
time, and awareness of training available.
Need training to master the advance or basic techniques
The training offered on this site is focused to assist you in your day to
day duties whether you need to learn the basics first before proceeding to
the more advanced lessons. You make the choice.
A Secretarial
Newsletter
What better way to keep informed then signing on to receive a copy of the www.secretarialsite.com
newsletter. It's totally FREE.
What is MOUS Certification?
Find out more about this certification. You can even take the exam
and receive your MOUS certificate. If you're not quite ready, take
the courses that you need to enable you to become certified.
Executary Seminars
The Secretarial Site has up to date news on various seminars focused
towards Secretaries, Office Professionals, executive Secretaries,
Administrative Assistants, and Personal Assistants, in locations that may
suit you.
Recommended
Employment Agencies
Employment agencies are listed in selected countries to save you time.
Can you touch
type, or, do you know your typing speed?
You can quickly and easily take a typing test to check your speed.
You can learn to increase your speed and best of all you will learn how to
touch type.
Need
to translate this website into another language?
Go now to the website that will make translation easy. All you need to do
is copy and paste this URL http://www.secretarialsite.com
into the window on the website.
When is Administrative
Professional's Day/Secretaries Day
Administrative Professional's Day is always the last Wednesday in the last full week of the month of
April and this full week is dedicated to Administrative Professionals. Mark it now in
your diary so you and your fellow workers can celebrate. Better
still, spread the word and enter it into your Manager's diary so he/she is
made aware of it.
But what happened to Secretaries Day? It has been
renamed to Administrative Professional's Day! Did you know the
National Secretaries Association, now known as IAAP, began this special
recognition.
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